About Jared Carvalho
Jared Carvalho is a longtime fan of video games, having started the hobby with a SNES when he was six and never looking back since. He often finds himself falling back to replay his favorite series, including Dark Souls and Kingdom Hearts. Sometimes pushing himself with weapon challenges or speedruns, Jared keeps trying to get the most out of his favorite games. Outside of gaming, Jared is also a self-published novelist and occasionally works as a ghostwriter, under the pseudonym Jerry Schulz. A graduate of California State University, Northridge, Jared has continued to strive for a career in writing, having made use of his talents for Game Rant since 2019. In the future, Jared hopes to make his own games, write more novels, and dive into video content with an emphasis on entertaining audiences around the world through every creative field there is. He also has a lovely singing voice, having spent most of his academic life participating in multiple choirs.
Industry Focus
Jared's industry focus isn't exactly centered on any particular genre of gaming. In fact, he has spent much of his time at Game Rant expanding his horizons in order to write news and features for games across AAA and indie spaces. However, Jared does have a soft spot for indie projects by small developers, hoping to champion the lower-budget teams following their passions.
Favorite Games
The list is hundreds of games long, but Jared's top five tends to include: Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete, Final Fantasy X, Kingdom Hearts (Whole Series), Dark Souls (Also, Whole Series), and Hollow Knight.
Although, some more recent favorites include: Sea of Stars, 13 Sentinals: Aegis Rim, Death Stranding, Yakuza 0, and Lies of P. None of these are in any order, as he still can't decide a favorite among the group.
Favorite Console
Having owned a PS2 during his formative years in Middle and High School, that still stands as Jared's favorite console with his favorite memories currently on it. However, his current go-to is his PS5, even if it's usually used to play the backwards compatible PS4 titles in his digital library.
Latest Articles
Champion Gundyr is Dark Souls 3’s Best Chekhov’s Gun
The encounter with Champion Gundyr is a grand payoff for the best setup that the Dark Souls series has laid out across any single game.
Starscourge Radahn Showcases Every Element of Elden Ring’s Combat at its Finest
General Radahn's giant arena and unique helpers create a showcase of the many ways that players can engage with Elden Ring's open-world combat.
Rom, the Vacuous Spider is Bloodborne’s Truest Test of Patience
The fight against Rom in Bloodborne offers a unique challenge to players that rewards patience and commitment over quick inputs and reaction speed.
Pontiff Sulyvahn is as Make or Break For Dark Souls 3 as Ornstein and Smough Are for DS1
Dark Souls 3 had some large shoes to fill when trying to follow up the original's height of Ornstein and Smough with the stellar Pontiff Sulyvahn.
Why Baldur’s Gate 3 DLC Adding Playable Races Would Be a No-Brainer
While Baldur's Gate succeeds at giving players a compelling slice of the D&D experience, it could pull more to better vary the experiences on offer.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Could Make Good on a 27-Year-Old Schoolyard Rumor
With the new story of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth starting on an altered foundation, one possible change could revive a 27-year-old rumor around Tifa.
Death Stranding 2 Could Be Hiding a Surprise for Antagonist Higgs
The portrayal of the newly revived Higgs in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach appears to be hinting at a heel turn coming from the antagonist.
Old King Allant is the Best ‘Fight’ Demon’s Souls’ Boss Roster Offers
The final encounter against Old King Allant earns it's place as the finale to Demon's Souls with a fight that focuses purely on combat over gimmicks.
Demon’s Souls’ True King Allant is the Most Thematically Powerful Finale in FromSoftware’s Roster
The true final boss of Demon's Soul might not be the height of difficulty for FromSoftware, but it best expresses the themes of the game as a whole.
Demi-Human Queen Gilika Boasts the Best Phase Transition Among Elden Ring’s Minor Bosses
Even though the Demi-Human Queen boss fights are minor encounters hidden at the end of optional areas of Elden Ring, the design goes above and beyond.
Death Stranding 2 Has a Chance to Become Genre-Defining
As Kojima Productions tried to make Death Stranding the first in the Strand-type genre, the upcoming sequel can set the rules of the genre in stone.
Hollow Knight: Silksong Should Learn One Valuable Lesson From Unsighted
The upcoming sequel to Hollow Knight would do well to notice the successes of other Metroidvania titles as Silksong continues to prepare for release.
Kingdom Hearts 4 Could Take a Page From Elden Ring’s Book
Kingdom Hearts 4 could be improved by incorporating some aspects of similar titles like Elden Ring into the design of the newest worlds.
Dark Souls 3’s Oceiros is a Perfect Example of the Dangers of Massive Hitboxes
Oceiros, the Consumed King is one of many bosses in Dark Souls 3 that utilizes his entire character model to devastate players through both phases.
Sekiro’s Corrupted Monk has Become an Icon for Dueling Soulslikes
The Corrupted Monk is an iconic fight in Sekiro because it proves that the key to designing a difficult Soulslike duel isn't always about speed.
Demon’s Souls’ Maiden Astraea Perfectly Rewards the Series’ Most Iconic Combat Maneuver
Maiden Astraea is a unique encounter in Demon's Souls, in that completing her boss fight is elevated by mastery of basic combat maneuvers.
Elden Ring’s Mad Pumpkin Head Showcases the Power of Positioning
The Mad Pumpkin Head appears early to give players a powerful lesson in the importance of careful positioning and the fallacy of relying on lock-on.
Elden Ring’s Runebear is a Mini-Boss that More than Deserves The Upgrade to Full Boss Encounter
While the Runebear is one of many enemies that appears throughout Elden Ring, it is strange that the monster only gets the boss treatment once.
Bloodborne’s Gehrman is More Than a Stepping Stone to the True Ending
Gehrman is an endgame boss for Bloodborne that deserves having two of the game's three endings gated behind being able to defeat him at his prime.
Skull and Bones’ Ship Customization is a Breath of Fresh Air for Assassin’s Creed’s Naval Battles
The level of customization available in Skull and Bones is exactly what the Assassin's Creed series has needed to bring ship combat to the next level.