A Girl’s Confession

zelda

A lot of people have asked me why I wanted to become a game designer (even before my studies) and I wanted to talk about it here on my blog.

Why did I want to become a game designer? It all started with my obsession with The Legend of Zelda – A Link to the Past. My dad got me a Super Nintendo when I was about three years old and I fell in love with the console. I was a noob at playing games (obviously, because I was three) but I kept playing and playing until I would somehow solve the puzzles in the game (it was not skilled based though, it was all luck.) Some of the games that I played didn’t even have any English subtitles, they were all in Japanese. Not that my English were on point at that age, I could barely speak any Swedish. I would play Megaman-X, Donkey Kong Country, Super Mario World and last but not least, The Legend of Zelda – A Link to The Past. I am not gonna lie, I was obsessed with that game. I wouldn’t let my little brother play that game because I was worried that he would save over my file or break the game. We would always get into fights because of that. My mum would end up taking the power supply of the Super Nintendo and we wouldn’t be able to play anything for days due to our silly fights. Good times (Sorry brother)

screenshot-366

This might sound ridiculous but it actually took me about seven years to beat The Legend of Zelda – a Link to the Past. Why? Well I could barely hold a controller at the age of three and how the hell would I be able to complete a game that involved puzzles and understanding English? It was too hard for me. I completed the game at the age of 10 and I was still a noob when it came to English. I had to ask my mum for help to understand some of the clues but she stopped helping me at one point. She was too busy with her exams anyways. I even asked the neighbor for help, he was a few years older than me. He also got tired of helping eventually. So I had to figure this game out without understanding the clues in the game. It was tricky but I made it in the end. After I actually completed the game, I was lost. All these years of struggling and fighting was now over. I started  to feel empty inside, it was a weird feeling indeed. The fact that I spent so much time playing that game and completed it in the end made me feel like I wanted more. I started to look up to Shigeru Miyamoto later on, he was like a hero to me then, still is today.

The older I got, the more Zelda games got released. I ended up playing Ocarina of Time. I compared the game with A Link to the Past and I was so amazed how the 3D environment looked compared to the over top down 2D. & the music was just beautiful. The composers did such a good job back then.

When they announced Twilight Princess I got super excited but at the same time a bit worried if they would make a lot of changes or not. When I finally got the game, I locked myself in my room and started playing it non stop. It took me 3-4 days to complete it. Which is a bit sad compared to the seven years of struggling with A Link to the Past. I am not gonna lie, Twilight Princess is one of my favorite Zelda games. That game was very dark and different compared to the other games but they made it work so well and I was amazed with the design. I was so emotionally attached to the characters in the game that I started crying at the end. I was so amazed how a game made me feel this way, how connected I felt in their world and emotionally attached. This made me release that I also want to create and make people smile, laugh and cry while playing a game. I wanted to make people happy and to be emotionally attached to the characters and the gameplay.

zelda_link_to_the_past_3ds_virtual_console_banner
The conclusion? I blame my dad for buying me a Super Nintendo. So I would say it’s thanks to my dad that I am a Game Designer today. Perhaps I should buy him a cake, or maybe some chocolate? Hmm.

Thanks dad, you’re awesome.

 

– Siara

 

Reacting to The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild

I am a huge The Legend of Zelda fan and Nintendo announced a new Zelda title during the E3 Treehouse couple of days ago. Instead of watching it through on my own, I decided to do a reaction video of me watching it. I don’t want to reveal too much, instead I’m gonna post the video for anyone to see : )

(You need to click on the title to make the video appear)

Enjoy.

– Siara

Sony Press Conference 2016

sony-e3-2016-plans-schedule.jpg.optimal

Wow, just wow.

So many beautiful games that are in development. To be honest, it sucks to watch them showcase new games and then read later that they’re in development and doesn’t have a release date yet. That means it’s going to take them 2-3 more years to complete it which sucks! I mean don’t get me wrong, I know that it takes time to design a game but all that hype and excitement has to wait for a few more years *sob*

Let’s talk about some titles that got me excited!

godofwar

God of War – Release: In Development
Developers: Santa Monica Studios

Let’s talk about God of War. I have not touched any of the previous titles yet I got a bit curious about the game and I am thinking about trying it out when it’s out. The intro was a bit harsh with the whole forcing my kid to haunt bit. He seems like a tough father but I feel like inside, he has a kind heart. I saw a bit of that when he was trying to comfort his son when he killed the deer. His son looked so sad. He stopped himself from comforting him and I think it was because he wanted his son to be strong (which is weird but then again it’s a video game, how should I know). I am excited to see more of this title when it’s close to its launch.

daysgone

Days Gone – Release: In Development
Developers: Bend Studio

Seemed cool. It has that The Last of Us kind of feeling to it. It’s a bit mysterious so I would like to know more about the character and about his past. Who is the chick? His lover I assume. The zombies in this game are intense. The way they’re swarming reminds me of the Left 4 Dead franchise. Pretty neat!

horizon-zero-dawn-screen-04-us-15jun15

Horizon: Zero Dawn – Release: February 28, 2017
Developers: Guerrilla Games

I must say it’s nice to see a female lead character in a game. I’m so used to be playing games there I play as a male. I have nothing against it but it’s cool to see a badass chick beating butts! Whoop! And when she was taming that animal (I assume it was a bull or something close to it?) I felt like it was like the movie Avatar where they connect their hair to the pet tail/hair to tame it (please tell me I wasn’t the only one thinking that).

residentevil7

Resident Evil 7 – Release: January 24, 2017 VR exclusive
Developers: Capcom

…okay Capcom you blew me away. Sony was showing some VR stuff and I thought it was something else. It was a bit bloody and I was like eww no I am not playing this in VR. Then it started getting a bit mysterious and interesting. An empty house led to hallucinations (or was it real?) to weird clues from a video tape. It was very confusing at first. A lot of jump cuts from people to animals to creepy locations. Then the roman 7 popped up then a fade in with the rest of the words spelling Resident Evil 7. I was like WHAT. Why I was surprised was because Resident Evil nowadays doesn’t seem as scary as it used to be back in the days. Today it feels more like action rather than horror. This gave me a complete different image of the Resident Evil franchise and I Love IT! This is what I am talking about Capcom. The Demo is available to play right now on PSN!

playstation_vr

PS VR – Release: October, 13, 2016 (USA) – $399 USD

I am not sure when this is going to get released in Europe. I assume the same month at least or even same day (let’s hope) the price is a bit too much in my opinion. To pay for a PS4 then also pay $399 USD dollars doesn’t sound good to me. I have to try it first to give a complete honest review though. If it really feels like the HTC Vive then perhaps it’s worth it. For now I hope that they don’t make the price sky high in Europe.

Detroit-Become-Human

Detroit Become Human – Release: In Development 
Developers: Quantic Dream

First of all. Wow. The intro really made me fall into the story so bad. I wanted the little girl to survive no matter what. When she fell I was like no! But when they re-winded the story and started telling about the choices and clues in the game can affect the story line I was like YES! I love games like that. It pressures the player to make a choice and based on their choice another action might happen which makes it so tense and interesting. I was thinking of Heavy Rain when I was watching this preview and then I realized that it’s the same developers lol (fail) Thumbs up for Quantic Dream!

deathstranding-1-770x300_c

Death Stranding – Release: In Development
Developers: Kojima Production

Okay let’s just all take a moment and talk about Hideo Kojima entrance walk. It was  freaking awesome, he rocked that stage. I bet everyone was expecting something Silent Hill:ish due to the cancel of PT. I was watching with my mouth open wide. I was not expecting him to make a new game with a character design of Norman Reedus like in PT. Everyone was very excited there. I am very, very VERY excited about this title. I want to know more. This is Hideo Kojima’s first title since leaving Konami and I am sure he will deliver a nice product and many more after this one.

the-last-guardian-screen-06-ps4-eu-16jun15

The Last Guardian – Release: October, 25, 2016
Developers: SIE Japan Studio & genDESIGN

The preview of this made me all emotional. That’s when I know a game is worth playing, Whenever I feel emotionally attached to the characters or  the story, that’s when I know that I am going to have a great game experience playing that particular title. Japanese talking too! So good. I will definitely give this a go.

nxcnudppp66t0buuz8l9

Crash Bandicoot – Release: 2017 TBA
Developers: Naughty Dog

Okay so, I am not gonna lie, my inner childhood is calling on me but seriously, why a remake? Why can’t they just make a new game? It’s been so many years Naughty Dog! Regardless, I am excited to play the three titles that they’re remaking so I am not gonna nag all the way.

Crash, Crash 2 and Crash Warped will be available for the PS4 in 2017 (TBA)

I hope you all enjoyed the show! I wish I could’ve been there myself like the pervious years. I was there when they first announced Final Fantasy 15 and when they mentioned Kingdom Hearts III (I almost cried, seriously) Speaking of Kingdom Hearts, I was expecting something this year but nada from Square Enix which was odd in my opinion.

Let me know what game you’re looking forward to play! 🙂

(Ps. to see more photos –> click on the title)

 

– Siara