Alexander Had
@alexanderhad1.bsky.social
I wrote From Ants to Zombies: Six Decades of Video Game Horror - out now @bitmapbooks.com 🐜 🧟♂️.
Bylines at The AV Club, PC Gamer, Edge, RPS, The Verge, The Washington Post, Slant Magazine, Wireframe, others.
Bylines at The AV Club, PC Gamer, Edge, RPS, The Verge, The Washington Post, Slant Magazine, Wireframe, others.
Yeah, I wish I had the slightest clue where my Atari & C64 cassette collections have been gathering dust for the past 40 years.
November 20, 2025 at 11:28 AM
Yeah, I wish I had the slightest clue where my Atari & C64 cassette collections have been gathering dust for the past 40 years.
I had no idea - now you know I just have to see a screenshot from Hatty Diver!
November 20, 2025 at 11:21 AM
I had no idea - now you know I just have to see a screenshot from Hatty Diver!
And there are so many little details which contribute to that: the detailed sprites (those sharks are among my favourites from the 8-bit era), the sense of depth, the slowly depleting oxygen bar. One of the first games to truly capture the sense of awe and fear associated with the abyss.
November 20, 2025 at 9:15 AM
And there are so many little details which contribute to that: the detailed sprites (those sharks are among my favourites from the 8-bit era), the sense of depth, the slowly depleting oxygen bar. One of the first games to truly capture the sense of awe and fear associated with the abyss.
73) "Just when my last breath had run out, I felt someone grab me and pick me up out of the water...I looked around expecting to see my saviour, but there was no-one. I felt quite spooked, and still do to this day." - Mike Richardson on Scuba Dive & real-life abyssal terrors. @bitmapbooks.com
November 20, 2025 at 8:45 AM
73) "Just when my last breath had run out, I felt someone grab me and pick me up out of the water...I looked around expecting to see my saviour, but there was no-one. I felt quite spooked, and still do to this day." - Mike Richardson on Scuba Dive & real-life abyssal terrors. @bitmapbooks.com
didn't expect I was going to be personally attacked by Ultima IV for my life choices but here we are
October 6, 2025 at 2:07 PM
didn't expect I was going to be personally attacked by Ultima IV for my life choices but here we are
72) Giant centipedes emerge from cavern fissures with terrifying slithering sounds; winged horrors grab a fully-grown human to carry to their nest; and carnivorous lizards of steadily increasing size are stalking you.
King Kong's breathtaking setting is fixated on killing you. @bitmapbooks.com
King Kong's breathtaking setting is fixated on killing you. @bitmapbooks.com
September 25, 2025 at 7:45 AM
72) Giant centipedes emerge from cavern fissures with terrifying slithering sounds; winged horrors grab a fully-grown human to carry to their nest; and carnivorous lizards of steadily increasing size are stalking you.
King Kong's breathtaking setting is fixated on killing you. @bitmapbooks.com
King Kong's breathtaking setting is fixated on killing you. @bitmapbooks.com
I'm a C64 guy through and through but I gotta admit I was wowed!
September 18, 2025 at 10:14 AM
I'm a C64 guy through and through but I gotta admit I was wowed!
71) Orion Prime is a unique New Retro hybrid.
Setting and tone are inspired by System Shock, yet it plays like a 1990s first-person point 'n click adventure, and was coded for the Amstrad CPC, becoming one of the most ambitious works ever created for the platform. @bitmapbooks.com
Setting and tone are inspired by System Shock, yet it plays like a 1990s first-person point 'n click adventure, and was coded for the Amstrad CPC, becoming one of the most ambitious works ever created for the platform. @bitmapbooks.com
September 18, 2025 at 7:36 AM
71) Orion Prime is a unique New Retro hybrid.
Setting and tone are inspired by System Shock, yet it plays like a 1990s first-person point 'n click adventure, and was coded for the Amstrad CPC, becoming one of the most ambitious works ever created for the platform. @bitmapbooks.com
Setting and tone are inspired by System Shock, yet it plays like a 1990s first-person point 'n click adventure, and was coded for the Amstrad CPC, becoming one of the most ambitious works ever created for the platform. @bitmapbooks.com
I prefer to go in blind & only knew it had mildly positive reviews, so wasn't quite sure what to expect. Was very pleasantly surprised by how thoughtfully crafted it was & how more honest it felt from most other versions of the last-person-on-Earth template.
Plus, that line had me in stitches.
Plus, that line had me in stitches.
September 12, 2025 at 11:36 AM
I prefer to go in blind & only knew it had mildly positive reviews, so wasn't quite sure what to expect. Was very pleasantly surprised by how thoughtfully crafted it was & how more honest it felt from most other versions of the last-person-on-Earth template.
Plus, that line had me in stitches.
Plus, that line had me in stitches.
70) Among the initial ideas for the book was an "Ultraviolent" chapter which would feature some of the goriest horror games from the early 80s until today. Entries would include the likes of Go to Hell (1985), Manhunt (2003) & SNK's blood-soaked rail shooter, Beast Busters (1989) @bitmapbooks.com
September 11, 2025 at 8:43 AM
70) Among the initial ideas for the book was an "Ultraviolent" chapter which would feature some of the goriest horror games from the early 80s until today. Entries would include the likes of Go to Hell (1985), Manhunt (2003) & SNK's blood-soaked rail shooter, Beast Busters (1989) @bitmapbooks.com