In-Depth Game Reviews
We put 20–40 hours into a game before we score it. New verdicts drop every Tuesday and Friday at 9am AEST, always spoiler-tagged.
Fitzroy · Melbourne · Est. 2016
Where Pixels Meet the Astral Plane
EpicAstralWorks is an independent gaming blog run out of a Gertrude Street loft in Fitzroy. We write long-form reviews, preserve the games that shaped us, and champion the Australian indie scene — no clickbait, no review-score bribery.
Trusted by readers across the country
184K
Monthly readers
1,200+
Reviews published
9 yrs
Independent & ad-light
38
Indie studios featured in 2025
What we do
More than just scores out of ten
Every piece we publish is written by someone who finished the game. Here is what you get when you read EpicAstralWorks.
Retro Preservation Guides
Step-by-step emulation setups, cartridge battery swaps and CRT calibration walkthroughs so the classics keep running for another decade.
Indie Spotlight
A weekly feature on Australian and NZ studios you have not heard of yet — interviews, dev diaries and early hands-on impressions.
Speedrun Breakdowns
Frame-by-frame route analysis with the runners themselves, explaining the glitches, buffers and muscle memory behind world records.
Hardware Deep Dives
Handhelds, mechanical pads and mod kits tested on a real bench — thermals, latency and battery numbers, not marketing slides.
Community Meetups
Free monthly game nights at our Fitzroy loft, plus curated Discord channels for reviews-in-progress and retro trading.
From the archive
Snapshots from the astral desk
Bench-testing a modded handheld under the neon
CRT calibration night in the Fitzroy loft
Cover shoot for our retro preservation series
Reader meetup — local co-op tournament
The people behind it
A small crew that actually plays
Mara Delacroix
Editor-in-Chief
RPG obsessive, 300+ hours logged in most reviews. Founded the blog in a share-house in 2016.
Toby Nguyen
Retro & Hardware Lead
Soldering iron always warm. Maintains our CRT wall and a shelf of 400 cartridges.
Priya Ramaswamy
Indie Features Editor
Interviews two studios a week. Champion of tiny teams making strange, beautiful things.
Callum Reid
Speedrun & Community
Sub-hour runner turned analyst. Runs the Friday game nights and the Discord.
What readers say
Loud, opinionated, and appreciated
“The only review site I trust before dropping A$110 on a launch title. Their honesty saved me from three duds this year alone.”
J
Jesse M.
Brunswick, VIC · March 2026
“Their CRT calibration guide brought my old Trinitron back to life. Followed it step by step — flawless.”
A
Aisha K.
Adelaide, SA · January 2026
“Got my two-person studio featured in the Indie Spotlight. Wishlists tripled in a week. These folks genuinely care.”
D
Devon L.
Wellington, NZ · November 2025
“I come for the reviews, I stay for the Friday meetups. Best local gaming community in Melbourne, hands down.”
S
Sam O.
Fitzroy, VIC · February 2026
Membership
Support independent games writing
The blog is free to read. Members keep us ad-light and fund the indie studios we feature. Cancel anytime.
Free Reader
Every review, always free
A$0
- All reviews & guides
- Fortnightly newsletter
- Public Discord access
- Comment on articles
Most popular
Astral Member
For the regulars
A$9/month
- Everything in Free Reader
- Ad-light reading experience
- Reviews 48 hours early
- Members-only retro streams
- Priority meetup RSVP
Founders Circle
Fund the scene
A$24/month
- Everything in Astral Member
- Name in our supporters wall
- Quarterly print zine posted to you
- Vote on which indie we feature
- Annual studio grant contribution
Get in touch
Pitch us, or just say hello
Got a game we should review, an indie studio to spotlight, or a tip for the retro desk? Drop us a line — we read everything.
The loft137 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy VIC 3065
Studio hours
- Mon–Fri · 10:00am – 6:00pm
- Sat · 12:00pm – 4:00pm (meetups)
- Sun · Closed
137 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy VIC 3065Above the old record shop on Gertrude Street, Fitzroy.