The Long Review
Our flagship 3,000-word verdicts, published every Thursday. Each game gets a minimum 20 hours of hands-on time before we score it — RPGs get 40+. Free to read, no paywall.
A Sydney Gaming Blog
Where the pixels never stop swirling.
Deep-dive reviews, speedrun culture, retro preservation and the indies worth your weekend — written out of Darlinghurst since 2016.
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What we cover
Columns tuned to how you actually play
Five regular beats, updated on a fixed schedule. No hype cycles, no recycled press releases.
Retro Rescue
Fortnightly preservation stories on carts, discs and abandonware worth saving.
Speedrun Lab
Route breakdowns and interviews with the runners chasing world records.
Indie Spotlight
A hand-picked indie every Monday, with a dev Q&A and where to buy it.
Patch Notes Digest
The week's meaningful updates, summarised so you skip the changelog slog.
The bylines
Writers behind the swirl
Marlowe R.
Editor-in-Chief
Fifteen years reviewing RPGs. Once finished Elden Ring on launch weekend, then wrote 4,000 words about it.
Priya N.
Speedrun Editor
Holds a top-ten AGDQ time in a platformer she refuses to name. Explains frame data so it actually makes sense.
Dev O.
Indie & Retro
Collects working consoles from every generation. His flat is basically a museum with a couch in it.
Tam W.
News & Patch Notes
Reads every changelog so you don't have to. Fuelled entirely by Marrickville flat whites.
Reader mail
What the community says
★★★★★
"The Long Review talked me out of a $110 pre-order and into a $30 indie I now have 60 hours in. Best gaming advice I've had all year."
★★★★★
"Speedrun Lab's route guide shaved four minutes off my personal best. Priya actually explains the why, not just the inputs."
★★★★★
"Retro Rescue got my old N64 cart working again with one linked repair guide. This blog respects the history of the medium."
Good to know
Frequently asked
Reading & access
Is the blog free to read?+
Every review and column is free with no paywall. We run a small members tier at $6/month for ad-free reading and early access, but nothing is ever locked behind it. Our journalism stays open to everyone.
When do new articles go up?+
The Long Review lands every Thursday at 9am AEST, Indie Spotlight on Mondays, and Patch Notes Digest on Fridays. Retro Rescue and Speedrun Lab run fortnightly. Newsletter subscribers get a Sunday round-up of everything published that week.
Working with us
How do you score games?+
We use a 10-point scale, but the written verdict always matters more than the number. Reviewers log a minimum of 20 hours per title, and 40+ for RPGs and open-world games. We buy most copies ourselves and always disclose when a code was provided by a publisher.
Can I pitch a story or submit my indie game?+
Absolutely — indie devs and freelance writers are welcome. Send a short pitch or your press kit through the contact form below and our editors review submissions every Tuesday. Australian and New Zealand studios get priority for the Indie Spotlight column.
Say hello
Get in touch or subscribe
Story tips, review requests, or just want the Sunday round-up in your inbox? Drop us a line — we read every message from the Darlinghurst desk.
- Phone
- +61 2 9357 4891
- [email protected]
- Studio
- 56 Flinders Street, Darlinghurst NSW 2010
- Desk hours
- Mon–Fri, 9am–6pm AEST