(Saw this question asked on another popular link aggregation website and it got me thinking)
If you could play one game for the first time all over again, what would you choose? This might be because you want to do it all again, or because you don’t think you got enough out of it the first time. It could be experiencing the game exactly as you were back then, or experiencing a game with what you know now.
For me, it’s Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past, experienced exactly as I was back in 1991.
Nothing comes close to how jaw-droppingly amazed I was by that opening sequence. The epic orchestral score, the cinematic rainstorm, creeping around in the dark… it was a generational leap above anything I’d played on 8-bit computers and consoles, and even the Megadrive. I’d love to play it again without thirty plus years of Nintendo/Zelda knowledge, or without knowing about the dark world.
The Outer Wilds.
A game you can only play once and that one time is magical.
I was going to say outer wilds too, what an amazing experience.
I came in to type just this. One of the best games ever made!
Played about 2 hours of it and uninstalled. It was incredibly boring. Why do you think it was magical?
Spoilers. ❤️
But seriously, maybe it just didn't work for you and that's okay. Nothing is everything to everyone.
It took me about two or three hours to learn to navigate and find my first "magical thing". When I did I was hooked. But yeah it can be slow to start.
Half life or Half life 2.
Seconded.
Portal 1 / 2 wouldn't be far behind
Secret of Monkey Island. Like most adventure games you can only really play it once. It'd be nice to enjoy it again.
Day of the tentacle, Sam and max, Simon the sorcerer, all the classics
Windwaker.
Don't think its considered retro yet, but I wish I could forget every second of it I played. The complete emotional Rollercoaster I went through playing that game was incredible.
One of the few games where I really felt like I was the "super important protagonist" and the world really depended on me.
It's 20 years old… if Windwaker isn't considered retro now, then Atari 2600 games weren't considered retro in 1997 :)
Oh shit
Hah. You're old.
I mean I am too but…you.
Disco Elysium
The sheer joy of realising it's not "just another" RPG, slowly pulling the curtain on how intricate the worldbuilding is, discovering the main character and in turn reflecting on yourself. It's become a small addiction to watch first time streamers and let's players for me, to vicariously relive that process.
Another candidate might be Ultima 7, the interactivity and how "real" it felt in the 90s was mindblowing for kid me.
It might be relatively new, but I'd say Subnautica.
It was such a breath of fresh air when it came out, and instilled both such a sense of wonder at all the vibrant lifeforms of 4546B and also instilling such dread upon encountering reapers or diving deeper than ever before. I still remember the mixed sense of wonder and unease upon discovering the Jellyshroom caves for the first time
I guess I am very picky in games and most of them are boring to me, but Subnautica (first game) has a special place in my heart. <3
OUTER WILDS.
It's a fantastic exploration game if you go in blind and I wish I could forget it all and explore it all again.
Yeah, it really was amazing to play blind. We especially enjoyed the DLC… when we first realised what it was all about, it nearly blew our minds!
Yeah, I've never wtf'd so hard in a game as when I entered the thing and left the other thing in the DLC.
That game was so well done and thought through.
What’s sad is that I know I will forget the lore and the journey on how I figured out how I got to the end. But I don’t think I’ll forget the specifics for the ending.
I'm shocked that this isn't everyone's answer tbh lol
Those are the people that haven't played it yet.
I got it in my library and only played for 10 minutes somehow. After reading als those comments maybe now it's time to play it
Mass effect 2
Maybe Stardew Valley? I found that very enjoyable.
Final Fantasy VII
I went straight on from super Nintendo to this. You can imagine he level of amazement I got.
I picked it up blind after getting carried away in the magazine hype and excitement. I'd not played any FF games before that… man, that was quite an experience!
Easily Majora’s Mask
Edit: upon further speculation, Final Fantasy X is tied
Oblivion. I liked Skyrim but Oblivion quests were so much better
I didn't like shutting down the gates which felt like the same thing over and over. But mostly it was awesome, especially the Grey Fox quests.
Dark Souls.
But I suck and this time I don't get sucked into the entire series. That oughta save me some time and money.
If I had to take a Retro game, Chrono Trigger for sure.
Considered Dark Souls… but, honestly, the first time I played it, I hated it. And every successive playthrough, I've loved it more and more. Playing it for the first time would feel like a step back.
Earthbound. Even on my subsequent yearly-ish playthroughs, it's so easy to get immersed into the beautiful quirkiness of the world.
Nier Automata. Every thing about the game is amazing, but would love to experience the endings and heart wrenching moments again for the first time.
Have you played Nier Replicant? It's not as good of a game as Automata, but I think the the story is better. Getting all the endings is a bit repetitive since you have to replay a chunk with small changes, but it all pays off with ending E, which was added in the remaster. (ver.1.22474487139)
