Legend of the River King (Natsume, Game Boy Color, 1997)
Developed by the makers of the adorable Harvest Moon series, the Legend of the River King followed a similarly ‘honobono’ (heartwarming) story set in rural Japan. It’s a fishing RPG, in which the hero – a young boy – goes in search of the fabled Guardian Fish, which is the only thing that can save his sister’s life. Along the way, comparatively meaningless fish are sold in order to upgrade the kid’s all-important fishing equipment. To improve his skills, and to see more of the story, our hero undertakes missions to catch important fish for other villagers. Legend of the River King 1 & 2 are available on the Nintendo 3DS eShop. Just saying.
Undertale (Toby Fox, PC, Mac, PS4, 2015)
What can only be described as an unnervingly self-aware RPG, and one that plays upon the likelihood that you’ve had some experience with the genre. Indeed, the more you know about how RPGs generally pan out, the more rewarding the fourth-wall breakage in this essential game becomes. Despite its deliberately coarse presentation, Undertale is unquestionably elegant, relaying its story via an artful balance of battles, puzzle solving and storytelling. Without the playfulness of Earthbound and risqué approach of Atlus to a well-worn old genre, it’s likely Undertale may never have happened. We’re lucky, then, as sole developer Toby Fox’s complete understanding of games and gamers makes the world a better place.
Stardew Valley (ConcernedApe, PC, 2016)
This indie title takes its inspiration from Natsume’s Harvest Moon series, but extends the theme to its laid-back lifestyle limits. Be warned: most players who begin to treasure the wholesome old ways of Stardew Valley tend to become terribly engrossed, unable to rest until the cold-hearted Joja Corporation is sent packing, the sound of birdsong fills the air, and the sweet smell of plants (and not to mention manure) is ever-present. You can side with those Joja SOBs too, if you like, but the main thing is that every little thing you do counts for an awful lot.
