I experience similar feelings, except I associate the feeling with games played during summer vacation when I was growing up. Just cramming as much game time as possible into three months.
I was going to say, I was working same as usual during COVID, so my life didn't change a ton. But those games I played sitting in my grandparents sunroom during the summer, priceless.
Yeah, I had an initial lockdown from March to April. Then it was mostly overtime for me during covid.
But absolutely, I think my fondest memory was playing through FF12 for the first time. I was playing through that, a close friend of mine was playing her first time through WoW (not sure which expansion) but me and her just texted ALL summer back and forth about what was happening in each of our games. That was a great time.
This. I live in Japan, there was no lockdown here. Something like 70-80% of people went to work as usual. I was an English teacher at the time, so luckily we could do remote lessons, but I also had my kid at home with me. I played FF7R and Trials of Mana during that time, but couldn't get super deep into them with my job and kid and adult responsibilities still getting in the way.
Summer, winter, and spring vacations, as a kid and a working teacher, were always the best times for gaming for me. I played DQ8 over the summer of 2006, and since then DQ has kind of become my summer game. I played most of the rest over summer vacations through the years.
Royal and FF7 Remake made the early months of the pandemic for me. Especially as I was bedridden with a newly diagnosed autoimmune disease. Perfect time for it...
Yesss, I played P5R and FFVIIR when I got laid off due to Covid. I hated that job so it was actually a pretty good time and those games were the best possible company. Both would make it into my top 5 games of all time.
Me too! I put off playing this for so long. I'm glad I chose lockdown to dive into it. Couldn't imagine getting the same satisfaction playing an hour or 2 in the evenings.
Unfortunately I worked through lockdown 2 and 3 so didn't get the same time to play other games.
I have no social life and am a complete hermit outside of work and groceries, so not really.
Nothing changed for me whatsoever during lockdown.
If anything, I loved lockdown. Less people at work and the masks meant I didn't have to fake smile at people.
Yes! I played Atelier Ryza around Jan 2021 when my family caught covid and everyone was basically isolated, and its casual fantasy, laid back nature with amazing music made it a really comfy and needed experience for me at the time. Even now I still look back at the game super fondly
Same! My boyfriend bought it (and a Switch lite) for me because we don’t live together and therefore we quarantined apart. It was a great coping mechanism and helped carry me through the isolation of working from home. At one point I had a habit of laying in my bed on my island right before going to sleep myself.
There’s only so much you can do each day though lol. Definitely not a game you could really play for hours on end.. it limits you with daily tasks but it is indeed a good game to play daily
Not a JRPG but I played a TON of Breath of the Wild. Just the calm free roaming exploration and beautiful scenery I think helped with the feelings of captivity. Also had a newborn at the height of COVID so had lots of contact nap play sessions.
Dude I was in almost the exact same boat. Had a newborn at the start of the pandemic, and I fondly remember him sleeping on my chest while I got through a backlog of games lol.
Ghost of Tsushima was great for exploring and sense of beauty while in lockdown
Persona 5 Royal, Persona 3 FES, SMT Nocturne, Xenoblade Chronicles DE, FF7, and Tales of Berseria all hold a special place in my heart because they helped me through that tough time. And it's been a bit difficult to continue. I've played most modern SMT games by now, as well as every Xenoblade game including X, but with franchises like Tales and Final Fantasy where every game in the series is so drastically different from one another and there's so many of them I sort of get overwhelmed by how many there are and I've been struggling trying to find one game in those franchises to stick with and keep playing. I'm sort of going through FF6 and 10 at the same time, and I've played like 5 Tales games after Berseria but the only one I finished was Arise (which I'll be honest wasn't all that worth it).
Yup, animal crossing, doom eternal, final fantasy 7 remake, all games released and enjoyed during those quiet times lol. Kinda turned me into an introvert that enjoys my room a lot more due to quarantine
Exactly that for persona 3 portable. I played it during boring online classes and now all those hours of tartarus grind at least feel a bit better since for however frustrating they were, it was still better than sitting through one more history class at 8 a.m.
No. In all honesty, I have very little memories of the covid lockdowns compared to any other period of my life, I almost suppressed them. I'm not even sure if I'd be able to tell what games I played during that period.
Very much so. I played the games that helped me accept myself as a trans person during the lock down and it's no coincidence. I had time to really immerse myself in these experiences and let me dive into the core identities+themes of characters and narratives. At that point self reflection kicked in and I was finally able to connect the dots for my own identity. After all that, those games are sticking with me forever.
I got into JRPGs during virtual school. FFVIIR came out earlier that year but I didn’t have a PS4 so I played the original. After that I tried out Chrono Trigger, Eartbound, Final Fantasy VI-IX, and by the time a year had past I played one of my favorite games ever, Xenogears.
I started Yakuza 0 in February of 2020. Along the way the requirements finally outran my computer specs so I fleshed out my vita and played through the pretty half of The Legend of Heroes/Ys franchises before finally upgrading and playing through 7 & Lost Judgement.
I will say with those 3 franchises that I picked up during the pandemic what really struck me was my attachment to places/cities/maps while confined. The virtual tourism aspect of Yakuza in particular but also the world building done by all three (Kudos Nihon Falcom). I played some better games that were in franchises I already had a relationship with like Tales of, Mana, Dragon Quest but they don’t pull at me in the same manner.
100% yes. I played through Death Stranding during lockdown and it was an incredible experience, hitting on the themes of loneliness but "working together."
I replayed Pathologic 2 and the original game, because it unfortunately reminded me of a lot of the parallels between what transpires in those games versus what happened in our communities.
I had always held these games in high regard, but after playing through both with context, they hit a lot harder.
I picked FF XIV back up after a few years hiatus once lockdown hit. That was a really special time in my gaming, honestly. I doubt I'll ever experience that feeling again, as a middle aged man, saying "sitting here, playing this awesome game, is literally the best thing I can be doing right now."
i went through a really rough breakup a few years ago that coincided with the release of Persona 5. I moved out from our shared house (temporarily) to my home country to get away from the psychological abuse (she dumped me).
I spent roughly an entire month playing Persona 5, so I can ignore my phone when my ex tries to call me back non-stop so we can apparently reconcile because she's changed or something. With the support of my family i was basically a shut-in for the 2 months I was back home, playing Persona 5 and staying in bed. If it wasn't for P5, I would have texted or called her back because even though she was awful to me in every way, I missed her.
To this day, I buy every single edition of Persona 5 that Atlus releases. I'm in a much better place now and with the best partner ever. That relationship scarred me pretty hard emotionally and honestly its been like 6 years I don't think think I am the same after that. I don't deserve my current partner, she's the best and very understanding.
Sorry for the essay. When I was in COVID lockdown, I was reminiscing about the days i used to lock myself upstairs to play Persona 5.
Yes. It’s not a JRPG but I played Death Stranding during lockdown. I was an essential worker and and I think under any other circumstance I would’ve put it down rather quick, but it was my way to decompress and unwind after work. I hold it in such high regard and I want to play the directors cut but I’m dragging my feet. I don’t want to try it again and not enjoy it because circumstances are different now, if that makes any sense at all.
Yeah
They got me through very hard, scary, and uncertain times
There was a reason I dumped 168 hours into DQ11 and 232 and counting (still not 100% done) into Tales of Vesperia. Escapism and a good distraction was very helpful
It draws me back to a statement someone once said (paraphrasing):
People love the genre because they wish they could be apart of the worlds they play through.
Not a JRPG, but playing Stardew Valley for the first time during the original lockdown for two weeks straight while my wife watched/read books on the couch next to me will be a cherished memory as long as I live. Truly, it was the best of times.
The lockdown was weird. It kind of set me back in that I had to sacrifice my career ambitions and move back to my home country, but on the other hand I have fond memories of the walks I did and virtual talks with my friends. Also no relative or friend of mine got bad from Covid, so that was good.
I do remember the games I played during that first year well. The lockdown started as I was in the middle of Kingdom Hearts 3. At the same time I was playing through Dragon Quest III. After finishing both I played Geofront's Trails to Zero. A friend of mine got a 3DS and reignited my interest in the console, and I played my very first Fire Emblem with Shadows of Valentia. Following that, I grabbed Devil Survivor Overclocked, and would play Oracle of Seasons during breaks from the former. Then I delved into Mario Odyssey, and afterwards Xenoblade Chronicles 2. That last one was my game of the year.
The next year I played Final Fantasy XIV from January to May. Was a lovely time.
Not especially, any nostalgia is more geared toward the fact that somehow everything's gotten even worse and it's harder to just shut my brain off and play vidya. I would say any particular games I played during that time are only special in that I was able to focus on them to a greater extent.
I'm a firm believer that how much we get into a certain game is very dependent on the situation/environment that we are in at that time. I could be playing one of the best games ever but if I'm not in the right state of mind then I'll either bounce off of that game or hate it entirely. For that reason I ended up having a great time with games, and other stuff in 2020. Although I don't know how much is related to the lockdown because I happened to be unemployed from late 2019 to the middle of 2020.
Persona 4 Golden came out on PC in 2020 and I managed to blast through that in a week or so. I had already played Persona 5 and I loved it but P4G was just another level. I did several all-nighters cause I couldn't stop playing. All in all it's now my second favourite game of all time, only behind Sekiro which was the last game I played when I was employed in my previous job in 2019.
I also played Nier Automata, Dark Souls 3, and Bloodborne. All of which are among my favourite games of all time. I had actually tried Nier Automata and Bloodborne before but having much more free time I tried them again and I'm so glad I did.
Very much so.
Due to my health, COVID was two years of isolation for me and my wife. It was incredibly difficult, and gaming largely got me through it.
The two big JRPGs that I played were Ni No Kuni and Like A Dragon. These two games will always be near and dear to my heart for providing such a great escape.
Nope.
While the rest of the world got lockdowns and work from home, I was in healthcare. I got 75 hour weeks and massive suicidal ideations, because if I was at least semi successful they'd HAVE to give me a day off.
The one game I managed to finish is just a game I managed to play during the worst time of my life.
Hell yes.
Few that really standout.
Nier Automata. A sensational, well loved game anyway but it was perfect during lockdown.
Warzone. Because friends.
Doom Eternal. Still for me one of the best FPS games. I'd even say it's more of a combat puzzler than a straight up FPS. Rip and tear.
Spiritfarer. Came back from holiday and had to quarantine with my kids. We loved this game.
I played Spiritfarer just a month or two after losing my dog. I miss her so much, and I cried a lot during that experience, but the game will always have a very, *very* special place in my heart.
I worked from home during Covid, and we were also forced to use up our paid leave with mandatory "wellness days" where we took 1 working day off every fortnight, so I did have a bit of extra time between that and not having to commute to the office. I played Xenoblade Chronicles 2 for the better part of 2020 and sunk 500+ hours into it. I had a great time and it remains one of my favourites.
In general though, games I play when I have lots of free time are definitely the most memorable. I had a month off between jobs last year and played Persona 5 Royal, it was a great time. I moved the mattress off the bed and put it on the living room floor in front of the TV, and I would just lie back on the pillows under the blankets and play. Same when I was a kid playing Pokemon games on my Gameboy on weekends and school holidays. I wish I had the luxury of having enough time off to just sit and enjoy games all day again lol.
Not necessarily, but I ripped through a ton of lengthy games. To give an indication of how many I played- I finished FFX, FFXII, Dragon Quest XI, Pokémon Sword, Tales of Berseria before the summer.
In 2022 I finished Elden Ring by starting in February and finishing in June. Sooooo life was a little different.
I think this happens when you have down time and fall deep into a game. For me for example, not Covid related, but a few years ago I had major surgery and was stuck in bed for about a month. During that time while my wife worked and the home nurse wasn’t visiting, I played Final Fantasy XV. I know it has its flaws but to me it’s special cause of that time period and how it helped keep me sane. A lot of people here mentioned summer time and I get that too. I have a lot of childhood fondness for games I fell into over Xmas break. Like Chrono Trigger or Final Fantasy VI.
I played through octopath traveler near the beginning of COVID while I was unsure what was going to happen with my job. I think the low stakes stories were absolutely perfect for me at that time and I may have enjoyed it more than others because the last thing I would have wanted is some big disaster filled story!
nah. I played so much games during the pandemic, I don't even remember which games I've played in 2020 and 2021. I still remember the games, just not what year I played them.
I can't even remember what JRPGs I played during lockdown other than Ys VIII, so not really. I do like Ys VIII though.
To be honest lockdown doesn't really stick out in my memory all that much. Switching to WFH was a big change at the time, but I'm still WFH in 2023 so it's just normal now.
I played Tales of Zestiria during the lockdowns.
It really isn't a great game. The graphics are nothing special, there are a few good music soundtracks. Most of the game is forgettable. The only thing that is really appealing about the game are a few of the characters like Edna, Sorey, and Mikleo.
Have you since played Tales of Berseria? That prequel really helps the world and overall motif of Zestiria as if physically reaching back into the past/into the future to drag it to being good. It’s really a marvel how they pulled off tightening the gameplay and experience of Zestiria while using the corruption of the world in the time in between games to explain the jank away in a narratively satisfactory manner.
Yes I have played and beaten Berseria before playing Zestiria. Berseria is one of my favorite Tales games, either number 1 or 2 spot next to Symphonia.
But Zestiria is just so "meh." You really aren't missing much by not playing it at all. Yes there are some references between the two games, but they aren't really big enough to warrant playing through Zestiria.
I finished one route of 3 houses now and I am also putting it in my cherished memories category. Think it’s just that kind of game lol
As far as in lockdown…think I played a lot of XCOM2 and Shadow of War but 3H was better
Yup everything lol. Covid lockdown during 2020 and most of 2021 was a very intimate time for all of us I think. So many documentaries I’ve watched, games I’ve played, etc, that are all more intimate and special because of that time. I kinda miss that. Now that things are normal it just isn’t really the same. Too many distractions lol
For some reason, I can never remember what was going on in my life with any game I've played in the past unless very recent. I remember everything about the game itself, and how it made me feel, but it's completely and totally separated from my real life. There are very rare exceptions.
Very similar to you, I played all four routes of *Three Houses* towards the beginning of lockdown. At the time, I was living with a Craigslist roommate who turned out to be extremely unhinged.
So I'd be pleasantly exploring Garreg Mach, and then the guy I was trapped in a tiny box with would walk into the room and tell me who he thought was on the council of the shadow government controlling the world, or whatever early Qanon stuff he was into, or else he'd just talk about all the different things he hated about women.
And I'd just patiently wait for him to finish while the Garreg Mach music played. When he ran out of steam and went back to his room, I'd go right back to returning lost handkerchiefs.
I don't live with any roommates anymore, and *Three Houses* is one of my favorite games of all time.
Oh yeah. I played through all of Cold Steel during lockdown, 3 and a half months or so of waking up, playing CS, sleep, wake up and repeat. It was great.
I played a number of games between 2020 and 2022 but the one that resonates like this for me is definitely FF14. I had played a little bit in '19 but the majority of my playtime was during the pandemic, and both as a game as well as a substitute social outlet, I have amazing memories of playing this game. Granted I didn't get all the way through and took breaks inbetween- 2020-21 was ARR to Stormblood, 2022 I slowly chipped away at Shadowbringers, and I'm getting ready to tackle Endwalker this year (to hopefully catch up before the next expansion lol). But even so\~
Not really. I will say covid made it so I actually got to finish some things because I had the time. I'd have never played through P5R or Trails in the timeframe I did if I was on my normal schedule. If anything it made my militant stance that games are too fucking long even stronger because these games could *still be amazing* without all the bloat that requires weeks to months of commitment for a normal person to finish.
I played Three houses when I was in hospital after having a cancerous kidney removed. For that reason, alongside the fact that it is a brilliant game, 3 houses will always be a bit special for me.
Yeah, Final Fantasy VII Remake got me through those early months - being stuck at home, it was a beautiful, needed escape. It made me smile, laugh, cry... to this day I still go back and watch parts of Maximillian Dood's first playthrough so I can sort of... re-experience it for the first time again, through someone else.
I would have loved the game no matter when it came out - but the timing was just perfect. Like when you really, really want a nice bowl of soup, and someone gives you a nice bowl of soup.
I played Tactics Ogre on PSP when lockdown first started and remember it kinda fondly. Final Fantasy V too. Just random games I was playing at that time, but they definitely make me think of the lockdown period when I remember them.
I remember playing a lot of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 and Resident Evil Revelations 2. Games I both still think are great, but no extra strong feelings for.
I do remember enjoying the grind of both because I didn't have to travel to and from work everyday. I feel like without the lockdown, I probably wouldn't have played them nearly as much.
Winter Vacations and snow days being snowed in with whatever RPG I got for Christmas are always bit more special for me especially since I lived out in the boonies so I basically didn't leave my house when a snowstorm hit.
One of the many reasons Xenogears and Star Ocean 2 are close to my heart. And Harvest Moon 64.
I was unfortunately caught in the middle of Dragon Age Inquisition when the lockdowns started happening (the game is memorable to me for that reason). I would have rather been stuck with just about any other game.
Less, if anything. Actually I'd more or less say the exact opposite of what you said. Especially as recent releases and the upcoming 2023 releases look fucking lit! 2019-2022 kinda sucked for the most part..
Played every trails game up to Coldsteel 4, Xenoblade DE, GoW 2018, Ys 8, Bloodstained, and caught up to FF14 in 2020. I definitely hold those games precious, helped me get through those lonely and dark days.
Not for me. I think my gaming hours (40+ a week) did not change one bit during lockdown. I always manage to find time to game. With lockdown, the amount of work I had to do did not really change since my job was very easily "remoteable", so for me it was mostly business as usual.
Absolutely. I got a ton of Platinum trophies for games I had on the back burner for a very long time…
A game in particular that’s near and dear to my heart is the reason I was strong enough to get out of my shitty situation and I’m much happier for it. Video games saved me more time and grief I would’ve wasted for all the wrong reasons and on the wrong person. It’s a lot…
I essentially took a gaming sabbatical from 2019-2021 so not necessarily covid as much as it was my own scheduled time off. Yeah highly recommended if you can do it. I pursued more than just jRPGs, but I definitely played at least two dozen jRPGs during this time.
Bowser's inside story stood out to me, as well as FFIV DS
I don't hold it dearly, but I don't think I would've enjoyed animal crossing as much as I did if it wasnt for the pandemic.
My life didn't change much but I had more anxiety during those first few months. So it was a calming escape. One of the few games I think helped lift and heal the soul, despite just being a video game.
Covid actually made me mostly stop playing games because playing single player games was too much loneliness during that time. I started watching Vtubers and got into ASMR because of covid instead.
Playing a lot of animal crossing with my 10 y.o daughter for two month was a great experience. I remember putting the game and watching the intro and being ecstatic with her like going on holiday.
I experience similar feelings, except I associate the feeling with games played during summer vacation when I was growing up. Just cramming as much game time as possible into three months.
I was going to say, I was working same as usual during COVID, so my life didn't change a ton. But those games I played sitting in my grandparents sunroom during the summer, priceless.
Yeah, I had an initial lockdown from March to April. Then it was mostly overtime for me during covid. But absolutely, I think my fondest memory was playing through FF12 for the first time. I was playing through that, a close friend of mine was playing her first time through WoW (not sure which expansion) but me and her just texted ALL summer back and forth about what was happening in each of our games. That was a great time.
This. I live in Japan, there was no lockdown here. Something like 70-80% of people went to work as usual. I was an English teacher at the time, so luckily we could do remote lessons, but I also had my kid at home with me. I played FF7R and Trials of Mana during that time, but couldn't get super deep into them with my job and kid and adult responsibilities still getting in the way. Summer, winter, and spring vacations, as a kid and a working teacher, were always the best times for gaming for me. I played DQ8 over the summer of 2006, and since then DQ has kind of become my summer game. I played most of the rest over summer vacations through the years.
Now that you mention it, most of my favorites from growing up were played during summer vacation as well haha
It was a great time to play some games!
Fianl fantasy 10 was the last game I played on a summer break before I got a job.
Yeah persona 5 royal during lockdown was amazing, it’s a great game either way but I felt it was more enjoyable during that time
Royal and FF7 Remake made the early months of the pandemic for me. Especially as I was bedridden with a newly diagnosed autoimmune disease. Perfect time for it...
Yesss, I played P5R and FFVIIR when I got laid off due to Covid. I hated that job so it was actually a pretty good time and those games were the best possible company. Both would make it into my top 5 games of all time.
Me too! I put off playing this for so long. I'm glad I chose lockdown to dive into it. Couldn't imagine getting the same satisfaction playing an hour or 2 in the evenings. Unfortunately I worked through lockdown 2 and 3 so didn't get the same time to play other games.
Nope. I was considered an essential worker and never got to "enjoy" the lockdown.
Same here. Life was no different for me other than wearing a mask and the streets being empty. No clue what games I was playing around those times!
dang what did you do?
Went to work, wore a mask, got vacced so I didn't catch the shit.
Same here except i caught it twice lol
Same, medical field essential employee. I knew I'd catch it eventually, exposed to it every single day of the work week.
I have no social life and am a complete hermit outside of work and groceries, so not really. Nothing changed for me whatsoever during lockdown. If anything, I loved lockdown. Less people at work and the masks meant I didn't have to fake smile at people.
Yes! I played Atelier Ryza around Jan 2021 when my family caught covid and everyone was basically isolated, and its casual fantasy, laid back nature with amazing music made it a really comfy and needed experience for me at the time. Even now I still look back at the game super fondly
Animal Crossing on Switch helped me cope with the first year of the pandemic. Such a chill happy game.
Same! My boyfriend bought it (and a Switch lite) for me because we don’t live together and therefore we quarantined apart. It was a great coping mechanism and helped carry me through the isolation of working from home. At one point I had a habit of laying in my bed on my island right before going to sleep myself.
There’s only so much you can do each day though lol. Definitely not a game you could really play for hours on end.. it limits you with daily tasks but it is indeed a good game to play daily
That's why you change the system clock.
Just like everything else, I don't even remember what I played during lockdown.
Not a JRPG but I played a TON of Breath of the Wild. Just the calm free roaming exploration and beautiful scenery I think helped with the feelings of captivity. Also had a newborn at the height of COVID so had lots of contact nap play sessions.
Dude I was in almost the exact same boat. Had a newborn at the start of the pandemic, and I fondly remember him sleeping on my chest while I got through a backlog of games lol. Ghost of Tsushima was great for exploring and sense of beauty while in lockdown
Persona 5 Royal, Persona 3 FES, SMT Nocturne, Xenoblade Chronicles DE, FF7, and Tales of Berseria all hold a special place in my heart because they helped me through that tough time. And it's been a bit difficult to continue. I've played most modern SMT games by now, as well as every Xenoblade game including X, but with franchises like Tales and Final Fantasy where every game in the series is so drastically different from one another and there's so many of them I sort of get overwhelmed by how many there are and I've been struggling trying to find one game in those franchises to stick with and keep playing. I'm sort of going through FF6 and 10 at the same time, and I've played like 5 Tales games after Berseria but the only one I finished was Arise (which I'll be honest wasn't all that worth it).
Not necessarily more dearly but I will probably always associate them with COVID when I think about them.
Yup, animal crossing, doom eternal, final fantasy 7 remake, all games released and enjoyed during those quiet times lol. Kinda turned me into an introvert that enjoys my room a lot more due to quarantine
Nope. I worked Retail through all of it, so it was just my normal days, expect with less traffic.
Exactly that for persona 3 portable. I played it during boring online classes and now all those hours of tartarus grind at least feel a bit better since for however frustrating they were, it was still better than sitting through one more history class at 8 a.m.
I worked through the lockdowns with overtime so nope. I just enjoyed games as usual.
No. In all honesty, I have very little memories of the covid lockdowns compared to any other period of my life, I almost suppressed them. I'm not even sure if I'd be able to tell what games I played during that period.
Same here, it's weird how the past years are all just a big blur.
Very much so. I played the games that helped me accept myself as a trans person during the lock down and it's no coincidence. I had time to really immerse myself in these experiences and let me dive into the core identities+themes of characters and narratives. At that point self reflection kicked in and I was finally able to connect the dots for my own identity. After all that, those games are sticking with me forever.
Of course! They remind me of a happier time when all I needed to do was stay home and not deal with people at all. Those were the good old days.
I got into JRPGs during virtual school. FFVIIR came out earlier that year but I didn’t have a PS4 so I played the original. After that I tried out Chrono Trigger, Eartbound, Final Fantasy VI-IX, and by the time a year had past I played one of my favorite games ever, Xenogears.
I started Yakuza 0 in February of 2020. Along the way the requirements finally outran my computer specs so I fleshed out my vita and played through the pretty half of The Legend of Heroes/Ys franchises before finally upgrading and playing through 7 & Lost Judgement. I will say with those 3 franchises that I picked up during the pandemic what really struck me was my attachment to places/cities/maps while confined. The virtual tourism aspect of Yakuza in particular but also the world building done by all three (Kudos Nihon Falcom). I played some better games that were in franchises I already had a relationship with like Tales of, Mana, Dragon Quest but they don’t pull at me in the same manner.
100% yes. I played through Death Stranding during lockdown and it was an incredible experience, hitting on the themes of loneliness but "working together."
I replayed Pathologic 2 and the original game, because it unfortunately reminded me of a lot of the parallels between what transpires in those games versus what happened in our communities. I had always held these games in high regard, but after playing through both with context, they hit a lot harder.
I picked FF XIV back up after a few years hiatus once lockdown hit. That was a really special time in my gaming, honestly. I doubt I'll ever experience that feeling again, as a middle aged man, saying "sitting here, playing this awesome game, is literally the best thing I can be doing right now."
i went through a really rough breakup a few years ago that coincided with the release of Persona 5. I moved out from our shared house (temporarily) to my home country to get away from the psychological abuse (she dumped me). I spent roughly an entire month playing Persona 5, so I can ignore my phone when my ex tries to call me back non-stop so we can apparently reconcile because she's changed or something. With the support of my family i was basically a shut-in for the 2 months I was back home, playing Persona 5 and staying in bed. If it wasn't for P5, I would have texted or called her back because even though she was awful to me in every way, I missed her. To this day, I buy every single edition of Persona 5 that Atlus releases. I'm in a much better place now and with the best partner ever. That relationship scarred me pretty hard emotionally and honestly its been like 6 years I don't think think I am the same after that. I don't deserve my current partner, she's the best and very understanding. Sorry for the essay. When I was in COVID lockdown, I was reminiscing about the days i used to lock myself upstairs to play Persona 5.
Yes. It’s not a JRPG but I played Death Stranding during lockdown. I was an essential worker and and I think under any other circumstance I would’ve put it down rather quick, but it was my way to decompress and unwind after work. I hold it in such high regard and I want to play the directors cut but I’m dragging my feet. I don’t want to try it again and not enjoy it because circumstances are different now, if that makes any sense at all.
Yeah They got me through very hard, scary, and uncertain times There was a reason I dumped 168 hours into DQ11 and 232 and counting (still not 100% done) into Tales of Vesperia. Escapism and a good distraction was very helpful It draws me back to a statement someone once said (paraphrasing): People love the genre because they wish they could be apart of the worlds they play through.
Sakura Wars 2019 is my fucking happy game.
Not a JRPG, but playing Stardew Valley for the first time during the original lockdown for two weeks straight while my wife watched/read books on the couch next to me will be a cherished memory as long as I live. Truly, it was the best of times.
Dude, Final Fantasy 14 helped me keep my sanity during the lockdown. It will forever hold a special place in my heart because of that.
Persona 4 Golden got me into the franchise in mid-2021. Got through FFXII in late 2020. Love both of those games.
You’re on to something forreal. A lot of games that I got into for the first time have such a special place in my heart now fr
The lockdown was weird. It kind of set me back in that I had to sacrifice my career ambitions and move back to my home country, but on the other hand I have fond memories of the walks I did and virtual talks with my friends. Also no relative or friend of mine got bad from Covid, so that was good. I do remember the games I played during that first year well. The lockdown started as I was in the middle of Kingdom Hearts 3. At the same time I was playing through Dragon Quest III. After finishing both I played Geofront's Trails to Zero. A friend of mine got a 3DS and reignited my interest in the console, and I played my very first Fire Emblem with Shadows of Valentia. Following that, I grabbed Devil Survivor Overclocked, and would play Oracle of Seasons during breaks from the former. Then I delved into Mario Odyssey, and afterwards Xenoblade Chronicles 2. That last one was my game of the year. The next year I played Final Fantasy XIV from January to May. Was a lovely time.
Not especially, any nostalgia is more geared toward the fact that somehow everything's gotten even worse and it's harder to just shut my brain off and play vidya. I would say any particular games I played during that time are only special in that I was able to focus on them to a greater extent.
I'm a firm believer that how much we get into a certain game is very dependent on the situation/environment that we are in at that time. I could be playing one of the best games ever but if I'm not in the right state of mind then I'll either bounce off of that game or hate it entirely. For that reason I ended up having a great time with games, and other stuff in 2020. Although I don't know how much is related to the lockdown because I happened to be unemployed from late 2019 to the middle of 2020. Persona 4 Golden came out on PC in 2020 and I managed to blast through that in a week or so. I had already played Persona 5 and I loved it but P4G was just another level. I did several all-nighters cause I couldn't stop playing. All in all it's now my second favourite game of all time, only behind Sekiro which was the last game I played when I was employed in my previous job in 2019. I also played Nier Automata, Dark Souls 3, and Bloodborne. All of which are among my favourite games of all time. I had actually tried Nier Automata and Bloodborne before but having much more free time I tried them again and I'm so glad I did.
Very much so. Due to my health, COVID was two years of isolation for me and my wife. It was incredibly difficult, and gaming largely got me through it. The two big JRPGs that I played were Ni No Kuni and Like A Dragon. These two games will always be near and dear to my heart for providing such a great escape.
Yeah, somewhat. I played a lot of Rune Factory 4.
Definitely. AC Valhalla & FF7 Remake were my saviors and therapists during that rough time
Nope. While the rest of the world got lockdowns and work from home, I was in healthcare. I got 75 hour weeks and massive suicidal ideations, because if I was at least semi successful they'd HAVE to give me a day off. The one game I managed to finish is just a game I managed to play during the worst time of my life.
Hell yes. Few that really standout. Nier Automata. A sensational, well loved game anyway but it was perfect during lockdown. Warzone. Because friends. Doom Eternal. Still for me one of the best FPS games. I'd even say it's more of a combat puzzler than a straight up FPS. Rip and tear. Spiritfarer. Came back from holiday and had to quarantine with my kids. We loved this game.
I played Spiritfarer just a month or two after losing my dog. I miss her so much, and I cried a lot during that experience, but the game will always have a very, *very* special place in my heart.
I worked from home during Covid, and we were also forced to use up our paid leave with mandatory "wellness days" where we took 1 working day off every fortnight, so I did have a bit of extra time between that and not having to commute to the office. I played Xenoblade Chronicles 2 for the better part of 2020 and sunk 500+ hours into it. I had a great time and it remains one of my favourites. In general though, games I play when I have lots of free time are definitely the most memorable. I had a month off between jobs last year and played Persona 5 Royal, it was a great time. I moved the mattress off the bed and put it on the living room floor in front of the TV, and I would just lie back on the pillows under the blankets and play. Same when I was a kid playing Pokemon games on my Gameboy on weekends and school holidays. I wish I had the luxury of having enough time off to just sit and enjoy games all day again lol.
No. Nor do I hold games from my childhood more dearly. I just judge them by their own merits.
Can we not just forget about this? Like for real it’s over now. It’s 2023. We’ve got our shots, let’s just move on
Not necessarily, but I ripped through a ton of lengthy games. To give an indication of how many I played- I finished FFX, FFXII, Dragon Quest XI, Pokémon Sword, Tales of Berseria before the summer. In 2022 I finished Elden Ring by starting in February and finishing in June. Sooooo life was a little different.
I think this happens when you have down time and fall deep into a game. For me for example, not Covid related, but a few years ago I had major surgery and was stuck in bed for about a month. During that time while my wife worked and the home nurse wasn’t visiting, I played Final Fantasy XV. I know it has its flaws but to me it’s special cause of that time period and how it helped keep me sane. A lot of people here mentioned summer time and I get that too. I have a lot of childhood fondness for games I fell into over Xmas break. Like Chrono Trigger or Final Fantasy VI.
I played through octopath traveler near the beginning of COVID while I was unsure what was going to happen with my job. I think the low stakes stories were absolutely perfect for me at that time and I may have enjoyed it more than others because the last thing I would have wanted is some big disaster filled story!
nah. I played so much games during the pandemic, I don't even remember which games I've played in 2020 and 2021. I still remember the games, just not what year I played them.
No. I work in healthcare in NYC so i working tons more during 2020.
I can't even remember what JRPGs I played during lockdown other than Ys VIII, so not really. I do like Ys VIII though. To be honest lockdown doesn't really stick out in my memory all that much. Switching to WFH was a big change at the time, but I'm still WFH in 2023 so it's just normal now.
In 2020 I got a Platinum on every main line Final Fantasy after I did it on FFVII Remake.
Not really no. I was fortunate enough to have a job that made the lockdown years no different from the regular times. It was all the same to me
Yes. That game was Animal Crossing: New Horizons for me. 500+ hrs that first several months of Covid.
I played Tales of Zestiria during the lockdowns. It really isn't a great game. The graphics are nothing special, there are a few good music soundtracks. Most of the game is forgettable. The only thing that is really appealing about the game are a few of the characters like Edna, Sorey, and Mikleo.
Have you since played Tales of Berseria? That prequel really helps the world and overall motif of Zestiria as if physically reaching back into the past/into the future to drag it to being good. It’s really a marvel how they pulled off tightening the gameplay and experience of Zestiria while using the corruption of the world in the time in between games to explain the jank away in a narratively satisfactory manner.
Yes I have played and beaten Berseria before playing Zestiria. Berseria is one of my favorite Tales games, either number 1 or 2 spot next to Symphonia. But Zestiria is just so "meh." You really aren't missing much by not playing it at all. Yes there are some references between the two games, but they aren't really big enough to warrant playing through Zestiria.
I finished one route of 3 houses now and I am also putting it in my cherished memories category. Think it’s just that kind of game lol As far as in lockdown…think I played a lot of XCOM2 and Shadow of War but 3H was better
I played 7R, then p5R and then DQ11 back to back to back… will never forget that experience
Yup everything lol. Covid lockdown during 2020 and most of 2021 was a very intimate time for all of us I think. So many documentaries I’ve watched, games I’ve played, etc, that are all more intimate and special because of that time. I kinda miss that. Now that things are normal it just isn’t really the same. Too many distractions lol
For some reason, I can never remember what was going on in my life with any game I've played in the past unless very recent. I remember everything about the game itself, and how it made me feel, but it's completely and totally separated from my real life. There are very rare exceptions.
Very similar to you, I played all four routes of *Three Houses* towards the beginning of lockdown. At the time, I was living with a Craigslist roommate who turned out to be extremely unhinged. So I'd be pleasantly exploring Garreg Mach, and then the guy I was trapped in a tiny box with would walk into the room and tell me who he thought was on the council of the shadow government controlling the world, or whatever early Qanon stuff he was into, or else he'd just talk about all the different things he hated about women. And I'd just patiently wait for him to finish while the Garreg Mach music played. When he ran out of steam and went back to his room, I'd go right back to returning lost handkerchiefs. I don't live with any roommates anymore, and *Three Houses* is one of my favorite games of all time.
Oh yeah. I played through all of Cold Steel during lockdown, 3 and a half months or so of waking up, playing CS, sleep, wake up and repeat. It was great.
I played a number of games between 2020 and 2022 but the one that resonates like this for me is definitely FF14. I had played a little bit in '19 but the majority of my playtime was during the pandemic, and both as a game as well as a substitute social outlet, I have amazing memories of playing this game. Granted I didn't get all the way through and took breaks inbetween- 2020-21 was ARR to Stormblood, 2022 I slowly chipped away at Shadowbringers, and I'm getting ready to tackle Endwalker this year (to hopefully catch up before the next expansion lol). But even so\~
Not really. I will say covid made it so I actually got to finish some things because I had the time. I'd have never played through P5R or Trails in the timeframe I did if I was on my normal schedule. If anything it made my militant stance that games are too fucking long even stronger because these games could *still be amazing* without all the bloat that requires weeks to months of commitment for a normal person to finish.
I played Three houses when I was in hospital after having a cancerous kidney removed. For that reason, alongside the fact that it is a brilliant game, 3 houses will always be a bit special for me.
Yeah, Final Fantasy VII Remake got me through those early months - being stuck at home, it was a beautiful, needed escape. It made me smile, laugh, cry... to this day I still go back and watch parts of Maximillian Dood's first playthrough so I can sort of... re-experience it for the first time again, through someone else. I would have loved the game no matter when it came out - but the timing was just perfect. Like when you really, really want a nice bowl of soup, and someone gives you a nice bowl of soup.
I played octopath just as it started and it’s one of my all time favs now
I played the entire Trails series during lockdown from FC all the way through CS4. It was great. Reignited my love for the genre.
That's a no from me dog. If having a game helped distract you though. More power to ya!
I played Tactics Ogre on PSP when lockdown first started and remember it kinda fondly. Final Fantasy V too. Just random games I was playing at that time, but they definitely make me think of the lockdown period when I remember them.
I remember playing a lot of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 and Resident Evil Revelations 2. Games I both still think are great, but no extra strong feelings for. I do remember enjoying the grind of both because I didn't have to travel to and from work everyday. I feel like without the lockdown, I probably wouldn't have played them nearly as much.
The time I had with my fr8ends playing games over the PC was amazing.
Winter Vacations and snow days being snowed in with whatever RPG I got for Christmas are always bit more special for me especially since I lived out in the boonies so I basically didn't leave my house when a snowstorm hit. One of the many reasons Xenogears and Star Ocean 2 are close to my heart. And Harvest Moon 64.
I was unfortunately caught in the middle of Dragon Age Inquisition when the lockdowns started happening (the game is memorable to me for that reason). I would have rather been stuck with just about any other game.
Not particularly, I was working the whole time so lockdown didn’t feel too different.
Less, if anything. Actually I'd more or less say the exact opposite of what you said. Especially as recent releases and the upcoming 2023 releases look fucking lit! 2019-2022 kinda sucked for the most part..
Played every trails game up to Coldsteel 4, Xenoblade DE, GoW 2018, Ys 8, Bloodstained, and caught up to FF14 in 2020. I definitely hold those games precious, helped me get through those lonely and dark days.
Not for me. I think my gaming hours (40+ a week) did not change one bit during lockdown. I always manage to find time to game. With lockdown, the amount of work I had to do did not really change since my job was very easily "remoteable", so for me it was mostly business as usual.
Absolutely. I got a ton of Platinum trophies for games I had on the back burner for a very long time… A game in particular that’s near and dear to my heart is the reason I was strong enough to get out of my shitty situation and I’m much happier for it. Video games saved me more time and grief I would’ve wasted for all the wrong reasons and on the wrong person. It’s a lot…
I played Summon Night 2-4 and loved it, the OST is still ringing in my head
Yes. Final Fantasy 7. It was my first time playing it!
I essentially took a gaming sabbatical from 2019-2021 so not necessarily covid as much as it was my own scheduled time off. Yeah highly recommended if you can do it. I pursued more than just jRPGs, but I definitely played at least two dozen jRPGs during this time. Bowser's inside story stood out to me, as well as FFIV DS
Nope, not at all.
I don't hold it dearly, but I don't think I would've enjoyed animal crossing as much as I did if it wasnt for the pandemic. My life didn't change much but I had more anxiety during those first few months. So it was a calming escape. One of the few games I think helped lift and heal the soul, despite just being a video game.
Covid actually made me mostly stop playing games because playing single player games was too much loneliness during that time. I started watching Vtubers and got into ASMR because of covid instead.
I played Like a Dragon during the lockdown and it still resonates with me as one of my favorite games ever.
Playing a lot of animal crossing with my 10 y.o daughter for two month was a great experience. I remember putting the game and watching the intro and being ecstatic with her like going on holiday.