Spencer Johnson
@mayorhere.bsky.social
Freelance writer covering video games & history. Exploring the past through pixels and stories. Contributor to Gamers with Glasses & Pop Matters.
Honestly, I just downloaded this game to fill some time. Didn’t expect it to be this good or this thought-provoking.🦊
We're at it again! @mayorhere.bsky.social reviews Back to the Dawn by Metal Head Games, a game that uses anthropomorphism as a powerful estrangement tool through which to explore institutional power dynamics.
www.gamerswithglasses.com/reviews/back...
www.gamerswithglasses.com/reviews/back...
Back to the Dawn Review: Anthropomorphism as Social Commentary — Gamers with Glasses
Back to the Dawn by Metal Head Games succeeds because it understands something that effective anthropomorphic storytelling has always known: non-human characters don't make serious themes less s...
www.gamerswithglasses.com
October 20, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Honestly, I just downloaded this game to fill some time. Didn’t expect it to be this good or this thought-provoking.🦊
Reposted by Spencer Johnson
Check out this week's edition for a GwG triple play, feat. @srtrzinski.bsky.social, @mayorhere.bsky.social, and @patfio.bsky.social!
This week: 21 articles on culture movements, maps, difficulty, dungeon crawlers, and much more. No Freddi Fish articles this week, sorry:
critical-distance.com/2025/09/28/s...
critical-distance.com/2025/09/28/s...
September 28th
Welcome back readers. We’re two for two on this recent streak of on-time Sunday updates. I’m hoping to keep this up as I adapt my schedule to accommodate a couple of new work commitment…
critical-distance.com
September 30, 2025 at 2:03 AM
Check out this week's edition for a GwG triple play, feat. @srtrzinski.bsky.social, @mayorhere.bsky.social, and @patfio.bsky.social!
Reposted by Spencer Johnson
We are LIVE with @mayorhere.bsky.social on VILE: Exhumed, art, payment processors, profit, gatekeeping, censorship, reactionary politics... I'm going to stop listing things, go read the piece:
VILE: Exhumed and the Politics of Digital Horror — Gamers with Glasses
Cara Cadaver was supposed to launch her game VILE: Exhumed on Steam. Instead, she got banned. Spencer Johnson explains how this exemplifies how companies seek to maintain their profitable gatekeepin...
www.gamerswithglasses.com
September 23, 2025 at 7:42 PM
We are LIVE with @mayorhere.bsky.social on VILE: Exhumed, art, payment processors, profit, gatekeeping, censorship, reactionary politics... I'm going to stop listing things, go read the piece:
This game made me reflect on the horror genre with how Vile: Exhumed unsettles you with implication instead of gore. That kind of discomfort is art. And lawful art, no matter how challenging, should never be at the mercy by payment processors.
We are LIVE with @mayorhere.bsky.social on VILE: Exhumed, art, payment processors, profit, gatekeeping, censorship, reactionary politics... I'm going to stop listing things, go read the piece:
VILE: Exhumed and the Politics of Digital Horror — Gamers with Glasses
Cara Cadaver was supposed to launch her game VILE: Exhumed on Steam. Instead, she got banned. Spencer Johnson explains how this exemplifies how companies seek to maintain their profitable gatekeepin...
www.gamerswithglasses.com
September 23, 2025 at 9:40 PM
This game made me reflect on the horror genre with how Vile: Exhumed unsettles you with implication instead of gore. That kind of discomfort is art. And lawful art, no matter how challenging, should never be at the mercy by payment processors.
I played a cozy game about helping wooly yak-like creatures to a new home, and it reminded me how short games can cut through all the open worlds with simple, heartfelt adventures that know when to make an exit. Check out my simple review @okomotive.ch new game, Herdling.
medium.com/@spencer2457...
medium.com/@spencer2457...
In Defense of the 4-Hour Game: Why Herdling Gets Length Exactly Right
I finished Herdling in one sitting and actually appreciated that it knew when to end. Sometimes shorter games get it right.
medium.com
September 1, 2025 at 4:30 PM
I played a cozy game about helping wooly yak-like creatures to a new home, and it reminded me how short games can cut through all the open worlds with simple, heartfelt adventures that know when to make an exit. Check out my simple review @okomotive.ch new game, Herdling.
medium.com/@spencer2457...
medium.com/@spencer2457...
I’m going to try and write a new retrospective series looking back on different games. I just released an article on Clive Barker’s Jericho and play to do his Undying next.
August 17, 2025 at 9:07 PM
I’m going to try and write a new retrospective series looking back on different games. I just released an article on Clive Barker’s Jericho and play to do his Undying next.
Eighteen years later, Clive Barker’s Jericho remains one of gaming’s most interesting flops—a cosmic horror corridor shooter.
medium.com/@spencer2457...
medium.com/@spencer2457...
When Literary Horror Meets Video Game Logic: Jericho’s Identity Crisis
What happens when a horror master’s cosmic vision meets video game industry logic? Clive Barker’s Jericho reveals the tragic mismatch.
medium.com
August 17, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Eighteen years later, Clive Barker’s Jericho remains one of gaming’s most interesting flops—a cosmic horror corridor shooter.
medium.com/@spencer2457...
medium.com/@spencer2457...
Reposted by Spencer Johnson
I'm so happy when players dig deeper into the lore and narrative of Dead of Darkness. Check out this article "Dead of Darkness: When Survival Horror Borrows from Folk Tradition"
@deadofdarkness.bsky.social feels like classic Resident Evil but haunted by something older - folk traditions, island spirits, and the weight of ancestral sin. New piece on how survival horror is learning from folk horror's playbook.
medium.com/@spencer2457...
medium.com/@spencer2457...
Dead of Darkness: When Survival Horror Borrows from Folk Tradition
When I first booted up Dead of Darkness, I was expecting a pixelated horror game that would make me nostalgic. You know the type: chunky…
medium.com
August 10, 2025 at 6:49 AM
I'm so happy when players dig deeper into the lore and narrative of Dead of Darkness. Check out this article "Dead of Darkness: When Survival Horror Borrows from Folk Tradition"
As someone who grew up with Jurassic Park, Turok, and Dino Crisis, I am beyond stoked to play a proper dinosaur story game again. For fans of dinosaurs and gunplay similar to Escape from Tarkov, definitely check out Ferocious by OMYOG.
medium.com/@spencer2457...
medium.com/@spencer2457...
Ferocious Brings Dinosaur Games Back from Extinction
When I first used the DCD to scan a Velociraptor and then directed it to attack a squad of Manifesto mercenaries in Ferocious, I felt…
medium.com
August 9, 2025 at 8:39 PM
As someone who grew up with Jurassic Park, Turok, and Dino Crisis, I am beyond stoked to play a proper dinosaur story game again. For fans of dinosaurs and gunplay similar to Escape from Tarkov, definitely check out Ferocious by OMYOG.
medium.com/@spencer2457...
medium.com/@spencer2457...
@deadofdarkness.bsky.social feels like classic Resident Evil but haunted by something older - folk traditions, island spirits, and the weight of ancestral sin. New piece on how survival horror is learning from folk horror's playbook.
medium.com/@spencer2457...
medium.com/@spencer2457...
Dead of Darkness: When Survival Horror Borrows from Folk Tradition
When I first booted up Dead of Darkness, I was expecting a pixelated horror game that would make me nostalgic. You know the type: chunky…
medium.com
August 9, 2025 at 7:27 PM
@deadofdarkness.bsky.social feels like classic Resident Evil but haunted by something older - folk traditions, island spirits, and the weight of ancestral sin. New piece on how survival horror is learning from folk horror's playbook.
medium.com/@spencer2457...
medium.com/@spencer2457...
@thegamebakers.com have never missed for me. Furi was incredible, Haven was beautiful, and now Cairn looks like it’s going to complete a perfect trilogy about freedom.
What games with climbing feel most like actually climbing to you? @mayorhere.bsky.social has the full scoop on the Cairn demo by @thegamebakers.com, which along with being the climbiest climbing game also concludes a trilogy on different kinds of freedom
www.gamerswithglasses.com/impressions/...
www.gamerswithglasses.com/impressions/...
Liberation through Limitation in Cairn — Gamers with Glasses
If you've ever wondered what would happen if a climbing game actually tried to simulate climbing instead of just letting you hold a button and magically ascend any surface, Cairn has a genuinely tac...
www.gamerswithglasses.com
August 6, 2025 at 11:50 PM
@thegamebakers.com have never missed for me. Furi was incredible, Haven was beautiful, and now Cairn looks like it’s going to complete a perfect trilogy about freedom.
Reposted by Spencer Johnson
What games with climbing feel most like actually climbing to you? @mayorhere.bsky.social has the full scoop on the Cairn demo by @thegamebakers.com, which along with being the climbiest climbing game also concludes a trilogy on different kinds of freedom
www.gamerswithglasses.com/impressions/...
www.gamerswithglasses.com/impressions/...
Liberation through Limitation in Cairn — Gamers with Glasses
If you've ever wondered what would happen if a climbing game actually tried to simulate climbing instead of just letting you hold a button and magically ascend any surface, Cairn has a genuinely tac...
www.gamerswithglasses.com
August 6, 2025 at 3:04 PM
What games with climbing feel most like actually climbing to you? @mayorhere.bsky.social has the full scoop on the Cairn demo by @thegamebakers.com, which along with being the climbiest climbing game also concludes a trilogy on different kinds of freedom
www.gamerswithglasses.com/impressions/...
www.gamerswithglasses.com/impressions/...
Reposted by Spencer Johnson
And to make this thread complete, check out @mayorhere.bsky.social's piece from on passing the controller, the agony of siblings who unknowingly deleting your save, and the social history of games.
The Queue: Siblings, Gaming, and Family History — Gamers with Glasses
In a house with six kids and one console, you took what you could get; SNES RPGs weren’t built for sharing, but we shared them anyway. Spencer Johnson explores the ways in which a console records fami...
www.gamerswithglasses.com
July 23, 2025 at 4:05 PM
And to make this thread complete, check out @mayorhere.bsky.social's piece from on passing the controller, the agony of siblings who unknowingly deleting your save, and the social history of games.
Reposted by Spencer Johnson
It begins! My book on Legend of the River King is the opener for this season of Boss Fight Books. Spread the word for me, if you can!
We're live! Now funding THREE new documentary-style books about video games on Kickstarter.
www.kickstarter.com/projects/gab...
#retrogaming #videogames #rpg #jrpg #legendoftheriverking #videogamebook #crowdfunding #kickstarter #gameboy #gbc
www.kickstarter.com/projects/gab...
#retrogaming #videogames #rpg #jrpg #legendoftheriverking #videogamebook #crowdfunding #kickstarter #gameboy #gbc
Boss Fight Books: Season 8 - The Depths Below
Three documentary-style books on classic video games. #1: A Japanese RPG that never caught on in the West: Legend of the River King.
www.kickstarter.com
July 8, 2025 at 12:33 PM
It begins! My book on Legend of the River King is the opener for this season of Boss Fight Books. Spread the word for me, if you can!
My article on growing up and sharing a console was shared on Critical Distance!
critical-distance.com/2025/07/07/j...
critical-distance.com/2025/07/07/j...
July 6th
Welcome back readers. Mondays (which, officially, are the day after this issue comes out each week) are when we talk about what old games we’ve been playing this week over on the Discord serv…
critical-distance.com
July 8, 2025 at 5:08 PM
My article on growing up and sharing a console was shared on Critical Distance!
critical-distance.com/2025/07/07/j...
critical-distance.com/2025/07/07/j...
Reposted by Spencer Johnson
This one's for everybody who ever suffered the tragedy of the kitchen timer, the shock of the deleted save, and all the drama and glory of sharing a console with a sibling...or five. By @mayorhere.bsky.social.
www.gamerswithglasses.com/features/the...
www.gamerswithglasses.com/features/the...
The Queue: Siblings, Gaming, and Family History — Gamers with Glasses
In a house with six kids and one console, you took what you could get; SNES RPGs weren’t built for sharing, but we shared them anyway. Spencer Johnson explores the ways in which a console records fami...
www.gamerswithglasses.com
July 1, 2025 at 9:57 PM
This one's for everybody who ever suffered the tragedy of the kitchen timer, the shock of the deleted save, and all the drama and glory of sharing a console with a sibling...or five. By @mayorhere.bsky.social.
www.gamerswithglasses.com/features/the...
www.gamerswithglasses.com/features/the...
Finally got around to playing Final Fantasy 16, and it reignited my love for the franchise and now I need to find another story-driven rpg to play!
June 29, 2025 at 1:09 AM
Finally got around to playing Final Fantasy 16, and it reignited my love for the franchise and now I need to find another story-driven rpg to play!
Summer is always great for indie demos, and Cybergead’s upcoming game One Way Home is great for fans of stealth horror similar to Inside and Limbo.
'One Way Home' doesn't revolutionize childhood horror; it’s part of the evolution of a subgenre that continues to explore familiar fears in new ways.
One Way Home Review: Childhood Horror Gaming Evolution | 6/10 Score
One Way Home review - How CYBERHEAD's atmospheric horror game builds on Limbo and Inside to create a unique childhood trauma experience. In-depth analysis and 6/10 score.
tinyurl.com
June 25, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Summer is always great for indie demos, and Cybergead’s upcoming game One Way Home is great for fans of stealth horror similar to Inside and Limbo.
Finally got around to playing Final Fantasy XVI (a couple years late), and it hit different. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to really appreciate how each entry spins the universe into something unique.
June 15, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Finally got around to playing Final Fantasy XVI (a couple years late), and it hit different. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to really appreciate how each entry spins the universe into something unique.
Just published on @popmatters.com previewed MIO: Memories in Orbit, a soulful sci-fi Metroidvania where you awaken as a drifting consciousness inside a mysterious robot. A hauntingly beautiful world awaits aboard The Vessel.
www.popmatters.com/mio-memories...
www.popmatters.com/mio-memories...
'MIO: Memories in Orbit' Is a Metroidvania with Soul » PopMatters
MIO: Memories in Orbit isn't just another entry in the Metroidvania catalog; it's a meditation on consciousness and identity in a space where the line between organic and artificial life is blurred.
www.popmatters.com
June 12, 2025 at 2:54 AM
Just published on @popmatters.com previewed MIO: Memories in Orbit, a soulful sci-fi Metroidvania where you awaken as a drifting consciousness inside a mysterious robot. A hauntingly beautiful world awaits aboard The Vessel.
www.popmatters.com/mio-memories...
www.popmatters.com/mio-memories...
I sincerely hope that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 adds a new game plus mode, so I can relive the story with all my overpowered loot someday.
May 25, 2025 at 6:49 PM
I sincerely hope that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 adds a new game plus mode, so I can relive the story with all my overpowered loot someday.
While I will rarely cover sports games, I will cover the weird ones. Check out my review of the Fear Fa 98 demo ⚽️🥅🏟️
The first of two soccer-related games we're covering this week, neither of which actually have anything to do with the actual FIFA franchise. "FIFA-meets-Silent-Hill" definitely gets points for creativity; just don't expect too much, you know, actual soccer
www.gamerswithglasses.com/impressions/...
www.gamerswithglasses.com/impressions/...
Strikers Meet Slashers in FEAR FA 98 — Gamers with Glasses
The makers of FEAR FA 98 have finally dared to ask the big question: what happens when you mix FIFA and Silent Hill? For anyone who ever played Mutant League Football back on the Sega Genesis, this fe...
www.gamerswithglasses.com
May 15, 2025 at 8:53 PM
While I will rarely cover sports games, I will cover the weird ones. Check out my review of the Fear Fa 98 demo ⚽️🥅🏟️
Reposted by Spencer Johnson
The first of two soccer-related games we're covering this week, neither of which actually have anything to do with the actual FIFA franchise. "FIFA-meets-Silent-Hill" definitely gets points for creativity; just don't expect too much, you know, actual soccer
www.gamerswithglasses.com/impressions/...
www.gamerswithglasses.com/impressions/...
Strikers Meet Slashers in FEAR FA 98 — Gamers with Glasses
The makers of FEAR FA 98 have finally dared to ask the big question: what happens when you mix FIFA and Silent Hill? For anyone who ever played Mutant League Football back on the Sega Genesis, this fe...
www.gamerswithglasses.com
May 15, 2025 at 7:57 PM
The first of two soccer-related games we're covering this week, neither of which actually have anything to do with the actual FIFA franchise. "FIFA-meets-Silent-Hill" definitely gets points for creativity; just don't expect too much, you know, actual soccer
www.gamerswithglasses.com/impressions/...
www.gamerswithglasses.com/impressions/...
While I primarily use social media to cover video games, I am a historian and wonder if I should share my work time to time
May 13, 2025 at 9:20 PM
While I primarily use social media to cover video games, I am a historian and wonder if I should share my work time to time
@compulsiongames.bsky.social’s @southofmidnight.bsky.social weaves Black Southern folklore, family, and ghosts into a rich Southern Gothic story. It’s not just creepy—it’s deeply rooted in history, memory, and a unique regional heritage.
South of Midnight could reasonably be described as a game in the Southern Gothic tradition - but what, specifically, does that mean? And how might it anticipate the future of emergent regionalisms in games? @mayorhere.bsky.social explores these questions.
www.gamerswithglasses.com/reviews/sout...
www.gamerswithglasses.com/reviews/sout...
Mending the Tapestry: South of Midnight and the Southern Gothic — Gamers with Glasses
If you’ve heard much about South of Midnight , you’ve probably heard it described as a “Southern Gothic” game. But what does that actually mean, culturally and historically? Spencer Johnson explores ...
www.gamerswithglasses.com
May 13, 2025 at 4:04 PM
@compulsiongames.bsky.social’s @southofmidnight.bsky.social weaves Black Southern folklore, family, and ghosts into a rich Southern Gothic story. It’s not just creepy—it’s deeply rooted in history, memory, and a unique regional heritage.