Passing through a green warp pipe, I see a colorful mushroom kingdom spreading out in front of me. Almost.  Headset pressed to my face, volume up, I'm actually watching the Super Mario Bros. movie in Apple's Vision Pro from a room in my house, the screen stretched out in 3D.  But I'm feeling a little emotional, sort of a visceral thrill, like a memory. That's because the film's blending with my memories of being at Universal Studios' Epic Universe theme park a few weeks ago, when I was walking around an actual physical Mushroom Kingdom, passing through a real and very large green warp pipe — but in Orlando, Florida.  In the park, it's all walls I can touch, blocks I can tap. Coming back to watch the movie again, in 3D, it now feels a little bit like coming home. Imaginary worlds are expanding… both in my brain, and in the virtual and physical realms. It's happening in movies, in games, in VR and in places like Epic Universe, the biggest new theme park in the US in 20 years, which opens to the public on May 22.  All these immersive worlds are tapping into universes we already have somewhat mapped out in our minds, and by mapping them out even further, creators are laying emotional groundwork for staying more deeply connected in the future.  I'm obsessed with immersive technologies and write extensively about them at CNET; I've been reviewing VR and AR headsets and games for over a decade now. But I'm finding that physical places — like theme parks — can fuel our memories, too, and they begin to blend in strange ways. And that's very much by design. We're living in a hyper-connected state of entertainment, and Epic Universe just feels like the latest, biggest step. "The thirst for things that are live, things that are unpredictable, has only increased now that we're getting all of these franchise-based experiences out there," says Kathryn Yu, co-founder of the Immersive Experience Institute in Los Angeles. "Otherwise, that IP is just a thing that you stream that happens to other people in a little box. The next logical conclusion is, well, I would love to go there." The vast new world of Epic Universe is a lot to take in, even without the crowds there. I visited ahead of its opening, intensely curious about the experiences and the technology and what it would all add up to. I saw the future, and also the past. And what I experienced through a frenzied day was that the details, and surprises, were everywhere.  This was my journey there, in the moment itself and remembered from a distance, filtered through the nostalgia that movies, games and immersive tech fill me with now as I look back. I'm going to walk you through what I encountered and put it all into perspective. In this article: A past full of portals Theme parks have been imagining other worlds for years. Disneyland, which dreamed of a series of worlds visited via connected pathways starting from a central hub — a "hub and spokes" model that's mirrored in most major theme parks now — opened way back in 1955. But in the last couple of decades, the ante has been upped, and upped again. CNET/Zooey LiaoParks have gotten more theme-immersive over time: Universal opened Islands of Adventure in Orlando in 1999, where it created mini lands based on franchises like Jurassic Park, Marvel, Dr. Seuss and Harry Potter.  Disney's Animal Kingdom, also in Florida, started with a theme around animals from various continents. It added Pandora in 2017, a section made to feel like you're walking around the alien world from James Cameron's Avatar movies. Disney also has a Toy Story land at Hollywood Studios, opened in 2018, Star Wars-themed lands in both its California and Florida parks that opened in 2019 and Avengers Campus, which opened at Disneyland in 2021.  In a sense, Epic Universe in Orlando is a park full of these extreme-themed locations, connected like magic portals. Four big places, four familiar and deep wells of movie memories to draw from: Nintendo, How to Train Your Dragon, Harry Potter and classic Universal monsters. Of course, these particular themes are in areas where new movies, games and shows are emerging constantly. A live-action How to Train Your Dragon movie arrives this summer; the Nintendo Switch 2 launches in June; there's a new Harry Potter series for HBO Max that's in the works. These are no accidents. On the other hand, if you have no connection to those intellectual properties, then you might not feel the need to visit. "It becomes kind of a double-edged sword, because you have folks who really love a franchise and will definitely buy a ticket if you're featuring that franchise," says Yu of the Immersive Experience Institute. "And then you have folks who may not be so hot on that, and you still need to appeal to them." Franchises are now made to bleed between film, TV, game and theme park. It's a cross-media world, and our physical presence in a park, playing a role in experiencing something first-hand, can end up making all the other pieces feel more emotionally important. Is there a limit to the immersive theming? Disney hit a wall with Galactic Starcruiser, a multiday self-contained hotel experience that opened in 2022 but closed a year later, something that was aiming high but was way too expensive and too immersive to appeal to many people, not to mention badly timed during a pandemic.Bridget Carey, CNET editor at large and theme park expert, who visited Epic Universe with me last month, experienced the ill-fated Galactic Starcruiser firsthand and felt it was a blend of theme park and video game, but it was an experience that locked you into a commitment — both of time and price.  Large-scale immersive theater experiences aren't always successful, either: Life and Trust, a massive multilevel New York theater event designed to be a spiritual follow-up to the decade-plus run of Sleep No More, closed after only nine months. Yet these types of projects show where immersiveness in parks could expand. "The Starcruiser experience didn't just lean into sci-fi tech for a Star Wars vibe. What made it impressive was the improvisational actors that made the sets and effects more transportive," Carey says. "Universal also is weaving that ingredient into Epic, and I was surprised by the number of human character actors we saw in each land — helping make those robotic dragons and magical creatures have emotional connections with guests."  What's different with Epic compared to how theme parks have already been evolving? In some ways, not as much as you'd think. But it's the more intense focus on immersion, combined with the portals that become the entry gates, that feel new. Universal's marketing is all about wanting you to feel like you're teleporting into these places. (Also, the new rides are a whole lot of fun.) The portal gates are made to feel like they're constructed intentionally, waiting for you to make the leap. And I've felt that portal feeling many times before, at home: in VR, where jumping to other worlds almost feels like a ritual — laying out a play space, opening an app, stepping through. All right. Here we go. Into the portals Celestial Park The entrance to Epic Universe begins with a portal. And it has portals all the way through, to the individual subworlds, and even to worlds within those worlds. It's the theme to the whole park. The entrance is the biggest portal of all, called the "Chronos," and it looks sort of like a stargate. It's also just a familiar entrance gate, adorned with symbols to the worlds that await inside,  something of a steampunk galactic theme. Jeffrey Hazelwood/CNETInside, things are strangely sedate. The first "hub world," Celestial Park, is lovely, beautifully landscaped and chill. So chill that you might wonder where the park excitement is hiding. The gardens and vaguely retrofuture architecture feels a bit like the Star Wars planet Naboo, or even the front part of Epcot that used to be called Future World. There are some rides, but just a few. There's an ornate domed carousel, and an interactive water fountain. There's also the park's best roller coaster, a massive twin beast called Stardust Racers, where two trains appear to race as they barrel roll over each other.  The dual coaster has a design that feels both inspired by the lore of an Atlantis lost world and fantasies of Jules Verne. Look closely and you can find an Easter egg: the flux capacitor from Back to the Future — a Universal property that used to have its own ride — flickers on the back of each coaster car. There's no promise of time travel, but the ride accelerates to speeds that feel as intense as Velocicoaster, Universal's notorious Jurassic World-themed ride. Celestial Park feels like a world between worlds. It's the place where the portals to every other world live. Celestial Park's got a lot of good food, relaxing restaurants and calming fountains. I could see this being the place where Universal has future festivals, pop-up experiences. It's also a centering space, a reset point, a rest stop between dives into other worlds. It clears your mind before you head into the next hyper-immersive place.  "The future of the attractions industry isn't one-size-fits-all. It's about creating moments that feel personal, unforgettable and emotionally resonant, regardless of the scale." Jakob Wahl, president and CEO of IAAPA Are centering places like this key to the future of more intense immersive experiences? In my early days of going to VR installations, there was a big focus on the onboarding process, as well as a decompression space where you'd be able to rest and be in your own thoughts for a while. The more stimulation we have, the more we need a way to remove ourselves from it. "For an immersive spectacle to work, it's really got to be all encompassing, but that also means what's on the outside needs to be thought through, too," says Noah Nelson, founder of the immersive entertainment site No Proscenium. "There's a whole art to path making, and while I'm not sure if we need to go the full 'chill room at the rave' route, there is something to be said for an 'ontological crossfade' from one 'reality' into another." All around the edges of Celestial Park, golden gates beckon with statues stacked on top. These are the other worlds, and entering them, you definitely feel the strong crossfade. Super Nintendo World Coin fountains and castle decorations surround Nintendo's portal, and the moment you head in, you ride an escalator. It's a warp pipe, with light beams shooting off to the sides. Then you're inside a familiar castle, Mushroom Kingdom portraits on the walls. Exiting it, you're looking out at a multilevel vista of moving blocks, Yoshis and bouncing creatures: It looks just like a level map from a Super Mario game.  It's made to overwhelm and dazzle you. The paths seem to go everywhere: down, up, to the sides and who knows where else. You descend into it, sinking into the immersion. Jeffrey Hazelwood/CNETSuper Nintendo World already exists in Universal's Tokyo park and in Universal Studios Hollywood, but Orlando's layout is larger and extends through an additional portal tunnel into a subworld of Donkey Kong that's full of palm trees, banana piles and a mine cart coaster that runs in and out of an ancient temple. That moment in the Super Mario Bros. movie where Mario and Peach go to Donkey Kong's kingdom and see all the looping paths everywhere? It's sort of that feeling, but smaller. If you buy a Power-Up Band ($40) from Universal, you can pair it with your phone and bop it against blocks and surfaces everywhere in the land, unlocking scores in mini games you can track on the Universal app. The bands also work as tappable NFC-enabled Amiibo for the Nintendo Switch, giving unlockable extras. I keep thinking that Nintendo could expand that park-to-Switch relationship further, maybe even with the Switch 2.  There aren't that many rides here, but they are memorable. A calmer Yoshi ride moves slowly around the Mushroom Kingdom's edges, more of a young kid's ride or even a way to take in the vistas without walking. And Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge is also surprisingly slow moving for a racing ride, but it's because you wear augmented reality head visors, tethered to your car, that float images of video game opponents all around you. The goal is to shoot flying turtle shells at opponents by turning your wheel and pressing buttons. The best parts feel like you're almost living inside the game itself — a dark tunnel where Rainbow Road floats.  The tech feels old now compared to home headsets like the Apple Vision Pro or Meta's Quest 3 — it is, since it was made for similar rides back in 2021 — but it's also the only AR ride in this park, or nearly anywhere else. And I think future rides could go a lot further. It reminds me instantly of the remote-control Mario Kart toys that Nintendo made to work with an AR-enabled Switch game called Mario Kart Live, which I drove around my home during the pandemic in 2020. Switch 2 games and connected toys could in the future further expand these rides. The Donkey Kong Mine Cart Madness ride is the best of the bunch: The coaster's hidden ride mechanism makes it seem like you're on cartoonishly broken tracks, but you're not. The cart flies off them, jumping gaps, leaping into space, making what seem like impossible turns, and it's full of surprises. It's not loaded with visible tech: Its magic tricks are subtler.  "The thirst for things that are live, things that are unpredictable, has only increased now that we're getting all of these franchise-based experiences."  Kathryn Yu, co-founder of the Immersive Experience Institute While there are little corners to explore around Super Nintendo World, like extra Power-Up Band challenges and little Nintendo Easter eggs, I want more. I want the Power-Up Band minigames to feel even more game-like. I want crazy levels of extra things to find. Maybe that can still come. Nintendo's rumored to make an expansion to Super Nintendo World, possibly adding a Zelda-themed Hyrule area to time with a future Zelda movie Universal is releasing in 2027. Pokemon is also a rumored expansion focus.  The possibilities seem endless, but the cost and planning of building areas that feel timeless and popular enough to work is a whole other challenge. This space filled with Mario and Donkey Kong echoes lots of existing games, and probably games to come. When I played Donkey Kong Bananza and Mario Kart World on the Switch 2, I couldn't help thinking about Super Nintendo World all over again. And that's clearly the point: They reflect each other. A Photo Tour Inside Epic Universe See all photos Franchises are now made to bleed between film, TV, game and theme park. It's a cross-media world, and our physical presence in a park, playing a role in experiencing something first-hand, can end up making all the other pieces feel more emotionally important. The same way I watch movies about the UK nostalgically after I've traveled there, I watch the Super Mario Bros. movie and play Super Mario games after I visited Epic Universe. "Epic Universe is a powerful example of how immersive storytelling, cutting-edge technology, and bold vision are shaping the future of themed entertainment," says Jakob Wahl, president and CEO of IAAPA, the Global Association for the Attractions Industry. "It reflects a growing demand from guests for deeply integrated, multisensory experiences that transport them into entirely new worlds with characters from some of the world's most popular movies and video games." How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk Entering the portal into the world of How to Train Your Dragon, you're greeted with an expanse of water, massive carved statues and bridges beyond. Wide skies, flying rides: This is the Isle of Berk, and it's full of dragons, water and people roleplaying as characters from the films. It's the most wide-open feeling world in the park, inviting you to seemingly wander in any direction. It's the biggest, and has the most rides and shows, too. Jeffrey Hazelwood/CNETI didn't grow up with these movies, but I could see the crowds who did, and waited in line for a chance to pet a robotic Toothless dragon in a stable. Chances to meet dragons are everywhere: One, puppeted by somebody inside, proudly struts around, guided by Viking handlers.  In one corner, if you're patient, a baby dragon emerges for photo opps: This is Dart, a self-powered robot that's so convincingly animated that it hypnotized me in my tracks — it has a feel similar to Boston Dynamics' robot dogs, but turned into cartoon form. Disney isn't putting free-roaming robots into its parks yet, although it's test-driving Nvidia-powered BD-0 droids that should be making more appearances in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge eventually.  "The BDX droids are just the beginning," Kyle Laughlin, senior vice president at Walt Disney Imagineering, said when the droids were shown off at an Nvidia conference in March, referring to AI advances to come via Google DeepMind and Nvidia. "This collaboration will allow us to create a new generation of robotic characters that are more expressive and engaging than ever before."  Meanwhile, Universal is already doing that with its little Dart appearances. Dart shows the future: animated and free-walking, and acting alongside real human actors that make it feel like the world has come alive.  Drone dragons wheel overhead, too — not during my initial visit, but they'll be there on park opening. Other robotic dragon tails poke out of nests. One ice-breathing dragon pokes its head out from behind a wall.  The dragon moments continue in a lavish show called The Untrainable Dragon, which blends screens and actors and dragons that look like a combination of puppeting and robotics. Toothless wheels overhead during the show, and the emotional scale of it all made me cry.  "For an immersive spectacle to work, it's really got to be all encompassing ... there's a whole art to path making." Noah Nelson, founder of the immersive entertainment site No Proscenium In this land, the rides almost feel secondary. A wheeling, tame sky ride called Dragon Racer's Rally was fine for kids, maybe not worth it for adults. A water-blasting boat ride called Fyre Drill was fun, but similar to a ride I've tried at New York's Legoland. But the family coaster here, called Hiccup's Wing Gliders, is the best thing to try: It's fast, zips over water and around the island, and has other dragons to see. It's a story experience as much as a thrill ride, like Hagrid's Magical Creatures coaster at Universal's Islands of Adventure.Berk doesn't have interactive features like Power-Up Bands or wands, but it has plenty of other merch. It's also, I think, about just feeling happy and free. It feels loose, like a festival. And maybe more of a Disney-type place than any other part of Universal. "The sheer number of dragon animatronics exposed to the outdoors was impressive — both in the ride and peppered across the landscape. But what really amps up the emotion and whimsy is the music from John Powell's soundtrack, which got me bawling happy tears on the coaster," says Carey. "Universal leans hard into movie scores throughout each portal to activate your emotions quickly — which stands out from Disney's choice to use more subtle, natural-sounding background tracks. But I think that's where Epic got it right. People want the music to have that connection." What I remember most from this world, as I portaled back out, was the dragons, whether they were drones, robots or puppets. All of the dragons.  Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic The Harry Potter portal gate leads into a subway exit, with a wall full of French posters. Around a corner, there's a massive arch. And through that arch is a wide city street, shops everywhere, hints of a skyline in the distance. The Ministry of Magic's recreation of 1920s Paris hits me on a grander, more detailed scale than any of the other worlds.  Jeffrey Hazelwood/CNETThe buildings loom high. The city's farther-off attractions poke above rooftops. It feels like we've teleported. Take the previous Wizarding World areas at Universal and imagine them even bigger, and you have this. Windows in storefronts are interactive, if you have a wand you've purchased from a shop. Wave it in a certain pattern to make magical things happen. Finding the windows is a little game in itself. Some windows have interactive paintings that speak to you, too. In the middle of the city square is a circus tent, hosting Cirque Arcanus, a live theater spectacle that looks like it's impossibly tucked into this tent, with an immersive show blending magic tricks and screens. Deeper inside, the main show seems to take place inside the suitcase of Newt Scamander from the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them movies. Different creatures emerge from shadows and dimensional windows, made of a mix of high-res displays, puppets, robotics and stage magic.  Down one end of the Paris streets is the only ride: a showstopping experience called the Battle for the Ministry of Magic. We pass through a MetroFloo station, entering yet another portal that flashes green smoke as we end up on the other side in a massive recreation of the Ministry of Magic from the Harry Potter movies, but now in modern-day London. I don't realize until I get home days later and rewatch the movies how spot-on this recreation is: Much like Disney's Rise of the Resistance ride, it feels like you've been beamed right into a film.  The Ministry of Magic ride itself, down endless corridors of talking portraits and interactive details you might linger on during what could be seriously long waits, is an elevator you sit in as it leaps and glides through a journey involving Harry, Hermione, Ron, Dolores Umbridge and things that seem real and virtual at the same time.  "Universal leans hard into movie scores throughout each portal to activate your emotions quickly ... People want the music to have that connection." Bridget Carey, CNET editor at large Universal says this ride has a whole new mechanism technology — it reminds me of both the Gringotts and Forbidden Journey rides at Universal's other parks, but more like you're watching a magical theater experience unfold. It's the most eye-popping ride in the park. I wished I could floo-hop over to the other Wizarding World sections at Universal's other parks. You can't: This park is miles from the others, and misses out on the magic train connection. Dark Universe Through another portal that looks embedded in a gnarled mountain of rocks and roots, we pass into a cemetery, tombstones everywhere, leading to a haunted-looking European village. In some ways the most intimate of the four worlds, this lurking gothic zone, themed to house Universal's classic monsters, feels like a permanent version of Universal's Halloween Horror-themed events.  Jeffrey Hazelwood/CNETThe path snakes around a series of rides and taverns, with details like menacing statues and a cart full of body parts in bottles. You'll see actors here that play various roles: a mad violinist plays a tune and spins through the square. The Invisible Man peers through bandages and insults your intelligence. At The Burning Blade Tavern, a pub at the end of the path that has a burning windmill above it, actors play the roles of monster hunters. The biggest draw here is a decaying mansion that houses Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment, a ride that throws all of Universal's monsters into animatronic form. The ride's built on the same arm structure as Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey: You feel like you're being propelled through rooms where werewolves, the Creature From the Black Lagoon, Frankenstein's monster and Dracula battle each other. The vibe is more video game and comic-infused than something truly scary. Still, it's the most animatronics-filled experience in the park — Frankenstein's monster towers above me in the preshow room, stepping forward as if he's about to walk right toward us.  One other roller coaster, Curse of the Werewolf, is weirdly lacking in any actual werewolves, and felt tamer than I expected. And my visit, during the day, didn't seem to fit the horror style of the surroundings.  At night, and with plenty of role-playing actors around, Dark Universe could take on whole new dimensions. This part of the park feels like the biggest leap into an unknown, and could use even more building out to add in extra thrills. But what I felt the most in this subdued, ominous-feeling part of the park was the promise of roleplay. What if I stayed longer and tried to follow the violinist? What if the Invisible Man tried to recruit me for a mission? What does Ygor have to tell me if I seek him out? If I go to the pubs and lurking corners, will I find more mysteries to unravel? As a doorway to the oldest part of Universal's history, could Dark Universe be a permanent way to explore the weird horrors of Halloween all year long? I'd like to stick around here for dinner after dark and see what happens. The future beyond Epic On my way home again, thinking ahead to my next visit around the time of the park's opening day, I wondered about what Epic Universe represents for the future of where amusement parks and immersive entertainment are heading, and what it could also mean for all the games, movies, shows and toys that connect to them. Theme parks are conceived years ahead of time, slowly emerging into completion. Epic Universe is here in 2025, but its ideas were birthed back in 2019 and intended for 2023, delayed because of the pandemic. What we're seeing now is the bleeding edge of large-scale theme parks, but not necessarily a sign of what the future holds.  It's hard to keep large-scale things in business, so I often think about the future of immersive entertainment as coming from smaller productions. There have been a ton of contained immersive ticketed attractions in the last decade that give the I've-been-to-a-park experience, often at a lower cost.  My mind turns to Meow Wolf, a growing collective that makes hallucinatory installations that have mysteries and parts that unlock extras on a phone app. One of Meow Wolf's next locations, in New York, looks to add even more mixed reality and interaction (it's themed like an interdimensional arcade).  Meow Wolf's founders say that smaller indoor spaces can build out higher levels of next-level interaction beyond what Universal or Disney can do.  "We see them as sort of scratching the surface," Meow Wolf's Vince Kladubek tells me, speaking about parks like Epic Universe. "When you have a dedicated indoor space, you have far more possibilities than when you're in an outdoor theme park land. We're really honing in on the capabilities that are now possible when you have a fixed indoor space in bringing this mixed-reality experience forward." "Epic Universe is a powerful example of how immersive storytelling, cutting-edge technology and bold vision are shaping the future of themed entertainment." Jakob Wahl, president and CEO of IAAPA And while these smaller interactive experiences emerge, it's rare to see a completely new theme park open in the US — the last one was Disney's California Adventure in 2001. Disney and Universal have been locked in a back-and-forth competition for decades, one-upping each other with new immersive ideas, licensing deals and park upgrades, but Disney has no new US park planned. Instead, Disney is focused on specific park upgrades — a Monsters, Inc. area for Hollywood Studios, new Cars and Villains lands for Magic Kingdom, an Encanto and Indiana Jones expansion to Animal Kingdom, more Avengers rides at California Adventure. New parks are opening overseas, though: Universal has a UK park in development, and Disney just announced a deal to open a theme park in Abu Dhabi. Universal's next steps beyond Epic are already in the works, but in lots of smaller pieces. A horror-themed permanent Universal attraction, called Universal Horror Unleashed, opens in Las Vegas this August. Its four haunted houses should feel like the ones in Universal's seasonal horror night fests, but year-round. Universal also has a kid-focused, smaller park that's opening in Frisco, Texas next year. "We're seeing

Video games have been simulating football since the 1970s, but they have rarely ever thought about simulating fandom. You can play a whole international tournament in the Fifa titles, but what they never show is the way the competition seeps into the everyday lives of supporters, how whole towns are overtaken, how a World Cup can become a national obsession. The way most of us experience the really big matches is through stolen moments of vicarious glory on televisions and giant pub screens, surrounded by friends and family and the sounds and images of real life.This is the territory of Despelote, a beautiful, utterly transportive game about childhood and memory, set during Ecuador’s historic 2002 World Cup qualifying campaign. Football-mad eight-year-old Julián – a semi-autobiographical version of the game’s co-designer Julián Cordero – has just watched the team beat Peru, but now four more matches stand between Ecuador and the World Cup finals in Japan and Korea. Structured as a series of short, immersive tableaux, Despelote gives us control of Julián as he goes about his life, buffeted by his parents and teachers between shopping trips, car journeys and school lessons.Something of what it was like to be a kid … Despelote. Photograph: Panic GamesThe key scenes are where you are left alone, perhaps in a town square, or at a family get-together – and you experience something of what it was like to be a kid given crucial moments of freedom and agency. You listen in on adult conversations, watch an old man feeding pigeons, say hi to a shopkeeper, have a kickabout with friends – the world is depicted as a series of grainy photos, washed with single colours – a beautiful visual device replicating the haziness of our oldest memories, the background details indistinct behind the personal, emotional events.As the game goes on, depictions of Julián’s childhood merge and interchange with recollections of later teenage parties and responsibilities. We also learn about the sociopolitical background to the World Cup campaign: Ecuador is in the midst of a financial crisis, hyperinflation has bankrupted companies and gobbled up savings – in this context, the potential glory of footballing success becomes vital and talismanic. The tournament is discussed in the streets and at weddings, it permeates everything.But other aspects of Ecuadorian life and culture are drawn in too. You learn about the music, the food and the rebirth of the domestic film industry, via the 1999 crime film Ratas, ratones, rateros directed by Julián Cordero’s father, Sebastián Cordero. In this way, real life impinges on the game world, like a poetic and self-referential Agnès Varda film, and in one lovely sequence, while Julián is engrossed in a footie sim on the family’s console, his onscreen player leaves the pitch and wanders home – to Julián’s own house: a beautiful, subtle comment on embodiment, fantasy and the act of playing.Despelote recalls some of the great works of independent narrative game design – The Unfinished Swan, Gravity Bone, Virginia – yet it is also something thrillingly of itself. Even though it’s a game about one small boy in a specific rendering of Ecuador, it communicates the near-universal power of football as a cohesive social narrative: the way the Dutch team of 74, Maradona’s genius in 1986, and Gascoigne’s goal against Scotland at Euro 96 came to say something about the nations that produced them. At the same time, as we draw closer to the final matches of the qualifying round and the excitement and tension becomes palpable, the camera and narration pull back, beyond the structured world of the game and into a meditation on the creative process itself. This is fascinating, formally daring stuff that, in its two-hour playtime, asks more questions about the nature of memory, simulation and identity than a dozen 100-hour epics.skip past newsletter promotionSign up to Pushing ButtonsFree weekly newsletterKeza MacDonald's weekly look at the world of gamingPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotion

A few summers ago, when the culture was moving through micro trends as fast as they could be Instagrammed, Cottage Core was born. The trend, which came out of a Covid-influenced romanticism for living close to nature (but not ruffing it, à la gorpcore, fashion’s cousin trend), inspired an infusion of chintz and whicker-filled interiors, and, of course, lush English-style gardens.Flash forward to 2025. All those cottage gardens planted in early 2020—rustic, sophisticated, chic—are at their peak. And there really is something to an outdoor space that merges with the indoors, is there not? On a warm summer evening, when the bougainvillea is in bloom, and the grass is a bit damp, what could be more appealing than a home built to nestle into a fantastical garden.Here, we’ve collected some of our favorite cottage gardens. They range from fairy house gardens to campground landscape, historical (Anne Hathaway’s famed cottage that has inspired Shakespeare devotees the world over) to contemporary compound gardens in the woods.While we may have a specific notion of a cottage garden, but they are—and should be—as unique as the people who tend them. One lesson for planting your own? A small space is an asset rather than a limitation.Below, you’ll find 15 of our favorite cottage gardens from Marin County California to Stratford-Upon-Avon, England.William Jess LairdThis Amagansett cottage was literally designed for “summertime snoozes.” It’s also a good reminder that a delicate slate garden pathway can take you far. Designer Melissa Lee noted how “unexpected” the whole place felt, surrounded by the many mansions of the Hamptons. As she rightfully notes, the charm is in the surprise. A suggestion of mystery always adds to a cottage! Think The Secret Garden or the unexpectedly expansive Weasley Family home.Noe DewittVines climb up this 1920s English Art and Crafts style cottage in the Hamptons. The elegant and eclectic cottage was re-designed by Nick Olsen to emphasize outdoor living with comfy couches, a tiled patio and a pool.William James LairdThis pink cottage kitchen looks out over a garden in Litchfield County, Connecticut. Designer Clive Lonstein’s work is vibrant and unexpected, particularly for a modest Connecticut cottage built in the late 1800s. In a way though, the bright colors all throughout the house are a reflection of the original design for the house. The architect, Ehrick Rossiter was known for his own whimsy, and even included a turret in this design. This cottage is a great reminder to leave the door open all summer long.Stephen Kent JohnsonThis former fishing shack in Provincetown proves that a sprawling garden can fit into a small space. From Windex yellow fox gloves to arching lavender, this is a bucolic slice of heaven. A classic shingled home, complete with flower boxes and a white picket fence, it has a deeply cottage-core sequence backstory. It was used as an artist studio for William Maynard until his death in 2016, and when it was sold, prospective buyers were asked to write why they wanted to live there.Rachael SmithWe love an indoor / outdoor cottage garden. Ideally, you have a branch that grows through a window, like this one in Suzie de Rohan Willner’s English Country Garden. It is a charming marriage of dynamics: English and French, contemporary and historical, and, of course just as eclectic as a cottage should be. Willner notes, “The whole house is a collection of things from each period of my and my husband’s lives. I love to pick up bibs and bobs and it all comes together very happily.”Chronicle / Alamy Stock PhotoKate Middleton’s Adelaide Cottage conjures images of an Arthurian fantasy. The Wales family made this their Windsor home since 2023. Built in 1831 for Queen Adelaide (the German-born wife of William IV, who was the Uncle of Queen Victoria). It went through a transformative renovation in 2015 which left the historical decorations in tact. Fun fact: the Wales family pay market rent for their use of the home.Photo 12//Getty ImagesThe poet, actor, and playwright Anne Hathaway’s famed cottage and accompanying garden must have inspired her husband’s plays (that would be Shakespeare). This might be what comes to mind when you think of a cottage garden. Now open to the public daily, it was originally built more than 500 years ago, and is the site of Hathaway’s own birth in 1556.CostcoThis Costco (yes, Costco!) shed turned cottage is an ideal backdrop for your cottage garden fantasy. If you’re feeling very DIY this year, start here. Priced at $6,499, it measures 12’ x 24’ feet, a perfect amount of space for your own summer hide away or gardening shed.Richard PowersThis glass house is a reminder that a cottage garden doesn’t have to follow a prescribed style. The Amagansett cottage, originally built in 1960, is a marvel of mid-century design, an aesthetic reflected in the mod-furniture choices. Again, we love a stylistic mix in an updated cottage. Japanese Maple Trees complete the woodsy vibe.© David Hockney, Photo By Jonathan WilkinsonDavid Hockney illustrated his own cottage garden during the Pandemic. His drawing is illustrative of the benefits of an English garden: a bit wild, extremely lush, and more green than anything else. If we could, we’d jump right into this scene like Mary Poppins on a rainy day.John M. Hall for ELLE DecorHere’s a rule of thumb: trust Ina Garten. This cottage-like structure, on the grounds of the East Hampton home Garten shares with her husband Jeffrey, is perennially perfect. Note, too, the green and purple color scheme here. This is perhaps the dream cottage garden and something of a childhood playhouse. It has just enough space for a cozy chat and is a reminder that you can build your own little cottage on a very small plot of land.Photo 12//Getty ImagesMarie Antoinette’s Hamlet on the grounds of Versailles still sets the standard for the cottage garden with a thatched roof, hedges, and roses straight out of a fairy tale. During the former French Queen’s reign, her hamlet was used as a faux farm house, where she and her young daughter, Princess Marie Thérèse, would dress as idealized versions of French peasant farmers and milk cows. The interior, though, of this modest cottage, is appropriately grand with silk furnishings and canopy beds.Douglas FriedmanA garden that proves succulents and cottages are a match made in heaven. This one, in Marin County, California, adds a bit of desert flair. On the other side of this cottage is a water way and a perfect little dock for launching paddle boards. We love how the greens liven up this side of the house and create a completely different, almost modern desert-like, aesthetic. As with any great cottage garden, there is a distinctly transportive factor.Michael CliffordA light wood sauna and cold plunge on the grounds of Jenni Kayne’s Hudson Valley farmhouse are hidden behind shrubbery for a sense of privacy against a wide open landscape. We love the idea of adding a spa-like ambiance to a cottage garden as well as finding inventive ways to use the space. This is exactly where we want to be in the summer!Getty ImagesThis is sort of cheating, but Bunny Williams is a necessary inclusion! Williams’s Oak Spring Garden in Upperville, Virginia continues to inspire garden and cottage enthusiasts the world over. Rather than one cottage, the grounds of Williams’s large estate feature a guest cottage and a basket house, both of which are charming in the extreme.Dorothy ScarboroughDorothy Scarborough (she/her) is the assistant to the Editor in Chief of Town & Country and Elle Decor.