Recently, I got to thinking about the video games that were important to me during my childhood. Those that shaped my daydreams, my imagination, and even my writing style. I was fascinated by many games for various systems, from the Nintendo 64 to the Xbox 360. In this post, I will share the games that shaped my childhood and impacted me so much they are recalled with fondness now. For Part Two, I will focus on Final Fantasy games.
The first Final Fantasy game I played had a mechanic in which you could eat monster meat to transform and gain special powers. I am not sure which game that was, and I barely remember it because I was little, but I thought it was really cool. If you know what game I am referring to, please put the name in the comments.
Final Fantasy III
System: Nintendo DS
Release date: November 14, 2006
Final Fantasy III does not have as remarkable storytelling as some of the other Final Fantasy games, but the gameplay was fun and engaging. Four heroes are chosen as Warriors of Light to defend the world and restore balance. Some fun parts of this game include four old men who think they are the Warriors of Light and who are basically comic relief, as well as a portion of the game you have to play while turned into toads. My favorite character was Refia, a blacksmith’s daughter. I never beat this game, but found the battles challenging and rewarding.
Final Fantasy IV
System: Nintendo DS
Release date: July 22, 2008
I loved this game because it incorporated audio of real voices instead of just having text on the screen. Cecil’s angsty concerns about being on the wrong side and trained as a dark knight are cool. He is like the brooding Byronic hero type, ashamed of his past sins. Tellah is one of my favorite characters, as the Great Sage of Mysidia, capable of using black and white magic. He is short-tempered, and swears revenge after his daughter dies. One of the things notable about this game is that it is unafraid to kill off several main characters. As a child, that shocked me. A challenging thing about the combat is that there are gauges that fill up in real time. When your gauge or an enemy gauge fills up, attacking is possible. That meant that, unlike some Final Fantasy games, I could not look away from this one even for a moment.
Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
System: Nintendo DS
Release date: October 25, 2007
This game has an odd title, but it is the one I remember the best. The main character is Luso. He is a high school student who is sucked into a fantasy book, where he meets Cid and a thief known as Adele the Cat. (Did I mention every Final Fantasy game has a character named Cid? It’s one of the quirky things about this series!) I remember I though the character design was so cool, and I even drew all the main characters. What I loved was that Luso became head of a clan and was able to recruit new members of various fantasy races and abilities. I loved growing the clan and having members who could develop their own way and be used in combat. The combat was laid out kind of like a board game with an amount of spaces you could use and turn-based combat. This is the only Final Fantasy game I have officially beaten. The story charmed me, so it is one of my favorites.
Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings
System: Nintendo DS
Release date: April 26, 2007
I loved the characters of this game. Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift introduced Vaan and Penelo to me. What was super fun about this game was that you could summon monsters to fight for you. As the game progressed, more monsters became available to summon. You could even summon really strong monsters. The playable characters could also fight. I remember using the stylus a lot with this game. The combat was really hard eventually, so as a kid I ended up giving up. I wonder if I played it now, if I would be able to get through it? Another thing that was great was that Vaan had an airship! I loved that setting.
Final Fantasy XIII
System: Xbox 360
Release date: December 17, 2009
This one is my favorite, though I didn’t play it as a kid. Instead, I watched my dad played it. I was excited by how the main characters were cursed and labeled as enemies of the nation, and had to survive both monsters and the military. All they wanted to do was live like everyone else, but they were constantly hunted. I am playing it with my brother Finch now, and I can’t believe how well the art style and animation have stood the test of time. The storytelling is phenomenal, the characters are so real, and I have fallen in love with this game! It’s not for everyone, but I would totally recommend it to anyone who loves role-playing games!
Conclusion
This is part two of my series of video games that made a mark on my childhood. I intend to make at least two more. I hope you enjoy them! Comment below with a video game that was important to you growing up!
The Queer Schizophrenic 