ON is the brainchild of creative director Andrew P Hind, a veteran print designer renowned for his 20-year career as art editor for Edge, the globally renowned game magazine, and his work at boutique book publisher Tune & Fairweather.

Keith Stuart looks at the horror games of the 32-bit era of the mid-to-late 1990s in all their weird, disturbing glory. What a time to be a horror fan: Scream was in the cinema and game designers were relishing improved tech specs and real-time 3D visuals allowing for greater immersion and scarier experiences. Keith also examines how this period's rush of creativity continues to inspire designers today, taking in games like Crow Country, Forbidden Solitaire, and Fear the Spotlight, and talking to designers like Thomas Grip, Dan Pinchbeck and Sam Barlow.

The STALKER series transports players to the irradiated wastelands of Chernobyl, while drawing on literary and cinematic influences that go back to the Strugatskys' novel Roadside Picnic, first published in 1972. Yussef Cole examines the series' complex lineage and its vital relevance in the present day, while charting the fault lines of the games' unusual divided soul, asking existential questions while also providing a near-endless supply of monsters to shoot.

A fan since childhood, Chris Tapsell explores the myths and mysteries that give Pokémon its magic. In a quest to solve one of the series' most enduring mysteries surrounding the enigmatic Mew, Chris speaks to a Pokémon archaeologist and the founder of a kind of videogame book club for the close-reading of games. What he uncovers is a vital trace of the series' true spirit and fresh insight into its origins.

In honour of the PS1's thirtieth birthday, Caelyn Ellis looks back at Sony's first console from a distinctly personal perspective, traveling back to her memories of the mid-1990s and a machine that pulled her away from computers and into the orbit of consoles. In the history books, Sony's classic grey box is known as the console that changed everything, but what did it feel like to yearn for a PS1 and then bring it home and plug it in?

For the second issue of ON, Jen Simpkins explores the soaring, looping, endlessly kinetic world of music games. These are the games that feel like they are music, ranging from Beatmania and Guitar Hero to Elektroplankton, jubeat and Rez. By examining these beloved classics - and by exploring memories of the Japanese arcade scene that birthed many of them - Jen asks, what is it that makes music and videogames such natural partners, and what happens when game designers immerse themselves in sound?

Few series have been reinvented as many times as Wolfenstein. More than once, it's led the industry. And when it hasn't, it's acted as a mirror - reflecting the damaging design and production trends of triple-A. Going all the way back to 1981 and Escape from Castle Wolfenstein, Jeremy Peel tells the story of a truly classic series that was always ahead of the curve and explores how it's helped to shape the wider world of games, one new idea at a time.

Inspired by a trip to a museum, Chris Donlan ponders the act of path-finding in videogames. How does the simple process of putting one foot in front of another change the experience of exploring a game world, and what can the right path do to make an old game feel new again?