News Contributor @ Polygon. Formerly: Associate Editor @ The A.V Club, Assistant Editor @ Paste Magazine. Bylines: GameSpot, Game Informer, Fanbyte, The Gamer, Unwinnable, Uppercut Crit, But Why Tho?, etc. TCA member, Rotten Tomato-approved critic. he/himhttps://bsky.app/profile/elijahgonzalez.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/elijahgonzalez.bsky.social/post/3mthrrf3yjs2dI reviewed Marvel Tokon, a stylish, unique tag fighter that’s really grown on me the more I’ve played it. Unfortunately, coming around on the game is a bit of a curse because it means interacting with a flaming dumpster fire of a PC port. Trying to play it online is a huge bummer right now. https://www.polygon.com/marvel-tokon-fighting-souls-review/19 Aug 2026 22:29 +0000at://did:plc:o7ckhwy45pg64nl3oxe3dkxw/app.bsky.feed.post/3mthrrf3yjs2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/elijahgonzalez.bsky.social/post/3mrapj6csks23I reviewed Avatar Legends, a free-form, fast-paced fighting game that might be lacking outside online play, but makes up for it with incredibly spicy core systems. I'm really hoping the game draws in some fresh blood: fighting games can be for everyone, and this one is worth the effort. https://www.polygon.com/avatar-legends-the-fighting-game-review/22 Jul 2026 16:09 +0000at://did:plc:o7ckhwy45pg64nl3oxe3dkxw/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrapj6csks23https://bsky.app/profile/elijahgonzalez.bsky.social/post/3mqupjhjqhs24Thanks so much to @jessicogs.bsky.social for greenlighting my first article at GameSpot! I wrote about Meccha Chameleon and how the game embraces the fun of making things in a moment where human creativity is being offloaded to AI nonsense. [contains quote post or other embedded content]17 Jul 2026 21:37 +0000at://did:plc:o7ckhwy45pg64nl3oxe3dkxw/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqupjhjqhs24https://bsky.app/profile/elijahgonzalez.bsky.social/post/3mqp4qmu53c25Nolan's The Odyssey achieves the seemingly impossible: it finds new magic in a millennia-old story. Both grandiose and granular, this bold vision seamlessly binds myth with historical truth. You wouldn't think a legend everyone knows could have a "twist," but this version does, and it's brilliant. [contains quote post or other embedded content]15 Jul 2026 16:18 +0000at://did:plc:o7ckhwy45pg64nl3oxe3dkxw/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqp4qmu53c25https://bsky.app/profile/elijahgonzalez.bsky.social/post/3mq6222bozc26I lost a small chunk of my sanity reviewing Chainsmoker Cat, a show that puts weighty depictions of nicotine addiction next to cat girls and shitty jokes about well, shit. Add in impressive animation and an out-of-pocket masturbation joke to get a very confusing/ uneven 23 minutes of television. https://www.polygon.com/chainsmoker-cat-review-gross-new-anime/08 Jul 2026 21:14 +0000at://did:plc:o7ckhwy45pg64nl3oxe3dkxw/app.bsky.feed.post/3mq6222bozc26https://bsky.app/profile/elijahgonzalez.bsky.social/post/3mpexfbuihs2cIntense sapphic yearning with actual payoff, in this economy? While it takes a bit to get going, Botan goes from a seemingly straightforward hobby show, to an artfully presented will-they-won’t-they full of well considered imagery and double meanings. My review for the series at But Why Tho?: [contains quote post or other embedded content]28 Jun 2026 21:51 +0000at://did:plc:o7ckhwy45pg64nl3oxe3dkxw/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpexfbuihs2chttps://bsky.app/profile/elijahgonzalez.bsky.social/post/3mksbpqrrhc24Well, my turn to make one of these posts. Yesterday was my last day at The A.V. Club. I got laid off and the site’s Games section is basically gone. It was a pleasure working with Garrett and our freelancers. If anyone has opportunities for games/TV/film journalism or consulting please let me know.01 May 2026 13:54 +0000at://did:plc:o7ckhwy45pg64nl3oxe3dkxw/app.bsky.feed.post/3mksbpqrrhc24https://bsky.app/profile/elijahgonzalez.bsky.social/post/3mjxcconfos2nToday marks 20 years of people complaining about Mother 3 not getting localized, and I celebrated the occasion by writing about how the complainers have a very real point: https://www.avclub.com/mother-3-release-nintendo-game20 Apr 2026 20:23 +0000at://did:plc:o7ckhwy45pg64nl3oxe3dkxw/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjxcconfos2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/elijahgonzalez.bsky.social/post/3miollxxx6s2mI just finished the latest Paranormasight, and ya its definitely one of the best games of the year so far. Thank you Square for your sicko release tendencies and letting that team make another anthology period piece murder mystery about folklore and the weight of history. [contains quote post or other embedded content]04 Apr 2026 15:50 +0000at://did:plc:o7ckhwy45pg64nl3oxe3dkxw/app.bsky.feed.post/3miollxxx6s2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/elijahgonzalez.bsky.social/post/3mijmskdzxk22At PAX East I had the pleasure of talking with horror developers about how the genre may have some answers to getting the game industry out of its current funk. https://www.avclub.com/horror-games-pax-east-202602 Apr 2026 16:28 +0000at://did:plc:o7ckhwy45pg64nl3oxe3dkxw/app.bsky.feed.post/3mijmskdzxk22https://bsky.app/profile/elijahgonzalez.bsky.social/post/3mgpmb4wub22eLive-action One Piece continues to be one of the best adaptations around because it takes a very sincere approach to its source material that gets at its underlying sense of kindness and adventure while also understanding the limitations of its new medium. Also, Chopper is goddamn adorable. https://www.avclub.com/one-piece-season-2-review-tv-netflix10 Mar 2026 14:44 +0000at://did:plc:o7ckhwy45pg64nl3oxe3dkxw/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgpmb4wub22ehttps://bsky.app/profile/elijahgonzalez.bsky.social/post/3mfrgyo2bv22vThe very bluntly named Shiboyugi: Playing Death Games To Put Food On The Table continues to be one of the most interesting shows in a stacked season, and I wrote about how its thoughtful visual presentation confronts anime's tendency for fan service. https://www.avclub.com/shiboyugi-playing-death-games-to-put-food-on-the-table-voyeurism-fan-service-critique26 Feb 2026 14:50 +0000at://did:plc:o7ckhwy45pg64nl3oxe3dkxw/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfrgyo2bv22vhttps://bsky.app/profile/elijahgonzalez.bsky.social/post/3meyy4qbdrk2gI wrote about Medalist and how if you want to learn the strategy behind figure skating (or want to become deeply emotionally invested and cry about figure skating), just in time for the final Olympic competitions, then it’s the show for you. [contains quote post or other embedded content]16 Feb 2026 21:20 +0000at://did:plc:o7ckhwy45pg64nl3oxe3dkxw/app.bsky.feed.post/3meyy4qbdrk2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/elijahgonzalez.bsky.social/post/3mereooqx7s2sFor Love Week at The A.V. Club, I got a chance to write about the excellent VN Misericorde and how its queer hot mess disaster protagonist struggles against her own deeply entrenched religious beliefs. https://www.avclub.com/misericorde-volume-2-queer-repression-religion13 Feb 2026 20:43 +0000at://did:plc:o7ckhwy45pg64nl3oxe3dkxw/app.bsky.feed.post/3mereooqx7s2shttps://bsky.app/profile/elijahgonzalez.bsky.social/post/3mdlsh3bua22nI got a chance to write about last week’s episode of Jujutsu Kaisen which, despite my issues with the show in general, delivered the kind of woman-led badassery that battle shonen so rarely give us. Incredible direction, sharp animation, and some hilarious use of slow mo (punch that twink!). https://www.avclub.com/jujutsu-kaisen-zenin-massacre-season-3-episode-4-explained29 Jan 2026 22:08 +0000at://did:plc:o7ckhwy45pg64nl3oxe3dkxw/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdlsh3bua22n