With the recent announcement of Dark Souls: Remastered it got me thinking. As happy as I am about the game there is one thing it will not be able to bring back. That feeling of walking through that fog not knowing what the hell I was going to face on the other side and that heart-racing moment of trying to figure out just how the boss attacks and what strategy I would use to kill it. So I thought to myself, what games if I could, would I forget I played just so I can experience them all over again from the beginning. Sometimes replaying something just lacks that “oomph” in your gut you got the first time you played something as you escaped from your couch into the world on your TV. Here are a few games we wish we could forget so we can play them again.
Dark Souls Series
Like I mentioned before, Dark Souls is one of the most exhilarating experiences in gaming. Every new location visited holds danger beyond your nightmares and the feeling you get as you venture into unexplored territory is overwhelming. Not knowing when the next bonfire will be near you so you can have a safe haven for a few minutes before setting off again and being scared to turn the corner not knowing what is lurking behind the wall.
Then we have the boss fights which are another story on their own. When you see the fog gate an empty feeling fills your chest as you know in order to get through you will need to fight whatever creature is waiting behind it. As you walk in, a short cinematic plays and you get a glimpse of the boss that will make it its life goal to destroy you. Your heart races, your palms sweat and you panic as you run around the room mindlessly in a frenzy before being pummeled with a log and killed.
That feeling in Dark Souls can only be experienced once and when you feel it, it is glorious. However, after you know the game and its bosses you kind of rush through it all again. I have played Dark Souls III about 5 times and every playthrough after the initial one was sort of a casual run through. Nothing surprised me and the bosses were expected so I knew all the strategies and how to kill them fast. If would be up for just vanishing all memories of the game out of my mind so I can feel that fear all over again.
The Witness
I think it is the pure sense of mystery and wonder that makes The Witness so spectacular. While it looks like a simple puzzle game on the front, it is so much more than that as you explore an island so beautiful that it rivals some of the most stunning games to date. The Witness was a tough one to get through as its puzzles teach you how to be better at solving your problems. Sometimes things are much simpler than they seem and often going straight for the goal is the only way. The Witness taught me all this.
But it is the island that makes The Witness so wonderful as its ecosystems are brought to life with the most precise sounds. Branches cracking under your feet and birds chirping in the distance. It is all a beautifully woven blanket that covers the ocean. The problem with all this is that the puzzles in The Witness do get frustratingly hard. So much so that you will get annoyed. So after I completed the game and gave the end-game puzzle run a try, and the failed miserably, I never went back because the thought of playing through them again was torture enough. I would, however, love to experience it all again from the start and learn all the puzzle mechanics and explore each gorgeous location as if it was my first time there. That would be the only way I ever go back and play the game.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
To be honest the only reason why I would want to forget I played Skyrim is mainly due to the fact that it is basically out on every platform on the planet and I would love to play it again on one of them but every time I boot the game up I get bored within ten minutes because I have done whatever I am doing a dozen times already. I suppose that is the problem with spending over three hundred hours in an RPG. When you start fresh it is way too familiar and you get bored very quickly.
I would love to play Skyrim again from the start and let it feel like it did the day I played it for the first time. Sit back and remember that feeling, imagine having it again as you walked down that road towards Riverwood for the first time listening to the wind and the water flowing past you. You just stood there and imagined the massive open world ahead of you and all the secrets that awaited. That feeling you will never get again.
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
Ni No Kuni is hands down my favourite JRPG of the last generation and I still get chills today thinking about the magic I experienced in the game. Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch merged classic JRPG mechanics and a gorgeous open world with the charm and art style found in Studio Ghibli films. The result was a rare experience that you just cannot find today. From the opening cinematics to the multiple endpoints when you think the game is over but disaster strikes and you and your team of unique personalities set off on a new chapter to save the world.
After getting the platinum trophy for the game I really exhausted myself playing it. I did every hunt, searched for every crafting material to make every weapon and explored every inch of the open world in search of every chest. There was literally nothing left to do at all. However, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat if I could. That is to say, if I could forget about it and give it a go from the start without even the slightest memory of the wonderful experience I had in the past.
What games do you wish you could forget so that you can play them all over again from the start? Let us know in the comments below.
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