Author Profile
Alana has been with Nintendo Life since 2022, and while RPGs are her first love, Nintendo is a close second. She enjoys nothing more than overthinking battle strategies, characters, and stories. She also wishes she was a Sega air pirate.
I was born with a quest book and a controller in my hand, and have a life-long obsession with RPGs and narratives! I’d always dreamt of being a writer growing up, and jumped into volunteer video game writing at RPG Fan in 2015, before embracing my love of Nintendo at Nintendo Life in 2022.
I really believe video games can teach us to be better people, using character development and gameplay to help us be introspective and understand the world we live in better. It’s the relationships people have with video games that drives my passion for them.
Experience
Alana was a Reviews Editor at RPGFan from 2015-2022, before joining Nintendo Life as a Staff Writer. In 2023 she became Deputy Editor of the site. She contributes across the site’s editorial departments, including news, reviews, guides and features.
I love showcasing my knowledge and expertise on particular games and genres such as RPGs, Metroidvanias, N64-era platformers and SNES titles. The job also allows me to grow my knowledge and expand my interest in gaming.
I’d never written guides before, and have since created three huge campaigns which have helped many. Sharing my opinion, and reading other people’s opinions, is honestly my favourite part of writing about video games. I’ve learned so many things from friends, peers, and colleagues by simply reading what they write and discussing it with them.
Timeline
- 2015 - Begins working with RPGFan as a Reviews Editor
- 2022 - Joins the Nintendo Life team as a Staff Writer
- 2023 - Becomes Deputy Editor of Nintendo Life
Qualifications & Awards
- BA (Hons) English - University of Sussex, 2015
Expertise
Alana’s first console was the Sega Mega Drive, and since then she’s owned just about every handheld and home console released by the major hardware manufacturers.
Her favourite console of all-time is the Super Nintendo - the console she feels really captures the magic of video games. For her, it was also when video games started to become more than “just” games.
Visually she thinks the games remain some of the most beautiful in the business, and although some of them are incredibly simple they manage to utilise the SNES’s controls, visuals and sound chip to create something compelling.
The console means the world to her as it’s where she found her love for RPGs. Secret of Mana was the spark, and that world, those visuals, and that music still inspire her today.
I love RPGs, specifically Japanese-developed RPGs like Final Fantasy, Octopath, Chrono Trigger, Dragon Quest and so on. I love getting lost in video games, basically. Whether it’s mechanical depth, character stories, or a sprawling narrative, there’s nothing I love more than being absorbed into the experience.
I love reading too, and while RPGs have a long way to go to match the narrative depth novels have, they are trying, they’re growing, and sometimes they’re doing it in a way that only video games can.
Alana’s Favourite Games
From the Archive
We asked Alana to pick out her three favourite pieces of work from across her personal archive, and tell us why she picked them!
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Review
Probably the biggest review I'll ever write in my life, I loved every second of it, and I think that shows on the page. I covered so much information within a time constraint and "word limit". I think it's one of my strongest pieces of writing as a result, as it has my personal flair as well as being informative.
Soapbox: Nintendo Needs More Characters Like Paper Mario's Vivian
I feel strongly that we need more pieces like this on Nintendo Life: highlighting marginalised communities and standing with them. I've had multiple messages of thanks since writing the piece, and I'm glad we were able to accommodate the piece on the site.
Feature: The History Of Monolith Soft - From Baten Kaitos To Xenoblade And Zelda
This is a good example of my dedication to research and also a great showcase of my own knowledge and passion. As my first "historical" piece, I think I did a great job of balancing the facts in an informative and fun way, while giving readers a good oversight to a developer that's synonymous with Nintendo.
- Username
- AlanaHagues
- Articles
- 2,511 (17 reviews)
- First Article
- Tue 1st, March 2022
- Avg. Review Score
- 7.8
- Find Them On
- LinkedIn • Muck Rack • Bluesky • Threads
