Starting a new game is one of the great pleasures of gaming. You get the chance to explore a whole new world. Of course, this can also be a daunting experience. Ever since I beat God of War: Ragnarok a few weekends ago, it’s been tough to choose where I’d like to go next.

My backlog consists of so many games — games I have yet to download, games I bought on sale, games that I was given review codes for (don’t worry publishers, I’m always working on my backlog of games to review). After God of War: Ragnarok I went in a different direction. Instead of looking for a brand new experience, I searched into my gaming past for those games I had abandoned midway through — games I have yet to beat.

At the moment, I am [re]playing three games: Final Fantasy VII Remake (PlayStation 5), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo Switch), and Metroid Dread (Nintendo Switch). Once I get through these perhaps it will finally be time to start something new, maybe Horizon: Forbidden West.

Game #1: Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS5)

The first game I started after God of War: Ragnarok was Final Fantasy VII: Remake. I have always been a fan of the music of the Final Fantasy series — and I will dive more into that after I attend the Crystalline Resonance: FINAL FANTASY Piano Concert next month — but I have always been hesitant about the games.

A few years ago, I finally began my journey into the original Final Fantasy VII (Nintendo Switch port), after knowing so many people who declare that as their number one favorite game of all time. This was also once the remake had been announced, and I wanted to experience the original (at least part of it) beforehand to be able to compare the two. I also started the remake on PlayStation 4, when it was FREE on PS Plus, and I didn’t make it very far.

I decided it was time to restart the game from the beginning. On PlayStation 5, I wanted to experience the remake in all of its next-gen glory, and it does look beautiful.

Game #2: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo Switch)

The second unfinished game I started was Breath of the Wild on Nintendo Switch. The first announcement of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel, Tears of the Kingdom, was a wake up call reminding me it was almost time to finish Breath of the Wild. With the latest trailer I decided it was now time to fully jump back in.

I haven’t played The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in about two years, and I have been stuck on my third divine beast ever since then. A friend and I have talked about restarting Breath of the Wild and exploring each area of the map to the fullest before unlocking new areas. In our initial playthroughs, we both immediately found all of the towers to unlock the entire map, making it harder to choose what to do next.

*Side Quest #1: Any time I wonder if I should restart a game that I’m already about halfway through
I first think, it would be nice to start over in this world with the knowledge I have now.

Next, I immediately think of all of the hard boss fights and puzzles I’ve already solved
and immediately change my mind. I’ve always wanted to play Cuphead on console
(PlayStation or Nintendo Switch), but then I think of the levels I have already beaten
on PC and think that’s a terrible idea.

I made a gutsy choice with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and I decided to restart my journey. The game immediately asked if I wanted to “overwrite save data?” and I answered “Yes!” I played for about an hour, and learned that if I never manually saved anything I would still be able to access my old save. I decided that once I got the feel for the controls back it would be time to jump back into my divine beast save — I’m still stuck there.

*Side Quest #2: The scary part of jumping back into a game you’ve already started is always ,
Will I remember how to play? Countless games start off simple, but continue to add new skills
and combinations as you go. Jumping back in after months is sometimes not that easy.

Of course, there are some games that you just remember how to play, while others are more
complicated. I don’t make it very far when I jump into many unfinished games, because I
just can’t get a handle on the controls and gameplay.

Game #3: Metroid Dread (Nintendo Switch)

This is the game that I’m the most invested in right now. I don’t really know how far along I am in Metroid Dread, but I have unlocked a good amount of four different maps. There are also many closed off spots, but after learning one or two new skills I will finally have access to many new areas.

When I first jumped back into Metroid Dread, I was a bit lost. I began re-exploring areas I had already tried to explore. It wasn’t until a few days in that I began unlocking new sections of the map. I am either very close to the end of this game, or incredibly far away from ever beating this game. Either way, I love it and I’m really enjoying it once again.

*Side Quest #3: Ever since I got my hands on my Nintendo Switch (a few months after launch),
I’ve become obsessed with so many Metroidvanias. The thing is I had never
completed an actual Metroid game. The closest I had come was playing some
of Metroid: Samus Returns on my nephews Nintendo DS a few years ago.

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My main focus now is to complete these three games — also to continue playing and sharing about some of those backlog review games. Once I make it through these three games I’m sure I will be willing and ready to start a brand new experience, but until then it’s time for some UNFINISHED GAMES.