If you’ve been gaming for much of your life, you’ve probably found that your tastes have changed somewhat. Perhaps you used to enjoy the fastest-paced hack and slash games but find your reactions don’t seem as speedy as they used to be, or you’ve turned away from lengthy RPGs lately because you just don’t have time for them.
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There are also those games that just don’t quite hit at first, when played as a child, but become far more emotionally resonant when you experience them later in life. These titles’ premises, themes, and gameplay seem to truly hit harder the older you get.
7
Spiritfarer
A Touching, Arresting Journey
The role of the Spiritfarer, which our heroine adopts early in this adventure, is a beautiful, emotionally fraught one. On the surface, the game is a management title with charming visuals, seeing you gathering materials to upgrade your boat and make it comfortable for those aboard. You’ll listen to their thoughts, feelings, and worries, feed them, do your very best to soothe them, and let them keep busy by working the loom, workshop, or whatever their preferences may be.
At the heart of the relationship with each guest, though, is your sacred duty. You help prepare them for their journey to the other side, and ferry them to the Everdoor when they’re ready. While they’re guests on board, you learn a lot about their life experiences, regrets, and treasured memories, and it’s always so deeply touching when you say goodbye to each one. As we get older, it’s a tragic inevitability that we’ll lose loved ones, and anyone who’s been through such grief will feel the true impact of Spiritfarer. It’s a great experience to share in co-op, too.
6
Old Man’s Journey
The Journey Of Life
A lot of games tell their stories through long cutscenes and drawn-out conversations. Sometimes, though, the visual approach is just as effective. Old Man’s Journey takes just that approach, painting a picture (almost literally) of a full life lived. It opens with the protagonist looking out at the ocean in a beautiful storybook world, when he receives a letter that clearly includes some affecting news. Without further ado, he sets out on foot. Gameplay revolves around the idea of helping the old man pass from path to path, a little like hopping between the panels of a comic book.
At certain checkpoints, he’ll pause in his journey, which can make the scene shift to a closer and more detailed perspective (think the scenes in Supergiant Games’ Bastion) as he remembers special moments from throughout his life. There’s a dreamlike quality to these moments of reminiscence, as well as to the transitions as the man moves from scene to scene, giving the impression of a sort of ‘production’ of his life. The happiest and saddest of scenes ensue, with the sailor taking to the ocean and leaving family behind. His journey is one of reconciliation in the hardest circumstances, and the more life experience you have, the more impactful it may prove.
5
Gris
The Impact Of Grief
Gris is a stunning game, and to see it in motion is to immediately understand the case for video games as art form. The animation of every little movement from the protagonist and NPCs, the tiny details in the background, and the use of color are all stunning to behold. It’s not simply a matter of visuals, though. The music is subtle yet emotive, and like the studio’s equally stunning yet rather underappreciated Neva, the story that develops is incredibly emotional, speaking volumes with nary a word of dialogue needed.
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The puzzles in the dreamlike world protagonist Gris faces can be seen as representative of her inner struggle, coping with the loss of her mother. The themes of joyful, poignant song cutting through silence, of light illuminating the darkness, are deeply profound and will resonate with any player who has felt the sting of grief. A beautifully-created platformer, and so much more at the same time for those who appreciate the nuance.
4
Before I Forget
The Power Of Memories
The older we get, the more we reminisce, and life’s always such a mixed bag. The wonderful things we’ve achieved, the moments we’ve shared with family and friends, all intermingle with the pain of loss, the regret for opportunities we don’t take and the mistakes we’ve made. These are all part of life’s rich tapestry, as they say, and this is what gives Before I Forget such emotional impact: What if we began to forget those memories, the best and the worst of them?
The game explores the impact of Alzheimer’s disease through the lens of Sunita Appleby. A famed and glass-ceiling-smashing cosmomogist who struggles to retain memories of her life, the player controls Appleby as she walks through her home, punctuating the journey with commentary that reflects her feelings. It’s a stark, honest, and important portrayal of the disease and the impact it can have. In one instance, for example, Appleby will note that she can’t remember receiving a certain bill or letter, yet when passing an umbrella, a wonderful memory about sharing a rainy walk with a companion will ensue. Developer 3-Fold Games depicts Appleby’s flat as a location with a changing layout, both familiar and unfamiliar. This highlights the fact that Appleby is still the same remarkable person she ever was.
3
Final Fantasy 9
Tackling The Big Questions
Final Fantasy 9, with its unique and charming fantasy visuals, has something of a carefree and more light-hearted vibe than the other titles in the PS1 Final Fantasy trilogy. Its predecessors lack the whimsy and unique creature design, and at no point is the regent of a powerful nation transformed into an insect in those two games.
Despite all of this, though, Final Fantasy 9‘s exploration of life, death, belonging, and the drive to support others hits very hard, and perhaps more so as an adult than it did for those who played as children back at the time of its release in the year 2000. The happy-go-lucky Zidane’s tragic backstory of his ‘purpose’ and origins on another planet is a slow-burner, and each member of the party similarly embarks on a journey of self-discovery and finding a place where they belong. Amarant and Quina seem more of an afterthought in that regard, at times, but the philosophical discussion of life and how to use the time that you have seems to become increasingly real with each replay. This is the crux of Vivi’s legend: The little black mage who could is a resident of a fantasy world that may seem absurd compared to real life, but his worries and doubts are heartbreakingly real and profound.
2
To The Moon
Making Marvelous Memories
“YOLO” is a concept that many have offered as a reason for rash decisions, but there’s no denying that there’s also some truth to it. We can carry a fervent wish or ambition through much of our lives, and when we’re out of time to achieve it, the pang of regret and remorse begin. In To The Moon, Johnny Wyles had a desperate wish to travel just there, and though he is reaching the end of his life and cannot physically do so, two doctors of the Sigmund Corporation have devised a way to satisfy him that he’s been to the Moon.
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Wyles has experienced a tremendous amount of sadness in his life, with the tragic loss of his brother in an accident and of his eventual wife, River, with whom he once made a lifetime-defining promise to meet again on the Moon if they became separated. The doctors are able to make this promise a reality, altering his memories of the past and, in the process, the timeline, such that there’s a reality in which he “believes” he traveled there as an astronaut with his beloved. It’s a unique concept, revolving around memories, regrets, and the progress of a life, though in a rather more direct sense than a title such as Old Man’s Journey. The older we get, it seems, the more relevant all of these concerns and missed moments become in our lives. There’s no combat at all in this indie title, but endless feels.
1
What Remains Of Edith Finch
Family Mysteries Unfold
A house that has been in a family for a long time isn’t just a home, it’s a vessel of memories. The good, the bad, the everyday, and everything in between. If those walls could talk, as they say. What Remains Of Edith Finch is an exploration of just that concept, with Edith visiting the family’s home again and assembling a diary detailing a range of unfortunate deaths that befell the Finches in the past. The twist is that Edith’s son, Christopher, has returned to the house, and it’s effectively through his eyes that we experience Edith’s adventure. There are certainly things you might want to know before playing for the first time, but what an experience.
Poignant, dream-like sequences ensue, each of which details more about the supposed curse on the family and the fate of different members. The gameplay is continually varied, from a slow-paced exploration of great aunt Edie’s dusty bedroom to a comic book visualization of Barbara’s vicious murder. It’s stylized and unpredictable, leaving the player to question exactly what happened to the family and what is fiction, but the feeling of connection to an ever-widening family past is something we often increasingly empathize with as we get older.
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