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
No-Hit Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Runs Already Have the Perfect Item to Use
The base game of Elden Ring has already prepared players to completely break the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC when it releases its new areas and bosses.
Sora and Riku Could Learn a Lot in Kingdom Hearts 4 from Final Fantasy 16’s Clive and Joshua
The distance of time between Final Fantasy 16's protagonists Clive and Joshua could act as a cautionary tale for Kingdom Hearts heroes Sora and Riku.
The One Reborn is More than Just Bloodborne’s Creepiest Boss Design
Bloodborne's boss designs run the gambit from intimidating to outright horrifying, with The One Reborn standing out as one of the most disturbing.
Hollow Knight: Silksong Has a Golden Opportunity to Elevate one Charm Mechanic
Hollow Knight's charms are a high point for build variety in the Metroidvania genre, with the sequel having the chance to improve the system.
Kingdom Hearts 4 Could Learn from Final Fantasy 16’s Limit Break
Kingdom Hearts 4 could take a note from Final Fantasy 16 when it comes to activating the heavy damaging second forms throughout combat encounters.
Atlas Fallen Has the Chance to Run Where The Surge Walked
The design of the next Deck13 game has the chance to excel in a genre-defining aspect of Soulslikes where The Surge struggled in the past.
Elden Ring’s Elemer of the Briar’s Difficulty Comes From His Brutal Abuse of Ranged Attacks
The optional Elden Ring boss Elemer of the Briar and his other variants is a uniquely difficult encounter that requires careful positioning to defeat.
Elden Ring's DLC Should Find a Way to Implement One Sekiro Mechanic
The stagger mechanics of Elden Ring offer a great opportunity to pull a major mechanic from Sekiro in order to better set up enemies for a riposte.
Dark Souls 3’s Dragonslayer Armour is a Reference Built to Trick Veteran Souls Players
The visuals of the Dragonslayer Armour in Dark Souls 3 is a solid reference to older titles in the series, while also catching players off guard.
Why Bloodborne’s Cleric Beast is One of FromSoftware’s Best Tutorial Bosses
While Bloodborne lacks a traditional FromSoftware tutorial level, the first boss acts as a stellar introduction to fighting larger monsters.
Final Fantasy 16's Treatment of Jill and Torgal is Sadly Similar
It is strikingly clear when Final Fantasy 16 doesn't know what to do with a character from scene to scene, limiting the impact of Jill and Torgal.
Final Fantasy 16's Side Quests are a Game Within a Game
The sidequests in Final Fantasy 16 help to push the game closer to an open-world feel, with subplots that evolve over the course of a playthrough.
Final Fantasy 16: Why [SPOILER] Falls Short of Other Villains
One Final Fantasy 16 antagonist appears early on as a dominating force in battle, but is ultimately overshadowed by the game's true villain.
Final Fantasy 16's Branded Explained
The Branded are central to the narrative of Final Fantasy 16, but the different magic wielders in Valisthea can be difficult to keep track of.
How Final Fantasy 16's Valisthea Compares to FF15's Eos
Final Fantasy 16's new world of Valisthea draws a lot from the history of the series, including a heavy lifting from Final Fantasy 15's world of Eos.
Final Fantasy 16's Clive and Joshua are Officially Stronger than Donald Duck
Midway through Final Fantasy 16, Clive and Joshua manage to accomplish a feat that puts them well over a power cap previously set by Donald Duck.
Final Fantasy 16's Hugo Kupka is Strikingly Similar to FC3's Vaas
Hugo Kupka's role as an intimidating villain in Final Fantasy 16 is strikingly similar to Far Cry 3's fan-favorite Vaas Montenegro.
Dion Makes Final Fantasy 16 a Surprise Gift for Pride Month
The introduction of the first canon LGBTQIA+ character in the Final Fantasy series makes Final Fantasy 16's June release date great for Pride Month.
Final Fantasy 16's Romance Pales in Comparison to FF10's Tidus and Yuna
Romantic subplots have been a staple of the Final Fantasy series since the SNES days, but Final Fantasy 16's romance doesn't get the focus it should.
Final Fantasy 16's World Has the Opposite Problem of Elden Ring
While large portions of both Final Fantasy 16 and Elden Ring involve very open maps, the start and end of these games narrow in different ways.