I'm typing this out as my head spins round and round, like how the earth spins on its axis to complete a day-night cycle, or how a politician might spin a statement so much, it doesn't even begin to make sense. And what might be the reason behind this dizziness, you might ask gentle reader? I had earlier developed a terrible case of the hives from goodness knows what (I haven't had any previous history of allergies), and unable to further tolerate the burning itchiness creeping up my arms, neck and face, I decided to give myself a full dose of anti-histamine and steroids. As the world swims before my eyes, and the voices of my junior colleagues become more distant, I'm beginning to doubt whether this was a good call to begin with, considering I am on duty tonight.
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After having finished my exams recently, I started to once again pick up my controller and boot up the good ol' Playstation 4. Considering the last time I actually played the darn thing was when I suffered through The Last Of Us Part 2 a couple of months ago (an entry for another day), I was surprised I still remembered how to navigate the user interface. This is, of course, just another of my exaggerations.
Though I am well past my prime (I used to clock in 10-12 hours a day during my peak Final Fantasy days) owing to more adult-ly responsibilities, I still do very much enjoy escaping into my private virtual playground. Single player, narrative-driven games are pretty much my staple diet, but I also enjoy other genres as well. And the game which I am currently playing - called Celeste - comes under the category of *checks notes* ah, yes - "rage game"
"Rage game" is a pretty apt moniker for Celeste, as I caught myself coming dangerously close to flinging my poor controller in a fit of blind fury on more than one occasion. However, a heart-warming, relatable story and a delightful cast of charming characters helped me eventually see this game to the end. At the beginning, we're told that it is a story of a girl, Madeline, who wants to climb the titular mountain to challenge herself. However, as we progress through the game, we discover that she actually suffers from depression and anxiety, and climbing this mountain was her way of getting out of a rut. Along the journey, she meets several other characters who share their thoughts and insights into her condition, and consequently help Madeline to change the way she views herself and life. When I put it that way, it sounds more of like a fairy-tale for children, but make no mistake - the writing and the dialogue in this game is really meant for grown-ups going through a rough patch. That makes it all of us, don't you deny it.
I related to most of Madeline's dialogue, especially the parts where she has long conversations with the "other part of her". And her interactions with the other characters genuinely hit me in the feels at times, due to how close it hit home. I know gamers keep defending their hobby by saying it's therapy, but for me, this really was therapeutic. If ever I end up seeing a therapist, I imagine Celeste would be one of the topics I'd bring up, and how it had a - maybe temporary, but definitely - profound effect on my life.
Before I close this entry, I'll leave you with this screenshot I grabbed from the epilogue. This was after roughly about 11 hours of huffing and puffing through the game, and though it's meant for Madeline, I'm pretty sure we all could do to remember and keep it close to our hearts as well.
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