Jake Buchalter-Staff Writer

Editorial Team

Staff Writer

August, 2012
5+ Years in the Gaming Journalism Industry, 10+ Years Experience in the Design & Illustration industries, & 25+ Years of Experience gaming in general
Indie Games, Roguelike, Fighting
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About Jake Buchalter

Jacob Buchalter (he/him) is a full-time Staff Writer based in the US and is an all-around creative media-obsessed individual who truly cares a bit too much about pop culture media, art, and all things gaming. He also streams games to show his obsessions over at FoolJuice on Twitch.

Jake is a perfectionist honestly to his own detriment, as he'll almost always at least triple-check any information he puts into any article to make sure it's correct (feel free to let him know if there's anything he missed).

Additionally, Jacob Buchalter is an absolute lore fiend when it comes to any IP, and will almost always have all the lore in his brain ready to gush about if anyone ever gives him an excuse to do so. 

Jake also has a relatively diverse background in the creative industry, as he has worked in many different fields and has experience with a lot of different mediums & formats. Lastly, Jake has a deep love and respect for any artist in the gaming industry, especially in regard to character design or UI/UX design, since he has illustration, design, and motion graphic experience himself. 

Proudest Gaming Achievement

Getting every Steam Achievement in a game called Enter the Gungeon. That game has a truly overwhelming amount of content in it and it only gets more difficult the further you go, so fully clearing it out was not only a ton of fun but also incredibly rewarding. 

Favorite Games

My favorite games list is always growing every year, but off the top of my head, I would say Enter the Gungeon, Hades, Hades 2, Metal Gear Solid IV: The Phantom Pain, Skul: The Hero Slayer, Risk of Rain 2, Deep Rock Galactic, any Monster Hunter game, Remnant 2, Bloodborne, Tiny Rogues, and Atomicrops. 

Industry Focus

My focus in a broader sense is on the gaming industry as a whole, with a secondary focus on the different artistic fields related to gaming such as UI Design, UX Design, Character Design, Environmental Art, Effects Design (AKA VFX), and so on.

In a more specific sense, my focus is typically on the roguelike, soulslike, and all-around indie areas of the gaming industry as a whole. I've put so much time into so many different roguelikes as well as soulslikes, and I have so much respect for indie developers for the massive workload they take on to create a game. 
 

Latest

Remnant 2 - How Scaling And Power Levels Work Guide Header Image
Remnant 2: How Power Levels & Co-op Scaling Works

Enemy and difficulty scaling in Remnant 2 likely doesn't work how most players expect, so let's go over these systems in-depth to clear things up.

Remnant 2 - Which Difficulty Should You Pick Guide
Remnant 2: Which Difficulty Should You Pick?

While players have much more freedom to change their difficulty in the Adventure Mode of Remnant II, it's a heavier decision for the Campaign Mode.

Risk of Rain Returns - Red Items Header Image
Risk of Rain Returns: 10 Best Red Items

Red items in Risk of Rain Returns pop up more frequently than in the other Risk of Rain games, so here are the best ones to keep an eye out for.

Magicraft Best Spells Header Image
Best Spells In Magicraft

There are a seemingly infinite number of different Spells and combinations in the dungeon crawler that is Magicraft, and here are the best ones.

Lords of the Fallen - Grand Swords Ranked List Header Image
Lords Of The Fallen: Best Grand Swords, Ranked

Grand Swords in Lords of the Fallen are sort of a niche category of weapon, surprisingly. Among all of them, these Swords are the best of the best.

Souls Games Barehanded Header Image
The 10 Best Soulslike Games For Barehanded Combat

The idea of fighting 'barehanded' or with fist weapons in a Soulslike has always been appealing to people, so here are some games that do it right.

Remnant 2 - What Items To Sell List Header Image
Remnant 2: 10 Items You Should Sell

There are plenty of ways to make more Scrap in Remnant 2, and one of the least utilized methods is by selling unneeded items.

Risk of Rain Returns Overpowered Builds Header Image
Risk of Rain Returns: 10 Overpowered Builds That Are A Lot Of Fun

Getting specific item combinations in any of the Risk of Rain games can be difficult. But, players who manage to do so will feel extra powerful.

Risk of Rain Returns Tips and Tricks Header Image
Risk of Rain Returns: 10 Beginner Mistakes To Avoid

The Risk of Rain games are by no means easy, and Risk of Rain Returns is no exception. So, here are some mistakes to avoid to make things easier.

Wizard With A Gun - Best Guuns Header Image
Wizard With A Gun: Best Guns, Ranked

There aren't actually all that many different guns to use in Wizard with a Gun, but the choice still matters. So, here is the gun ranking order.

Lords of the Fallen - Dual Wield Weapons List Header Image
Lords Of The Fallen: Best Weapon Combos For Dual-Wielding

Dual-wielding weapons in The Lords of the Fallen can be a bit confusing to players at first, but it's strong. Here are a few of the best options.

Lords of the Fallen - Axes Header Image
Lords Of The Fallen: Best Axes, Ranked

The Axe and Grand Axe category of weapons in The Lords of the Fallen (2023) is full of incredibly strong options. Here are the best options of all.

Lords of the Fallen - Hammers List Ranked
Lords Of The Fallen: Best Hammers, Ranked

Hammers & Grand Hammers are just two of the many different weapon types in Lords of the Fallen. However, these 'bonksticks' are the best among them.

Lords of the Fallen - Best Early Game Weapons Header Image
Lords Of The Fallen: Best Early-Game Weapons, Ranked

Getting over the first big difficulty hump in Lords of the Fallen can take some real work. Here are some weapon recommendations to make things easier.

Endless Dungeon - Beverages List Header Image
Endless Dungeon: Best Beverages & How To Unlock Them, Ranked

There are quite a few Beverages to unlock in your multiple runs of Endless Dungeon, and each one massively modifies the gameplay loop in some way.

Wizard With A Gun Bullet Type Ranked Header Image
Wizard With A Gun: Best Bullets, Ranked

There are a wide variety of different 'spells', otherwise known as Bullets, in Wizard with a Gun, with each one serving a vastly different purpose.

Across the Obelisk - Adventurers Ranked Header Image
Across The Obelisk: Best Adventurers, Ranked

Across the Obelisk has a ton of unique Adventurers of all shapes, classes, and creeds for players to enjoy. Here's how they rank against each other.

Across The Obelisk Character Unlock Guide Header
Across the Obelisk: How to Unlock All Characters
RPG

Across the Obelisk has a lot of playable characters to unlock across all its content updates and DLC expansions, let's go over how they're obtained.

Zelda Tears of the Kingdom - All Geoglyph Locations Header Image
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Where To Find All The Geoglyphs (Impa and the Geoglyphs Main Quest)

Finding all 11 Geoglyphs for Impa in Tears of the Kingdom is rough. These Memories are spread all across Hyrule, so here's where to find them all.

Zelda Tears Of The Kingdom - Hudson Sign Standing Guide Header Image
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - How To Keep The President Hudson Signs Standing

Helping Addison keep President Hudson's signs up is a task only Link can handle, apparently. Here's how to use Ultrahand to keep those signs standing.