Ryan Thompson-Bamsey
@ryanthompsonbamsey.bsky.social
videogame journalist and critic | lapsed psychologist | bit of a baker | welshboi | he/him
Romeo is a Dead Man reviews are all over the place, and that absolutely tracks.
It's filled to the brim with odd moments and decisions. It's fun enough, but its frenetic and bewildering narrative choices made it hard to parse and difficult to score.
More from me: www.thegamer.com/romeo-is-a-d...
It's filled to the brim with odd moments and decisions. It's fun enough, but its frenetic and bewildering narrative choices made it hard to parse and difficult to score.
More from me: www.thegamer.com/romeo-is-a-d...
Romeo Is A Dead Man Review: A Gore-Soaked, Chaotic Romp Through Time
Messy, bloody, and wonderfully bizarre.
www.thegamer.com
February 10, 2026 at 2:58 PM
Romeo is a Dead Man reviews are all over the place, and that absolutely tracks.
It's filled to the brim with odd moments and decisions. It's fun enough, but its frenetic and bewildering narrative choices made it hard to parse and difficult to score.
More from me: www.thegamer.com/romeo-is-a-d...
It's filled to the brim with odd moments and decisions. It's fun enough, but its frenetic and bewildering narrative choices made it hard to parse and difficult to score.
More from me: www.thegamer.com/romeo-is-a-d...
New Mock the Week seems good, it's lovely to have it back, but holy wow Russell Howard seems to have barely developed his comedy, references, or taste in 15 years.
February 9, 2026 at 8:33 PM
New Mock the Week seems good, it's lovely to have it back, but holy wow Russell Howard seems to have barely developed his comedy, references, or taste in 15 years.
Reposted by Ryan Thompson-Bamsey
I had the chance to sit down with Blizzard’s Hearthstone team to see how they reimagined Warcraft’s end-of-the-world storyline for the card game. The devs apparently love making us feel the end of the world.
My interview ✧˚ · .
www.thegamer.com/hearthstone-...
My interview ✧˚ · .
www.thegamer.com/hearthstone-...
"We Wanted To Go Big": The Hearthstone Team On How Cataclysm Reimagines Warcraft Lore In A Dark New Timeline
I sat down with Blizzard’s Hearthstone team to explore Cataclysm, from art and mechanics to reimagining Warcraft’s most consequential moment.
www.thegamer.com
February 9, 2026 at 6:16 PM
I had the chance to sit down with Blizzard’s Hearthstone team to see how they reimagined Warcraft’s end-of-the-world storyline for the card game. The devs apparently love making us feel the end of the world.
My interview ✧˚ · .
www.thegamer.com/hearthstone-...
My interview ✧˚ · .
www.thegamer.com/hearthstone-...
I got the most polite death threat today. It's my first one!
In almost five years of gaming journalism, my only death threat has been from a comedy piece I did about hunky dragons. Weird.
In almost five years of gaming journalism, my only death threat has been from a comedy piece I did about hunky dragons. Weird.
February 7, 2026 at 11:02 AM
I got the most polite death threat today. It's my first one!
In almost five years of gaming journalism, my only death threat has been from a comedy piece I did about hunky dragons. Weird.
In almost five years of gaming journalism, my only death threat has been from a comedy piece I did about hunky dragons. Weird.
While it's too easy for my tastes to really hit the right spoon, the Dragon Quest VII remake is still a wonderful adaptation of what used to be a gruelling experience.
www.thegamer.com/dragon-quest...
www.thegamer.com/dragon-quest...
Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined Review - A Definitive Refinement
A controversial classic that got the best glow-up
www.thegamer.com
February 2, 2026 at 4:48 PM
While it's too easy for my tastes to really hit the right spoon, the Dragon Quest VII remake is still a wonderful adaptation of what used to be a gruelling experience.
www.thegamer.com/dragon-quest...
www.thegamer.com/dragon-quest...
Oh god, Catherine O'Hara is a sad, sad one. That's fucking depressing.
January 30, 2026 at 6:27 PM
Oh god, Catherine O'Hara is a sad, sad one. That's fucking depressing.
Really want to write about the way I view my disease through a gaming lens (it's a permanent debuff!) and how that specific linguistic cognition helps reframe things and cope with the changes. Hmmmm.
January 28, 2026 at 4:17 PM
Really want to write about the way I view my disease through a gaming lens (it's a permanent debuff!) and how that specific linguistic cognition helps reframe things and cope with the changes. Hmmmm.
Reposted by Ryan Thompson-Bamsey
Whoops forgot to say I reviewed Code Vein 2. It’s a good time! I got weirdly attached to the characters and, especially, my wife Josée
www.thegamer.com/code-vein-2-...
www.thegamer.com/code-vein-2-...
Code Vein 2 Review - A Sanguine Feast
Code Vein 2 soars above its predecessor, and even stands alongside some of the Soulslike greats.
www.thegamer.com
January 28, 2026 at 3:02 PM
Whoops forgot to say I reviewed Code Vein 2. It’s a good time! I got weirdly attached to the characters and, especially, my wife Josée
www.thegamer.com/code-vein-2-...
www.thegamer.com/code-vein-2-...
I need four vaccines before I start a new treatment. I had two yesterday, so both my arms hurt and I feel like shit. I have the COVID one on Saturday, so I'm going to feel like shit on my first anniversary, and then I've got two weeks until Shingles, which means I get to look forward to that, too.
January 21, 2026 at 11:09 AM
I need four vaccines before I start a new treatment. I had two yesterday, so both my arms hurt and I feel like shit. I have the COVID one on Saturday, so I'm going to feel like shit on my first anniversary, and then I've got two weeks until Shingles, which means I get to look forward to that, too.
2016 was a cute year for me, I met someone neat for the first time irl after talking to him for a few years on Twitter (and Snapchat, I guess, oops).
January 17, 2026 at 9:31 AM
2016 was a cute year for me, I met someone neat for the first time irl after talking to him for a few years on Twitter (and Snapchat, I guess, oops).
Pathologic 3 isn't my typical genre but something utterly hooked me about this game. It's the best game that I never want to start again. It nails the feelings of stress at the world and horror at your own actions.
www.thegamer.com/pathologic-3...
www.thegamer.com/pathologic-3...
Pathologic 3 Review - Worth The Friction
The Bachelor's story is one fraught with death, terror, and hopelessness, and it's a thrill to play through.
www.thegamer.com
January 15, 2026 at 6:18 PM
Pathologic 3 isn't my typical genre but something utterly hooked me about this game. It's the best game that I never want to start again. It nails the feelings of stress at the world and horror at your own actions.
www.thegamer.com/pathologic-3...
www.thegamer.com/pathologic-3...
My biggest language bugaboo lately is people using the term 'conceit' as a synonym for 'concept' when the two aren't equivalent.
January 14, 2026 at 11:19 AM
My biggest language bugaboo lately is people using the term 'conceit' as a synonym for 'concept' when the two aren't equivalent.
Went onto LinkedIn to do the daily games and got caught in a doomscroll so doomy that my heart rate is through the roof
January 11, 2026 at 1:20 PM
Went onto LinkedIn to do the daily games and got caught in a doomscroll so doomy that my heart rate is through the roof
I know inflation is a thing but holy shit the West End is unrecognisable in its pricing these days. What the fuck do you mean it's 60 quid per ticket and that's up in the gods?
January 8, 2026 at 6:14 PM
I know inflation is a thing but holy shit the West End is unrecognisable in its pricing these days. What the fuck do you mean it's 60 quid per ticket and that's up in the gods?
I really wish sites would stop presenting stories about cool game mods as if they were 'free upgrades'
January 7, 2026 at 8:26 AM
I really wish sites would stop presenting stories about cool game mods as if they were 'free upgrades'
I'm on drugs that seem to solve my fatigue and also reduce my appetite as a side effect
I could not be happier
I could not be happier
January 6, 2026 at 9:29 PM
I'm on drugs that seem to solve my fatigue and also reduce my appetite as a side effect
I could not be happier
I could not be happier
I've decided to do daily tarot readings for myself, simply as a way to Think About Thinking and write about things with prompts I don't necessarily come up with myself.
My first two draws were Reversed Tower and Reversed Two of Cups. So like, fuck me, I guess?
My first two draws were Reversed Tower and Reversed Two of Cups. So like, fuck me, I guess?
January 2, 2026 at 10:50 PM
I've decided to do daily tarot readings for myself, simply as a way to Think About Thinking and write about things with prompts I don't necessarily come up with myself.
My first two draws were Reversed Tower and Reversed Two of Cups. So like, fuck me, I guess?
My first two draws were Reversed Tower and Reversed Two of Cups. So like, fuck me, I guess?
Having an alpha reader (read: husband) who skip reads and doesn't like long descriptions (for a fantasy, I might say) is kinda torture
December 22, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Having an alpha reader (read: husband) who skip reads and doesn't like long descriptions (for a fantasy, I might say) is kinda torture
I discovered eggnog this weekend and gosh it feels like this delicious thing has been hidden from me my entire life
eggnog is so nice
eggnog is so nice
December 21, 2025 at 7:23 PM
I discovered eggnog this weekend and gosh it feels like this delicious thing has been hidden from me my entire life
eggnog is so nice
eggnog is so nice
Reposted by Ryan Thompson-Bamsey
Following yesterday's drama surrounding Larian's use of Gen AI, here's a follow-up interview piece with Swen about how the studio is using the techology alongside machine learning.
www.thegamer.com/swen-vincke-...
www.thegamer.com/swen-vincke-...
December 17, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Following yesterday's drama surrounding Larian's use of Gen AI, here's a follow-up interview piece with Swen about how the studio is using the techology alongside machine learning.
www.thegamer.com/swen-vincke-...
www.thegamer.com/swen-vincke-...
This week has been a very full-on one and I am truly, truly exhausted. But I am also happy that things are over; I feel like I can relax back into a routine now.
December 12, 2025 at 3:02 PM
This week has been a very full-on one and I am truly, truly exhausted. But I am also happy that things are over; I feel like I can relax back into a routine now.
Weather map looking like I should gather a party of four warriors of different classes and journey towards the evil dude who kidnapped the princess ngl
December 9, 2025 at 9:08 AM
Weather map looking like I should gather a party of four warriors of different classes and journey towards the evil dude who kidnapped the princess ngl
Reposted by Ryan Thompson-Bamsey
My review is up for Octopath Traveler 0! It's got some blemishes, but hot damn, it's got heart. Easily the best story in the series, and unequivocally the boldest.
www.thegamer.com/octopath-tra...
www.thegamer.com/octopath-tra...
Octopath Traveler 0 Review - Stay For The Story
Scattered gameplay issues aside, Octopath Traveler 0's bold storytelling and surprisingly decent town-building combine to forge a fantastic RPG.
www.thegamer.com
December 3, 2025 at 2:43 PM
My review is up for Octopath Traveler 0! It's got some blemishes, but hot damn, it's got heart. Easily the best story in the series, and unequivocally the boldest.
www.thegamer.com/octopath-tra...
www.thegamer.com/octopath-tra...
I watched Twinless yesterday and I can't stop thinking about it
November 29, 2025 at 11:03 PM
I watched Twinless yesterday and I can't stop thinking about it