Andrew Johnston

ANDREW JOHNSTON is a teacher, writer and documentarian based out of mainland East Asia. Contact: dmjohnston AT outlook.com

📍 Kaifeng, Henan, China

Opinion

The Immortal Madness of Europa Universalis

Exploring the deep appeal behind the classic strategy series

Feature

Indie Excavation No. 6: A Little Bit Adorable

Featuring: Unit Down, MagiCat, Adventures of Chris

Opinion

Vampire Survivors: A Study of an Indie Phenomenon

Exploring and understanding the indie game that everyone’s talking about

Feature

Indie Excavation No. 5: Platformers on Parade

Featuring: Polyroll, Until I Have You, and Noitu Love 2: Devolution

Feature

Indie Excavation No. 4: The Triumph of Simplicity

Featuring: Deleveled, Heartseeker, Ceilless

Feature

Indie Excavation No. 3: NES Throwbacks

On display — Crypt Stalker, Super Cyborg, Gunmetal Arcadia

Feature

Indie Excavation No. 2: Post-Sale Madness

Featuring: Godstrike, Ultra Space Battle Brawl, My Night Job

Feature

Breaking Kaycee’s Mod: A Look at Inscryption’s Next Phase

What it is, where it falls short, and how to absolutely destroy it

Feature

Indie Excavation No. 1: Dark Christmas

Featuring Castle of no Escape 2, Haimrik, Mastema: Out of Hell

Feature

Arcade Oddities: Hero of Steel

Sometimes, a gimmick can do more than catch someone’s eye

Feature

Eight Indie Games That Don’t Get Enough Love

A list for titles that don’t show up on enough lists

Feature

Lost Sacred Gems: The State of Indie Games in 2022 and Beyond

Small teams have made a big impact in recent years, but will they ever truly rule the roost?

Game Design

Secrets in the Files: Epistolary Stories in Video Games

There’s a long literary tradition of telling stories through letters; here’s how it works in games

Review

Bright Memory: Infinite is Brief but Awesome

The first of the big Chinese indies is here, and it balances cultural design with genre trappings familiar to Westerners

Opinion

The Unsinkable Team Fortress 2

Valve’s team-based FPS has outlasted a lot of competitors — but what comes next?

Feature

Clones: The Past and Future of Unofficial Consoles

The rise of retro gaming has transformed the once-shadowy clone console market into a legitimate global business

Feature

Through the Invisible Wall: Video Games in China

From a banished pastime to a cultural behemoth, this is how interactive media have shaped — and been shaped by— the PRC