“Game preservation” in your own home

In many discussions on the internet I’ve been made aware of the importance of game preservation, that corporations aren’t exactly creating alternatives to access old games created for even older platforms, and so on. This happens with delisted games on digital platforms that can no longer be purchased, or with games with retro status from where a physical copy may be worth a fortune these days. Many games are ported to PC but many, due to its exclusive nature, are only available in the open market for very high prices. If the games are sealed, they’re even more expensive and seen as a collector’s item to keep or to make business with, rather than a piece of software to play and enjoy.

The scarcity and limited nature of some niche releases, like we often see happening with jrpgs, makes it even harder to get hold of a copy even if the game was recently released. Among the arguments in favor of purchasing physical copies is that we can sell them later and get some of the money back, or even more money, depending on how the community regards a game several years from now. From a business perspective it makes sense, if you live in a place where gaming culture is a thing. If you live in a place where you pay almost double of what people pay in the US, maybe the money you make back doesn’t cover the expense you’d have if you’d bought it digitally in the first place. I’ve seen a 5$ indie game being sold physical for the modicum of 70$ or limited edition over 100$. See those copies of Momodora or Gris. And this is in dollars, not my currency plus tax and shipping.

And then, when the money argument wears out we enter in game preservation territory. By buying physical games, people are preserving access to the games in the future. Some physical games are still playable 20 years later in the right platform. I just have some issues when the argument is used in general terms. By buying physical we are preserving gaming history. Yes and no. Collectors are preserving videogame history for themselves, in their homes and for their own use. People can preserve a work of art for years and across generations in their own living rooms. Preserving the thing, the object, is not the same as preserving access. A preserved cartridge in your hands doesn’t do anything for me or others. The game is still gone.

Continuous access to older games via platforms such as PC and legally available through purchase is a form of preservation. Porting games and re-releasing a good amount of physical editions as well as digital options is also a good way to preserve game access. Not pointing fingers at how people decide to purchase their games, movies or other media can help starting fruitful discussions. I struggle to see the point of a rare piece of software shelved between 1000+ other games in someone else’s living room as game preservation. It’s the companies’ responsibility to guarantee continuous access to their games, not the collector’s.

But hey, at the end of the day, we always have piracy. The easy way out.

Collecting console games or embracing Steam

I’ve been thinking a lot about this during hobby time. I’ve been enjoying this collecting journey for the Nintendo Switch, however I can’t help but wonder if all these games will eventually die on me (which they will) and if it’s actually worth the cost. Now, with the Steam Deck having such a strong presence in many households, with a gigantic jrpg library and emulation capabilities at our fingertips, if collecting for a console is actually the best idea for future access to our games. The games I bought on Steam ages ago are still in my library. They can be played in my potato laptop, a handheld device, or a future PC. It doesn’t mater the gear I have, if I have a PC in my house or not (I only have a potato laptop that runs Trails in the Sky, to my amazement) I just know that I can play those games the moment I have a way to play them.

I have a PS5 with some digital games I bought on sale and the PS+ subscription. I may have about 5 physical games too, since I don’t collect for the console. The xbox is only for gamepass and to run music CDs. I have a physical copy of the Dark Souls trilogy and that’s it. Meanwhile my Switch physical library keeps growing. The games don’t take up much space, the game cards are adorable, and the cover artworks are a pleasure to look at. I’m very picky with the titles I choose. I only buy if I’m absolutely sure I want it and if I intend to play it sometime in the future. I’m first a gamer and then a collector (I’m not a collector, really). I’m not concerned about xbox. It’s an excellent console, it comes with an extremely comfortable controller, and a good library of games. Unfortunately I can’t say the same about their jrpg library. However, it’s a solid console – quite literally – with solid choice for Western audiences, and I don’t really fear that their library of games is going to suddenly disappear. The same goes for the PS5.

I’m not so sure about Nintendo, though. They close their online stores some years after the end of a generation, and their exclusive games don’t magically appear in other platforms. To be totally honest, I don’t trust their ability to totally rework their online services and accounts. While people still complain about Bloodborne not being available on PC (with good reason), Nintendo has a chronic case of Bloodborne-itis. Relying on an emulator to play Fire Emblem Awakening is not my idea of fun. It’s an awkward way to play, something that I’d never gotten used to, and our only option apart from buying yet another console and the physical game. While buying a PS3 where I live is quite affordable, or even an Xbox One, a Nintendo 3DS is still very expensive.

Considering that my Switch won’t last forever I think that my game library will be unplayable one day. I can always buy a new PC. If I have money I can buy a better one, or I can either buy a less powerful machine that can run my non-AAA games. In some years the Nintendo Switch will be a retro console, it will be expensive and I’ll only find it used. One of my options will be to sell all those games and build another library somewhere else. Or rather keeping the games and try to grow my collection somewhere else right now, before I collect too much for one platform only. From my predictions, the amount of games I have for the Switch will give me about 1 or 2 years of gameplay, because I tend to sit on a game for many hours and I enjoy long rpgs.

The more I think about this the less I see the advantage of buying physical games for consoles, unless the fun resides in collecting and appreciating my collection for what’s worth and for the time it lasts. Another option is to mod my Switch and dump the games, but the limitations of an aging hardware will still be the same, and the option of emulators will still be the only viable choice. And then we have Steam that works pretty well for non-exclusive titles. At this moment, I don’t own an updated PC and even the less hungry jrpgs don’t work there. I learned the process of Switch emulation, it was very easy to learn and straightforward but my hardware can’t run it. This is not a problem now but I’m happy to know that, with a new PC, I’ll be able to play Switch games in the future.

People that are seriously into collecting for the Switch and have extensive collections usually have more than one device to guarantee they can keep playing their games and, well, to collect the system in its various limited editions. It’s like taking the collection to another level but it’s a smart way to avoid the raising prices when the console stops being produced. There’s also the possibility that the next console will be backwards compatible with physical games. That would be the perfect case scenario, to put our games on life support for some years like they did with the DS/3DS, until we play them all.

These are funny times, the first time I see myself thinking about such things and trying to plan for continued access to games that I don’t know if I’ll keep playing. I like to have them, though, and my collection is still small. Sometimes I wonder if I wouldn’t feel better if I had them inside my Steam library, allocated into one place and readily available to install, without thinking that my hardware will disintegrate with use and will be harder to replace in the future.

The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails (Nintendo Switch)

The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails came out this year for Nintendo Switch, Playstation and PC. It was published/localized by NIS America and developed by Nihon Falcom. I was immediately captivated by the art style and thought about buying it. Last month, I was on a spree, and ordered the limited edition from NIS. It was a good call! In addition to the game, I’ve got the soundtrack, a bookmark, an artbook and an acrylic figure that now sits next to my Switch. The collector’s box is a wonder in itself because it has a plastic cover with artwork that changes according with the position you’re looking from. There certainly is a name for it.

The game was originally released for PSP in Japan. I’m not sure if this was the first time it was localized in the west. What matters is that we have this beautiful precious gem in our hands now. No matter how you decide to buy it, collector’s edition, deluxe edition (comes in a regular game case with a download code for soundtrack and a mini-artbook), or digital edition on any platform, this game is well worth your time. I’m currently in the after story and I’m doing the last quests before I engage with whatever comes next. I believe I still have a ways to go.

The game tells the story of Nayuta, a young boy that lives in Remnant Island located in the Ciencia Sea. He’s an aspiring explorer returning home for the summer from where he studies at the academy of Saint Elysee. Remnant Island is a peculiar place because ruins and star fragments fall from the sky. If we look at the sky we can also see two moons. If we shed a light into one of the star fragments we can take a peek into another world. That world is commonly known between explorers as Lost Heaven. Nayuta, as well as his deceased parents, had immense curiosity about that world and tried to find ways to reach it. To his parents that endeavour had dire consequences. But, wouldn’t you know, a big big ruin falls near Remnant Island one fateful day. Nayuta and his friend Cygna go explore it and encounter the sweetest fairy Noi and the villains of the story. Still recovering from the shock, they take Noi in, and then she opens a portal into an unknown world full of adventure and catastrophe.

The world is out of balance and Nayuta intends to help. We reach the four continents of Terra and start exploring the levels inside each continent. Inside those continents we can explore a set of levels for each season we unlock every time there’s significant story progression. The game plays as an action RPG and a platformer. There isn’t a lot of build variety as in other RPGs. This was part of what I found attractive in the game. The simplicity and the linearity of it, without compromising the exploration. The game plays so well and it looks astounding. I lost count to how many screenshots I took. Many of those, I must say, are deep into spoiler territory.

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Meanwhile I forgot to finish writing my post, and since I write about the games I play from memory, now I have a very vague idea about what I wanted to write in the first place. In the meantime, I did all the side quests and main quests. I collected all weapons for Noi and Nayuta, all pieces of gear included. I didn’t finish the collection at the museum because when you reach the end of the game you still have one last season locked in Terra. I believe that season will unlock eventually in new game +.

Terra is not the only area in the game, even though I thought at first it was just it. There’s Helliograd, Lexendria and Stellarium. When I reached what I thought was the end of the game I unlocked an After Story. I think it’s cute that some games are structured like this, surprising us exactly at the point we think the story is over. The After Story was a very good run, with two side quests, if I’m not mistaken, exploring Terra further and defeating stronger versions of previous bosses. Then, the last challenge took place at the Astrolabe. Really, really the last one.

After the credits rolled I created a clear save file, unlocked a boss rush and a new difficulty level. I haven’t started a new playthrough just yet but I believe the last seasons will be unlocked in Terra at some point. Nayuta will also be able to level up further to tackle new challenges. I decided to put the game away for a while to focus on other games I have in wait or have already started, but from what I experienced, this game is one of the most wholesome games I’ve played this year.