Final Fantasy

At the back of my drawer I fished out a small plastic game cartridge and held it in my hand, staring. I've had it since 1992, when the ancient 4-bit black-and-white Gameboy first took the world by storm.

Printed simply on blue background were the words "Final Fantasy 2", the "t" being replaced by a gilded sword. All through the years I've been a fan of RPG's, not to mention the FF series, noting those mind-blowing breakthroughs in 3-D rendering and sound on all the various systems.

But to me, nothing comes close to the completeness and emotional intensity of this humble Gameboy game. For hours on end I followed my character's search for a missing father across continents and worlds, and to this day, I am haunted not only by that perfect story, but by its ridiculously heart-rending polyphonic music.

It is embarassing to be able to hum every single tune from a computer game you played during your childhood 15 years ago, but there are just some things you simply cannot grow out of. Funny then, how central to the story's theme was the character's necessary coming of age.

I dusted the cartridge and replaced it in the drawer, not for the first time, unable to bring myself to throw it away.