Video Games to Play While Staying at Home

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With everything going on in the world right now, many of us have been stuck at home for a while now. There’s never been a better time to turn to entertainment and the arts for a much needed distraction. One of my biggest distractions has been video games. They’ve helped calm my mind and keep my sanity intact throughout the chaos. To that end, I’ll be sharing a list of great video games to play while self-isolating at home. Hopefully, they’ll keep you entertained! 

Final Fantasy XV

Photo from Square Enix North America Press Hub

Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One, PC, Stadia

In Final Fantasy XV, Prince Noctis and his friends embark on a journey to recover their capital’s throne and free their home from a malevolent empire’s rule. 

This game features a mostly open world environment, and with that, comes the potential for many additional quests and adventures. There’s so much to discover in the vast world of Eos, the amount of content is seemingly endless. With a wide variety of side quests, optional monster hunts, and dungeons to explore, it’s easy to sink lots of time into Final Fantasy. 

Plus, the story and its main characters are captivating. It’s very easy to become invested very quickly. It only took a chapter or two for the game to hook me in, and I never really lost interest in what was going on. The banter between Noctis and his friends is incredibly endearing, too. In my opinion, it was one of the best parts of the game.

Additionally, there are four DLC episodes you can purchase for Final Fantasy XV, and this adds on even more time to a playthrough. These extra stories are also interesting and fun to traverse through, offering more perspective on the other main characters. The base game is easily enough to keep any gamer occupied for hours, but the DLC creates even more value. 

Overall, Final Fantasy XV is a great video game to play during quarantine, due to its long runtime and high level of quality. It’s sure to keep gamers glued to their screens and their minds off other things. I’d highly recommend giving it a try while you have extra time at home! 

Nier: Automata

Photo from Square Enix North America Press Hub

Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One, PC

In a post-apocalyptic world, a combat android, 2B, is sent on a mission by her superiors to exterminate machines as part of a war between human-made androids and sentient machines. Along the way, 2B begins to learn more about her world and the truth behind it.

Set in a ruined, but sprawling world, there’s much to see and discover with Nier: Automata. At first glance, it seems like many of the game’s environments are just barren desert wastelands. However, some of these settings are actually quite beautiful and retain slivers of what they were like before the machine invasion. For example, there’s a forest area that is just gorgeous, rife with vibrant nature.

I found that all these environments were interesting to explore. I almost felt like an archaeologist, combing through the ruins and remains of a once bustling world. It’s both somber and hauntingly beautiful to see this. Likewise, Nier is a fairly bleak game, especially given the current situation. But, I think it also serves as a good reminder that we’re still blessed and have many things to be grateful for. Despite how scary the world is right now, at least that world is intact. 

Just like the large, lush environments, the plot of this game stretches over three separate playthroughs. It may seem as if the story is over once the first set of credits rolls, but there’s actually much more to experience. After the first part, there are two more with different characters. This system gives you added perspective on three important characters, and of course, it makes the total runtime quite long. In turn, it makes Nier: Automata a fantastic game for staying at home. 

The lengthy plot and expansive world of Nier make it a great way to pass the time and stay entertained during quarantine. Those aspects, along with the quick, action-based gameplay, will also keep most gamers engrossed until the entire story is revealed. Use some of your extra time to start this unique video game and unravel its branching story. 

Story of Seasons

Photo from XSEED Games

Platform(s): Nintendo 3DS

After applying for a position as a farmer, you arrive in Oak Tree Town, a small desolate town with barely any residents left. It’s up to you to restore the town to its former glory by making your farm the best it can possibly be. 

Have you ever wanted to try out farming? I can safely say that job has never appealed to me in real life. However, Story of Seasons greatly simplifies the farming process and puts fun twists on it. The gameplay mechanics also make it accessible for players of all ages. So, this is a great game for the whole family to play. 

Plus, you get to look at and care for adorable animals like cows, sheep, and even llamas. You can pet and brush them on a daily basis, as well. And really, what more could you ask for in a video game? The farming theme, cute animals, simple gameplay, and light soundtrack make this game incredibly relaxing to play. Right now, I think we could all use a little relaxation. 

Furthermore, this is the type of video game that has no definite end. There is always more to do on your farm, and even after you’ve accomplished all the story goals, there’s more to work towards. You can always work towards unlocking all items, animals, and crops. You can pursue eligible bachelors and bachelorettes in town and focus on starting a family. Truly, there’s no end to Story of Seasons and all that it offers. In fact, I’ve sunk 100 hours or so into my current farm, and I plan to return to it in the future.

We all need a bit of rest and relaxation right now, something to take our minds off all the chaos of today’s world. Putting time into a hobby you love is a wonderful way to do that. Story of Seasons is the perfect video game to provide you with hours upon hours of entertainment, fun, and relaxation. Let’s not forget the cute animals!

Yakuza

Photo by Toby Scully

Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One, PC, PS3 (for Yakuza 0)

The Yakuza series focuses on Kazuma Kiryu, a yakuza member of the Tojo Clan, as he tries to balance clan duties with other aspects of life. Eventually, he explores a different path of life in raising and caring for orphaned children.

To clarify, I’ve only played Yakuza 0, but I enjoyed it enough to include the whole series on this list. Overall, the series is made up of seven entries, with an eighth one on the way. As you can imagine, this makes Yakuza quite a time investment. Even completing just the story in each game, takes most people around 30-40 hours, and there’s a wealth of additional content to explore. Fully completing these games would probably take about 100 hours each. 

Aside from all the fast-paced fighting action that goes along with the story, the series has much more to offer. In Yakuza 0, you can fish, participate in toy car races, manage real estate, and sing karaoke to your heart’s content. That’s just scratching the surface of the available side quests and mini games. So, it’s safe to say that Yakuza has plenty to keep gamers engaged and playing. 

Moreover, this series maintains a balance between zany humor and somber situations. There’s the yakuza side of things, which is usually serious and somewhat dark. But, many of the side quests are ridiculous and result in absolutely bizarre moments. Some of the main characters are downright bizarre, as well. This delicate balance is part of what makes the Yakuza series so wholly enjoyable. In what other game can you beat a guy up with a traffic cone, then walk down the street and sing karaoke?

Yakuza is one of the most unique video game sagas I’ve ever encountered, and it truly deserves all the hype it receives. It has so much to offer players, including a fun, wacky escape from reality. And now would be a great time to start the series, considering how much time it takes up. If you’re going to play video games during this quarantine, Yakuza and its various iterations should be high on your list. 

Please feel free to let me know what you think of this list! Have you played any of these games? What do you think of them? And do you have any recommendations for other video games? Let me know in the comments below! 

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This post was my contribution to the Blog Brew collaboration for April. The Blog Brew is a group consisting of myself and nine other amazingly talented bloggers. Each month, we all create a themed blog post and post them to our personal blogs. The theme for this month was ‘staying at home.’ You can follow this month’s schedule, along with every participating blogger, at the links below! 

1st April –  Introduction over at https://perselem.blog

2nd April – Head over to https://talesofbelle.com

3rd April – Head over to https://mrssleejones.com

4th April – Head over to https://perselem.blog

5th April – Head over to https://mybreakingviews.com

6th April – Head to the above post! 

7th April – Head over to https://kirstymarie.co.uk

8th April – Head over to https://chimmyville.co.uk

9th April – Head over to https://wondererandtraveller.wordpress.com

10th April – Head over to https://themakeupbybeth.com

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