This post is currently [participating in the Nexon PEAK Post Challenge].

The first time I came across Saber from Fate was through a Mabinogi Online collaboration. To be honest, I only remembered it while digging back through old memories, so I ended up looking it up because I couldn’t even remember whether Fate was a game, an anime, or a comic series—but when I searched for Saber, all that came up was character information. Even so, I think that collaboration stayed with me because the character I encountered in Mabinogi Online was genuinely memorable.

If I’d known more about Fate, or if it had already been something I was familiar with, I think it would have been fun in a different way too. But even without really knowing it, I still remember how enjoyable it was to see a new character, a new world, and even the outfit design brought into the game and blended in so well. I went rummaging through my old blog files, but sadly I couldn’t find any screenshots from back then. So instead, while playing Mabinogi Mobile recently, I wanted to share a collaboration that left a strong impression on me—the one between my very first RPG, The Kingdom of the Winds, and Mabinogi Mobile.

The Kingdom of the Winds X Mabinogi Mobile

The Kingdom of the Winds was the very first RPG in my life. I remember the nations being split between Goguryeo and Baekje, and there being four classes: magician, warrior, priest, and rogue. That little dancing motion and the music—따라다라 다따 딴딴딴~—are still etched deep in my mind. I have all kinds of memories from it, of course, but the thing I missed most was the tavern. If you went on the weekend, you could buy dongdongju, and Walsuk would be there to greet you. The thatched-roof backdrop, the gourd, and that unmistakable The Kingdom of the Winds BGM still pull me right back to those days.

In the hunting grounds, the animal I hunted most was the squirrel. I’d collect acorns, sell them, and use the money to buy dongdongju. That was my main source of income, really. If another player got to the squirrel first, then I couldn’t catch it, so you had to move fast. Whenever I’d cleared out all the squirrels in one field and was stuck waiting, I used to shout, “Nexon, scatter some squirrels!”

In Mabinogi Mobile, when they collaborated with The Kingdom of the Winds, Tir Chonaill was transformed to feel like it had come straight out of The Kingdom of the Winds. It’s a shame I don’t have any screenshots saved. They also added the candles and bedding used in The Kingdom of the Winds tavern as decor items, so you could use them in My Home. And that phrase so many players used to shout in chat—“scatter some squirrels”—came back as a title.

MapleStory X Mabinogi Mobile

There was also a collaboration with MapleStory. MapleStory was a game I played for a little while in my teens. If The Kingdom of the Winds was a game where you moved east, west, south, and north, then MapleStory was all about moving left, right, jumping, and dropping down. Its cute chibi-style characters and bright, bouncy BGM were part of its charm. There were a lot of fun things in that MapleStory collaboration, but the part that stayed with me most was the transformation item.

Assassin’s Creed X Reverse: 1999

If I only talk about Mabinogi Mobile, it feels a little incomplete, so I also wanted to mention the Reverse: 1999 and Assassin’s Creed collaboration characters. Just like I knew absolutely nothing about Fate—the one that collaborated with Mabinogi Online, which I mentioned earlier—I also knew absolutely nothing about Assassin’s Creed. Honestly, I still don’t know much about it even now. But the characters I saw through its collaboration with Reverse: 1999 were incredibly charming. I don’t know what the original graphics are like, but the story and visual design as they were realized inside Reverse: 1999 were so much fun that it’s a little sad I can’t really recommend that section now that it’s passed. So instead, I thought I’d ease that disappointment a little by appreciating the character designs themselves.

I wish they’d do a collaboration like this.
Minecraft X Mabinogi Mobile

Minecraft is such a blocky little world. When I think back to how early Mabinogi also had a somewhat angular look, it really does feel like the two games could make for a fun collaboration. Of course, I’m not a Mabinogi Online player anymore—I’m a Mabinogi Mobile player now—so I do have a small wish that they’d do it in Mabinogi Mobile instead. I think it would be pretty entertaining to see blocky characters or even certain areas done in that style. Even blocky tree fruit would be fun.

So, those are some of the collaborations I’ve come across in games. I hope we keep getting even more fun ones in the future. And with that, I hope everyone reading this today has a happy day as well.