Dispatches from Surry Hills
Games, judged without mercy.
Reviews, strategy teardowns and honest arguments about the games worth your weekend — written by players who still finish the campaign.
The Mission
No scores bought. No hype swallowed. No spoilers without warning.
Ember Moon Kingdom started in 2018 as a Surry Hills group chat that argued too much about endings. Today it's a small independent games desk publishing three deep pieces a week — reviews we sit with for days, guides we test to completion, and features about the Australian scene the big outlets skip.
The Desk
Who's holding the controller
Mara Whitlock
Editor-in-Chief
Twelve years reviewing RPGs. Will fight you about difficulty settings.
Deng Aweng
Strategy & Guides
Speedruns for fun, then writes the guide so you don't have to suffer.
Priya Nair
Indie & Local Scene
Chronicles Australian studios and the games nobody else covers.
Tom Beckett
Hardware & Tech
Benchmarks handhelds on the train from Central every morning.
What We Publish
Five sections, updated weekly
The Verdict Reviews
Long-form reviews only after we've finished the game. Scored out of 10, with a plain-English "should you buy it" line up top.
Boss Guides
Step-by-step tactics for the fights that break controllers.
Local Dispatch
Interviews and news from studios across Australia.
Rig & Handheld Tests
Real frame-rate numbers on the hardware most Aussies actually own.
Backlog Club
Revisiting the classics one month at a time.
From The Readers
What the community says
"Their Elden Ring boss guide got me through Malenia after three weeks of failing. Clearest write-up I found anywhere."
"Finally a review site that finishes the game before scoring it. I trust their verdicts more than any launch-day hot take."
"The Local Dispatch series put my tiny Adelaide studio on the map. They actually flew down and played the build."
"Their handheld benchmarks saved me from buying the wrong console for my commute. Numbers, not vibes."
"Backlog Club made me replay Bloodborne with fresh eyes. The essays are genuinely thoughtful, never clickbait."
"The weekly newsletter is the only gaming email I don't delete. Short, opinionated, and always spot on."
The Weekly Save
One email. Every Friday. No spam.
The three pieces worth your time this week, plus one buried gem from the archive. Free, and you can leave whenever.
You're in! Check your inbox on Friday.
Get In Touch
Pitch a story or say hi
Got a tip, a game to review, or a correction? Drop into the newsroom or send a message. We read everything — usually within two business days.
- Phone
- +61 2 9360 4537
- Studio
- 58 Albion Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010
- [email protected]
- Hours
- Mon–Fri, 9am–6pm AEST