Taking part in the Nexon PEAK Post Challenge

If you had to pick your one “game of a lifetime,” what would it be?

For me, it’s honestly hard to narrow that down to just one~

But when I think about the games that really shaped my taste,

MapleStory, HoYoverse games, and Trickcal Re:VIVE are the first ones that pop into my head

MapleStory was the first RPG I ever got into as a kid,

and after that I started enjoying mobile games too, which led me to HoYoverse titles like Genshin, HSR, and Zenless Zone Zero

As for Trickcal Re:VIVE, I’m not usually that into characters with chibi-like proportions, so I only meant to give it a quick try,

but I ended up getting completely hooked, and now it’s still one of the games I actively play ㅎㅎ ... ... wallet, close your ears

So in this post, I want to lightly talk about why these games have stayed with me for so long and why I’d recommend them,

and what exactly makes me call each one a “game of a lifetime.”



ⅠTable of ContentsⅠ

① Why I picked these as lifetime games

② My lifetime game list

1. Why I Picked These as Lifetime Games

- My criteria for a “lifetime game”



To me, a game of a lifetime isn’t just

a game I happened to play for a long time,

but more a game that had a real impact on

my tastes or the way I think about games

Something like the criteria in the table below, basically

No.	Criteria	Meaning
1	Did it stay with me for a long time?	Is it the kind of game I still remember and want to go back to even after time passes?
2	Did it change my tastes?	Did it make me more interested in a certain genre, character type, or style of story?
3	Could I recommend it to someone in a full-on long post?	Does it have that “I could talk about this for an hour” energy?

When I thought about it using those standards,

Maple, HoYo games, and Trickcal Re:VIVE

were the first names that came to mind



First off, MapleStory wasn’t just my first RPG,

it was the game that taught me how fun character progression could be

└ I’m from this era.. ㅋㅋ



HoYoverse games taught me a lot about character presentation, story direction,

and how to make the connections between party members feel meaningful

Trickcal Re:VIVE was the definition of “I only meant to sample it, then I fell all the way in,”



and it was the game that made me think,

“Oh, so you can tell stories like this with tiny, adorable characters too.”

So this “lifetime games” recommendation post

isn’t really a “my longest-played games” ranking,

“ Games that made me explore my tastes
and that I want to keep enjoying for a long time ”

is closer to what I mean.

2. My Lifetime Game List

2.1 - MapleStory



“ The game that taught me why RPGs are fun ”



Back in the day, this was the game that first made me really feel the appeal of RPGs.

Making a character, choosing a class, leveling up, gearing up,

then moving on to a brand-new area...

whew...

Now, that kind of RPG flow feels familiar,

but the first time I took the boat to Orbis,





I was so scared that I’d hang out under the ship and watch Balrog the whole time

Back then, getting on that boat meant you were stuck there for at least 30 minutes

But now we live in a very busy modern world,

so 30 minutes just to ride a boat..? I’m getting lightheaded just imagining it;



If you want fast progression, you’re probably playing current Maple,

and if you want to revisit the old memories, you’re probably enjoying MapleLand,

something like that

I still think Maple is a game where

your growth is really easy to see

Monsters that used to be hard become easy to beat,

and bosses that used to take forever get faster as you upgrade your gear piece by piece

That feeling of visible progression is just really satisfying

And on top of that, you can customize your character’s appearance

however you want with cosmetic items

That, to me, is

MapleStory’s biggest charm

It doesn’t stop at just getting stronger,

it’s also the kind of game where you grow attached to a character you’ve poured time and effort into

So for me, Maple isn’t just a game I played for a long time,

it’s closer to the starting point that got me interested in RPGs as a genre

That’s probably why I was able to enjoy Lost Ark so much too

If I had to sum up the main reason I’d recommend it,

it’s that “you can feel the fun of raising a character and watching them grow over time in the most direct way possible.”



2.2 - HoYoverse Games



“ The games that got me hooked on character and story presentation ”



If Maple taught me the fun of RPG progression,

then HoYo games made me think, “Yep, this is how

subculture games should be presented!”

The ones I’ve especially stuck with for a long time are Genshin, HSR, and Zenless Zone Zero.

Of course.. I’m planning to play Anima and other HoYo games that come later too..



In my case, I actually started Genshin because I’d finished Zelda

and didn’t have anything else to play, but either way, the field exploration was a lot of fun

And so was setting off elemental reaction synergies between characters



For HSR, it was the character arcs and story presentation..

I still can’t forget that train sequence in Penacony.





With Zenless Zone Zero, even if you’re not amazing at action controls,

the combat presentation still makes you look like you are, and that felt incredibly satisfying.

And if you have another character from the same faction in your party,

you get extra dialogue and little touches like that, which really makes

putting a party together feel rewarding

One thing I really felt while playing HoYoverse games

is that collecting characters isn’t just about pulling whoever has the best performance

For the record, I own Varka and Mydei.

You come to like a character through the story and presentation,

and then you build attachment by actually playing them yourself—

I really liked that structure.

So I’d recommend HoYoverse games

to anyone who loves getting immersed in characters and worldbuilding

2.3 - Trickcal Re:VIVE



“ I started casually, and now I’m already neck-deep in it

A swamp-like collection RPG (Positive) ”



The last game I want to recommend

is Trickcal Re:VIVE.





At first, because of the cute art style and light vibe,

I thought it would just be an easy, comfy game to play

But... once you actually get into it, you start growing attached to every character,

and the events and dialogue have this very specific Trickcal flavor,

so before you know it, you keep sticking around

What I especially liked is that Trickcal doesn’t use “cuteness” as just a pretty surface-level thing

The characters are cute, but their settings or dialogue are a little loose-screw in the best way,

and the event atmosphere changes in unique ways depending on the characters, so it really sticks with you.





Please watch this even if it’s only the YouTube edition..

I cried watching it.. ha..

So I’d recommend Trickcal Re:VIVE to anyone

who wants a collection RPG that starts out light

and slowly pulls you into its characters and atmosphere.

What lifetime game

would you want to recommend to someone else?

Alright, I’ll wrap things up here for today.

I’ll be back next time with another story (๑>؂•̀๑)