This season, I have played three games that have proved to be excellent portable experiences. They have gotten me through the airport, through seemingly endless family gatherings, and through the hours spent at the homes of relatives who have no internet (or who cannot find their passwords). These games are:
1) Child of Light
Although Child of Light is clearly modeled on JRPGs, it does not match them in length. (If we're being honest, it doesn't match them in depth, either.) But the short length of the game and its frequent chapter breaks make it manageable while on a long family visit. You can definitely knock out a significant chunk of the game whenever you break free of the family maelstrom. I'm on chapter eight out of ten, and I haven't needed to put in an exorbitant amount of time.
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| Aurora from Child of Light (Image taken from childoflight.wikia.com) |
Unfortunately, Child of Light does not offer manual saves. But it does autosave every time I adjust my characters' skill points and oculi. Even when I've had to suddenly quit because family responsibilities called, I've never lost too much progress, and it was easy to pick up where I left off. This may be the most portable RPG I have ever played.
2) Animal Crossing: New Leaf
Animal Crossing is one of those games that I come back to every few months, and it's the first life sim I've ever truly enjoyed. I'm not committed enough to visit my town every single day… but I might return during a specific season to try and catch an elusive fish. My interest in Animal Crossing tends to spike around the holidays. I think it's because this game is perfect to pick up and play when surrounded by family. Even when you can't play for long, you can get something accomplished, whether it's digging up fossils or solidifying relationships with your neighbors. Animal Crossing also doesn't consume too much mental desk space. If a relative walks into the room while I'm playing and starts talking to me, I can welcome the distraction without having problems more serious than scaring off a bug or losing a fish on my line. Animal Crossing is also cute, so I never feel awkward when my grandma asks what I'm playing.
3) Theatrhythm Final Fantasy
My most beloved game of this holiday season is definitely Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, a rhythm game based on music from the Final Fantasy series. I received it as an early Christmas gift, and I've been crazy about it ever since. I loathe being stuck in airports, but this game made the time fly by so fast that I barely noticed. This magic seems to result from the fact that Theatrhythm is highly absorbing, but you focus on perfecting individual songs or sets of songs rather than on a deep storyline. Even if you have to stop suddenly because it's time to board the plane, you aren't going to be quitting in the middle of a complicated quest.
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| So cute! So addictive! (Image taken from gameinformer.com) |
The game is also extra appealing to me because, as a lifelong Final Fantasy player, I have fond memories of a lot of the music and characters. Back in the day, my brother and I rented FFVI from Blockbuster so often that I'm surprised we never just went out and bought it. And I won't lie, I got a little misty when I heard "Aerith's Theme" from FFVII for the first time in many years. It's been fun during the Christmas season to relive some of my fondest childhood memories, many of which center on gaming.
I'm almost looking forward to playing my way through another day of air travel tomorrow.
Almost.
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