Player Two Princess

In previous posts, and even in my introduction, I’ve made it very clear that I’m a fan of video games. Like many people of my generation, it’s something we’ve grown up with and got to experience on multiple platforms. For me those platforms were PC, PlayStation (1 and 2), Vtech's V.Smile and mobile (Kim Kardashian: Hollywood was an obsession of mine). Until I met my husband my last console was the PlayStation 2, so when he showed me what the PlayStation 4 and WiiU could do I was excited to see more. Bloodborne is a game that holds a special place in my heart as its gameplay and story come together in a beautiful gothic setting that I've enjoyed first and second hand. Another reason why I love it so much is a lot more personal. It starts with my husband being a fan of FromSoftware’s games, so when they announced Bloodborne he ordered the collector's edition. He made sure he had nothing planned for its midnight release. Little did he know his future wife would like to go on a first date with him that same evening. So instead of cutting our date short to start the game, he talked through the night with me resulting in a successful date and an amazing marriage two years later.

Me giving the Dark Moon ring to Ranni the Witch in Elden Ring

Video games, as well as musical theatre, were a hobby we shared from the start. For instance, we both loved AdventureQuest. We love playing through games together while joking around or discussing its lore (and FromSoftware's games have a lot of that). One of our first playthroughs was Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 which led to a lot of fun quotes with "You are wise to hide" and "ratventure" still being used today. With this first playthrough my husband quickly realized that, instead of staying in the back seat as most people would do when watching someone else play a game, I happily welcomed myself into the front seat (thank you, Dan Gheesling) even though I didn't have much knowledge on action games. Luckily, he adores my enthusiasm and energy (his words, not mine) meaning I don't need to find a balance between front and back seating.

My husband and me in Final Fantasy XIV

Luckily there's a feature in some games perfectly tailored to couples like us: local multiplayer games AKA couch co-op. For me, this started out with Borderlands 2 in which I played Gaige, a "mechromancer", because I thought she looked cool (sometimes I'm a simple woman). Later I found out this DLC character got the nickname "girlfriend mode" since it doesn't take a lot of skill to play it well. This made it feel like I got carried by my husband throughout the full game. Maybe I did get carried because I sucked at modern games back then (I couldn't even get out of Iosefka's Clinic without popping some blood vials), but I did have a lot of fun with Borderlands 2. Josef Fares's multiplayer games A Way Out and It Takes Two are among our favorite couch co-op games (without a girlfriend mode) as they cannot be played without a player two which makes them quite unique. If you haven't played these yet, I highly recommend you do as they are very impressive.

Me in Final Fantasy XIV as a Black Mage

After finishing Borderlands 2 I remember my husband, back then my fiancé, deciding it was time. “Time for what?” you might be asking yourself (don’t worry I didn’t understand it either). Apparently it was time for Final Fantasy XIV. According to him I had acquired the necessary action game skills to join him on this MMO journey so people wouldn't think he was carrying me through the game; suddenly I had graduated from player two. I’m happy I joined him in playing FFXIV as I loved every second of playing that game. I started out as a White Mage, a healing class, but soon Astrologian caught my attention. So when I hit max level with my White Mage I leveled my Astrologian quickly after it and it still is my main today. Over the past years I managed to clear multiple raid tiers and even got some high parses (look at this lingo I'm using). Of course I’m looking forward to its upcoming expansion: Dawntrail. At the end of June we will be quite busy because Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree will be releasing as well.

Me in Final Fantasy XIV hugging a big sheep

Me in Final Fantasy XIV as an Astrologian

I'm happy that my husband introduced me to "real gaming" (insert "Akechi is a Gamer" meme) so we can enjoy it together. Without that I would not have known about all the great music, stories and art that come together in game series like "Soulsborne", Final Fantasy and Yakuza/Like A Dragon (all the tears I've shed because of this series' story). There are so many more but I think these three franchises are definitely our favorite ones. He also acquainted me with Bayonetta through his beloved Devil May Cry. And I'm not kidding when I say that I'm obsessed with this series: I have the Bayonetta Special Edition for Nintendo Switch, the Bayonetta 3 Trinity Masquerade Edition and the official artbook The Eyes Of Bayonetta (still planning on completing that collection). And yes, I am desperately looking for an Umbran Watch made with real gold and gemstones - how did you know? My husband did have the honor to watch me play through many games by now and has watched me improve steadily. He even immortalized our love in a video game he kickstarted named Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night by Koji Igarashi. He got the tier that included Alucard's voice actor to record a line of his choosing. If you purchase the game you can find out for yourself.

Thank you, and take care.