Josh Broadwell

Josh Broadwell is a freelance games writer whose work centers on detailed guides and criticism for contemporary video games. He focuses on RPGs, strategy titles, and story-rich games, and invests heavily in hands-on play before he writes. His coverage stands out for the combination of exhaustive, step-by-step guidance and close reading of systems and narrative, across both major releases and ongoing live-service games.

Guides for live-service and systems-heavy games

Broadwell writes extensive how-to coverage for live-service and multiplayer titles, translating complex systems into clear, practical instructions. On Polygon, his byline appears on guides hubs for games like Marvel Rivals and Fortnite, indicating an ongoing role in helping players understand updates, modes, and character options over time. His work on Marvel Rivals is grouped under a dedicated guides index, showing a sustained focus on that title’s evolving roster and mechanics rather than one-off coverage.

His guide to obtaining the toe biter buggy in Grounded 2 illustrates his style: he breaks progression into concrete steps, lists precise material requirements, and walks through spatial navigation and encounter management in a granular way. The piece specifies item counts, route descriptions, enemy threats, and post-boss escape paths, giving players everything they need to accomplish a task that the game itself barely explains. This kind of coverage positions him as a systems translator for demanding survival and crafting games, where he fills in gaps the in-game UI and quest logs leave open.

RPG and strategy criticism grounded in extensive play

Broadwell applies the same thoroughness to long-form criticism of RPGs and strategy games.

His review of Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave for Polygon is cited as calling the game “a monumental achievement” and “one of Nintendo's greats,” highlighting its demands on a player’s time and attention and the depth of its branching paths. In coverage about the game’s reception, he is noted as having spent more than 120 hours playing Fortune's Weave, including late nights, and still not exhausting all its routes and content.

That level of engagement underscores a reviewing approach built on comprehensive familiarity with systems rather than surface impressions.

Professional bios describing his work emphasize that he specializes in guides and reviews and is particularly associated with RPGs and story-rich games. He is repeatedly described as “shouting about RPGs” at major outlets, reinforcing that this genre is a recurring core of his portfolio rather than an occasional assignment.

The combination of genre focus and methodical playtime distinguishes his criticism from more generalist coverage, especially on long-running series and complex tactical titles.

Features connecting game design and broader culture

Alongside guides and reviews, Broadwell writes features that explore how game design draws on film, literature, and broader pop culture. In Polygon’s games coverage, he has written about Blizzard’s Overwatch by tracing a new hero’s conception back to inspirations like John Wick and Kill Bill, unpacking how those cinematic influences shape character identity and playstyle.

That work shows an interest in the creative lineage of characters and mechanics rather than only their in-game performance.

Across other outlets, he covers both high-profile and niche titles with an eye toward world-building and aesthetic influences.

His writing on Honkai: Star Rail and on the cyberpunk RPG Petal Runner highlights milestones and genre touchpoints, framing new releases in terms of their thematic and mechanical heritage. This strand of his portfolio links games to wider entertainment culture, which is particularly visible when he writes for general-interest magazines and entertainment publications that serve broader audiences beyond core players.

Work across major games and entertainment outlets

Broadwell works as a freelance writer, editor, and critic whose pieces appear across multiple major games and entertainment mastheads. Professional profiles and outlet bios list his work on platforms that include Polygon, NPR, Rolling Stone, Variety, IGN, GameSpot, Eurogamer, and other prominent publications in the games and culture space.

These listings emphasize that he covers games, technology, and entertainment, with a primary emphasis on video games in formats ranging from news and features to guides, reviews, and longer criticism.

His freelance career is described as spanning several years and involving collaboration with large media brands on both editorial and branded assignments. In addition to criticism and service journalism, he has experience writing analytical pieces and marketing-facing copy, which gives him fluency in both player-facing and industry-facing language.

Taken together, his portfolio positions him as a specialist in game-focused service coverage and deep genre criticism, with consistent attention to RPGs, strategy games, and live-service titles across multiple outlets.