POV: You’re About to Get Emotional About Old Video Games 😢

Listen, we need to talk about the retro games that have been OCCUPYING my brain like it’s prime real estate. These aren’t just games - they’re core memories, personality traits, and probably the reason I have trust issues.

Let’s get into it 🎮

1. Chrono Trigger - The GOAT Behavior 👑

Year: 1995
Vibe Check: ✅ PASSED WITH HONORS

Chrono Trigger isn’t just a game, it’s a LIFESTYLE. Multiple endings? Time travel? A frog with a sword? The soundtrack that makes you cry in public?

This game said “what if we made something so perfect that people would still be talking about it 30 years later” and then DID THAT.

The soundtrack alone could cure seasonal depression. Yasunori Mitsuda understood the assignment and then some 😤

Rating: 11/10, no notes, chef’s kiss, immaculate vibes only 👨‍🍳💋

2. Super Metroid - Anxiety Simulator (Affectionate) 🌌

Year: 1994
Vibe Check: ✅ PASSED (but scary)

This game invented the feeling of being alone in a good way. Samus really said “I don’t need backup” and spent the whole game in creepy alien caves collecting missiles.

The atmosphere? Chef’s kiss
The level design? Impeccable
The baby Metroid scene? Why are you making me cry over a floating jellyfish

Modern games could never hit this hard emotionally with zero dialogue 😭

Rating: 10/10, would get lost in Maridia again

3. EarthBound - Unhinged Masterpiece 🌭

Year: 1994
Vibe Check: ✅✅✅ TRANSCENDENT

EarthBound said “what if an RPG was completely unserious” and became one of the most beloved games of all time. You fight angry taxis. You order pizza mid-battle. The final boss is literally fought with PRAYER.

This game is what happens when you let creative people cook without corporate interference 👨‍🍳

Also shoutout to that one time the game predicted meme culture by like 20 years 📈

Rating: ∞/10, “fuzzy pickles” lives in my head forever

Retro Gaming

4. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - That Dialogue 🧛

Year: 1997
Vibe Check: ✅ IMMACULATE

“What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets!”

That’s it. That’s the review. Game peaked in the first 5 minutes and somehow kept getting better 😤

Also the map is BACKWARDS and it WORKS?? The audacity. The vision. The serve.

Rating: 10/10, “Die monster, you don’t belong in this world!” is permanently stuck in my brain

5. Final Fantasy VI - Emotional Damage Speedrun Any% 💔

Year: 1994
Vibe Check: ✅ DESTROYED ME

This game really looked at child me and said “let’s give you abandonment issues AND a villain with generational trauma AND an opera scene that’ll make you sob.”

Kefka is unhinged. The World of Ruin happened. Celes tried to… yeah we’re not talking about that. I’m in therapy because of this game and I’d do it again 😭

The pixel art storytelling? UNMATCHED. They told a better story with 16-bit sprites than most modern games do with full mocap.

Rating: 10/10, please never hurt me like this again (but also make a sequel)

Honorable Mentions (Because I Can’t Stop) 🏆

  • Mega Man X: The dash boot changed my life
  • Secret of Mana: Co-op before it was cool
  • Street Fighter II: Button mashing is a valid strategy
  • Sonic 2: Chemical Plant Zone music is a religious experience

The Real Truth 💯

These games aren’t just good - they’re formative. They hit different because they didn’t have fancy graphics to hide behind. Just pure vibes, impeccable game design, and soundtracks that go unnecessarily hard 🔥

Discussion Time 👇

What retro games live rent free in YOUR head? Wrong answers only (jk all answers are valid but also mine are better) 😤

No retro games were harmed in the making of this post, but my feelings were