1. Chrono Trigger
Chrono Trigger earns instant inclusion on my list as it’s my favorite game, but more importantly, it’s the game that made gaming my hobby and cemented my enduring love for JRPGs.
I was entranced when my step-cousin showed me Chrono Trigger on an emulator in the mid-2000s. My understanding of JRPGs amounted to Pokémon, a smidge of Zelda, and Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (the only reference point for that franchise I had). So, it was the perfect scenario for the Dream Team‘s masterpiece to capture my imagination. Entering 600 A.D. for the first time as “Wind Scene” filled me with a mystical melancholy, braving Magus’ spine-chilling castle, and exploring Zeal with my jaw on the magical floor were only some of the moments that made me a lifelong lover of games. That love then led to my career. I owe everything to Chrono Trigger.
2. Pokémon
I’m not picking any single entry here, which is something of a cop-out as the multimedia franchise that is Pokémon encapsulated my entire world since it first reached Western shores. It’s how I connected with other kids in the late ’90s and early aughts, and it has continued to be a profound social arbiter to this day. Heck, it’s the game series that allows my partner to share in this hobby with me.
Honestly, I can track my life through moments spent with Pokémon. It’s a series that has evolved alongside me during my best and worst moments. It was the first time my younger self had pseudo-agency to go on my own adventures, and in equal measure it marked the beginning of my adult self’s new journey following a rough break-up. I wrote more about this on Nintendo Life, should you be interested in some flowery personal prose.
3. Final Fantasy VII Remake
I almost didn’t buy Final Fantasy VII Remake. I was a model turn-based combat purist then, and the original Final Fantasy VII hadn’t captured me like VI and IX had. However, after playing Remake‘s demo, I was a changed man. The seamless blend of action and menu-based systems opened the door for me to appreciate other action RPGs.
With my mind changed about buying Remake, I quickly replayed VII in the weeks leading up to its release and everything clicked. The Compilation (well, most of it) has since become dear to me, and I think of its characters every day—and not just because I’m a hardcore Ever Crisis player. My obsession with theory crafting over the remake trilogy’s mysteries even helped spark my love for fighting games as I began watching Maximilian Dood‘s streams.
While I’d consider Rebirth the superior game, Remake had the more profound impact.
4. Persona 3, 4, and 5
When I played Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden on the PlayStation Vita in the early 2010s, I had a hard time starting and maintaining interpersonal relationships. The social sim elements of these games taught me genuine life lessons that I’ve brought into my everyday life, such as self-confidence and trust. I modeled interactions I had in the real world after those I had in the games, and while I admit that sounds questionable, it helped me put myself out there.
It’s perhaps ironic then that social obligations are part of why I never had time to finish Persona 5 upon its original release. I eventually got through the game with Royal during COVID lockdowns, providing a sense of socialization during a time when I was holed up alone in a studio apartment. (I then played NieR: Automata immediately after, just to name-drop that masterpiece.)
5. World of Warcraft
I tried my hardest not to include World of Warcraft, as it’s a game I stopped playing two months into its 2018 expansion and will never play again. But I can’t deny how this MMO was an essential fixture in (and consumer of) my life.
Like Chrono Trigger, my step-cousin introduced me to Azeroth during The Burning Crusade. Its awe-inspiring locales and cities eternally etched themselves into my memory, and my misadventures as a Horde player venturing into Alliance territory were some of the greatest emergent thrills I’ve had in gaming. It also acted as a low-stakes social environment, and I learned a lot about how to (and how not to) act through my many interactions. It also helped teach me the language of games, a.k.a., “Don’t stand in the puddles.” I just regret spending so much damn time playing it… that’s why I keep Final Fantasy XIV purely casual.
Non-RPG 1: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
I love Smash Bros. (nothing got my teenage self more competitive than a Melee match with friends), but I will admit that this is even more of a cop-out than my Pokémon pick. Looking at this gargantuan roster is simply a trip through so many of the franchises and genres I’ve built memories with—a reminder of why I love gaming.
And what spells love more than pitting my favorite characters against one another in scrappy brawls? Mario vs. Link vs. Samus vs. Lucina vs. Pyra & Mythra vs. Hero vs. Terry Bogard as they all descend into the Northern Crater… okay, I admit that line exists to highlight other RPGs that could’ve easily made this list.
Ultimate also acted as a direct precursor to my interest in the fighting game genre; I may not have played Guilty Gear Strive‘s open beta and realized I loved it if not for Smash.
Non-RPG 2: Animal Crossing
It’s impossible to pick any definitive final game, but Animal Crossing and its many sequels felt particularly poignant given the throughline of how games have impacted my social life. Which is to say, despite being most known for its multiplayer roots, I’ve always approached this franchise as a silo from the world. Yes, even New Horizons in its heyday.
My towns and island are tranquil places of my design where I can spend personal alone time with my animal buddies. Their canned dialogue fills me with an intangible joy, probably because it’s a constant in an uncertain world. Meanwhile, Animal Crossing offers a predictable world that still feels alive. Even if I go a long time without playing, I know it’s there in a comfortable stasis.
While there are other non-RPGs I would rate above any Animal Crossing entry, it’s singularly invaluable in these unsettling modern times.
