I’m new to LadiesGamers, so I’m a bit at a loss about what I can say as the rookie. I’ve been a fan of the site for several years, as it quickly became a go-to for niche indie game reviews. My partner and I run a pretty wild gamut of gaming habits, and some of the stuff we like, well, they only get reviewed on sites like this one. Ones that will take the time for small games that probably won’t break out, like Vampire Survivors (oh, but I do love that game) or To the Moon.
LadiesGamers Retrospective
I’m a long-time player, though. I started with things like the Atari 2600 and the Intellivision, but when it comes to genre, my first love was the dungeon crawler. Not just RPGs but action games. Those crunchy, old-school, hard-as-nails games that apply total gameovers liberally. I cut my teeth on a fun old game called Legacy of the Ancients, butted through all three Bard’s Tales, and spent my teens on the Gold Box Dungeons & Dragons computer games. Just hours of staring at gridded maps and rolling characters.
Anyway, I wouldn’t be diagnosed with ADHD for several decades. Looking back, it was… it was pretty obvious. It’s probably obvious reading this. Sorry about that.
Oooh! Shiny!
So now, I’m a middle-aged woman looking for more crawlers because, while my ADHD is managed, dang I still love hyperfocusing on a good adventure. That left me delighted to review the Legend of Legacy HD Remaster for the site, a niche game for niche people, of which I am very much one of them. It’s risky to fall into too much nostalgia, but still, there’s nothing like a crunchy old-school game. See also my hour count in Dragon’s Dogma 2. (It’s really high)
There are, unfortunately, very few pure Wizardry-style dungeon crawlers that are wholesome enough for prime time here; however, let me shout out to Potato Flowers in Full Bloom and maybe ask Yvonne if I can do a heavily belated review of that cutie for you all sometime.
Fortunately, I also love chill farm sims, puzzle games, roguelikes, and wacky experiments. I’m trying to pull together time to really focus on my 1.6 Stardew Valley playthrough, but there’s been a lot going on in real life here, as I’m sure there’s been a lot going on in real life for all of you reading this.
This Is What Matters
I think that leads to one of the most important aspects of gaming, to be honest. Not only is gaming another form of escapism from a busy, troubled day, but it also hands back a feeling of control. In a game, things are happening in a way you can understand and maybe work to improve. In a game, you can decide when you’ve had enough of what’s going on around you. In a game, you can try again.
I mean, you often can in life, too. But it’s a lot scarier out there, isn’t it? And it’s a lot harder to pet a cartoon cow. For what it’s worth, I understand how important it is to use stories and our control over them to help us handle our real lives. I went through a long period of agoraphobia after high school, and I’m not kidding when I say video games helped me to re-socialize myself. Playing fictional characters made my fears into issues I could put at arm’s reach, and eventually, some games I loved so much that I pushed myself out to visit conventions and meet real-life friends.
Heck, Chrono Cross led to my marriage.
That’s not a joke; that’s a thing that happened to me. Yes, we both agree that Chrono Trigger is the better game. Of course, it is. But dang, if I’m still not romantic about that Radiant Dreamers theme. Today, we’re still gaming together. I hope gaming can bring something like that to your life, too.
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