1. Shining Force II
I visited my friend’s house and Shining Force II was blaring through the CRT TV speakers with its exquisite battle music as my compadre walked up to orcs and gargoyles in top-down strategic glory. Until then, I had only played traditional RPGs, so this blew my elementary school mind. “What is even happening?” Immediately engrossed, I had to have it. I begged for a SEGA Genesis that Christmas just to get my hands on it, and that made history. To this day, strategy RPGs are still my all-time favorite sub-genre, and I owe it all to the Runefaustian army. Thank you, demons of the underworld.
2. Dragon Quest VII: Warriors of Eden
I had gorged myself on the first four Dragon Warrior games on the NES, replete with maps, monster charts, and strategy guides. In my free time, I had drawn weapons, monsters, and armor, all to sate my thirst for Dragon Warrior while not playing Dragon Warrior. My aforementioned friend partook in the obsession, as well.
However, throughout the 16-bit era, I had completely forgotten about Dragon Warrior. I was traveling through time with Crono, combing the Veldt for rages, and playing Final Fantasy IV for the fifth time. I was no longer thinking about the joy of min-maxing attack patterns for leveling efficiency and the fear of treading into new territory, unaware of what new baddies lie in wait.
Then came Dragon Warrior–SEVEN? What?! My heart raced just discovering its existence, and I had to have it. To this day, it is the only game I have ever played for hours upon hours, forgetting to eat. My parents had to remind me to eat, worry in their voices as I holed up in my bedroom for nearly the entirety of Christmas vacation that year. Say what you will about DWVII: this title made me remember what I love about the series, and I’ve yet to have an engrossing experience like this since.
3. Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy X may seem like just another Final Fantasy to most. I’d argue it’s one of the best, but from an outsider’s perspective, it’s standard fare for this outstanding series. For me, it came at a time when I was doubting my love of games. It was the summer before my first year in college, and nothing was hitting. Maybe it was the gaming landscape at the time or the changes in my life, but I wasn’t feeling it for a while. Then comes FFX.
This game has one of the best endings I’ve ever experienced, and for everything to come together the way it did, I couldn’t ask for anything more. The tears flowed. What an excruciating, proper closure for this journey that was doomed from the start. Except we traded one sadness for another. I still didn’t game much in college, opting for other activities over my tried-and-true hobby, but this was a fantastic punctuation to begin my long hiatus. When I returned to this engrossing hobby, my tastes definitely veered toward the story-centric, and only the best would do. I still enjoy the occasional mindless romp of hacking, slashing, and collecting, but the games that top my list almost always have exquisite writing. This is my constant craving.
4. DoomRL
My first roguelike. The one that started the insatiable craving. A free-to-play, true roguelike. Now, this is before it became DRL due to copyright issues and before Jupiter Hell (the creator’s first commercial release using the same principles as DoomRL). Chock full of achievements of layered difficulty, DoomRL doesn’t boast level-ups or goodies to unlock across runs, just knowledge from experience. Climbing the simple, yet thoughtful achievements was a true measure of one’s skill, tactical strength, and accumulated knowledge. Now, the public at large doesn’t enjoy this level of difficulty, and the gaming industry has become infatuated with level-ups because of the dopamine we all get with that delicious, savory “PING!” But for those of us who don’t mind Yet Another Stupid Death, we jump into these. And I’ve jumped again. And again. And again.
5. Dark Souls
I remember hearing about Demon’s Souls when it was released and thinking, “Hard for the sake of being hard does not sound fun.” Then Dark Souls came around a few years later, and I gave the game a pass for the same reason, yet the popularity was hard to ignore. Dark Souls II, Bloodborne, and Dark Souls III followed, and Dark Souls was remastered for the PC. Fine, I’ll try this “so hard it’s fun” game. Instantly hooked. I couldn’t stop even when I played through Sen’s Fortress (to this date still my least favorite place in any Soulsborne title). What’s followed is a series of 9 out of 10s for me all created by FromSoftware, and even other Souls-likes, such as Nioh 2. Expert worldbuilding, pristine level design, and an oppressive, lonely atmosphere have become hallmarks of what I expect from these titles, and something I can’t stop loving. While Metroidvanias become tired with each imitator and iterator, it’s hard for me to find a Souls-like I not only enjoy, but complete with obsessive focus.
