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(A personal message that ties heavily with the game; spoilers heavily implied throughout)

I miss my best friend so, so much...

They were from an MMORPG, and lived a thousand miles away from me. I dont know if I ever actually knew the real them, even after a decade. But the times we shared, the shared experiences of joy and sorrow, anger and frustration and more... At least to me, those felt real enough. Even if I didnt always understand them, I always did my best to let it go and accept it. To listen, to be supportive, to be a friend despite the troubles.

But at some point, the misunderstandings led to distrust and became more than I could bear. Before I knew it, we'd drifted too far apart to truly reconcile, no matter how much I wanted to. I tried everything I could think of, and was willing to put in any amount of work or time to get back what I'd lost. But they'd changed too much; the person I'd called my best friend was no more, and at some point, I was forcing my hopes on somebody else entirely.

At multiple points playing this game, I was bawling my eyes out. The relationship between Mark and his friends, from the uncertainties and misunderstandings to the joking and closeness with peers, to the late night texting and spontaneous moments of fun; they were all a mix of relatable and joyfully nostalgic. The struggles with family and personal loss, the confusion and miscommunication and false assumptions, the belief that what you're doing is right and things will end up for the better because of your efforts, only for everything to fall apart... aside from the setting, just about everything hit close to home for me.

I might not have felt like the weight of the world was bearing down on my shoulders, but damn if I didn't empathize throughout Mark's tribulated journey. I wish I'd had a fraction of the growth and learnt the same lessons growing up; maybe then, I'd have been able to accept that a part of understanding someone is knowing that you'll never be able to understand all of them. And that's okay! As long as you both try and can keep going, there's no reason to let that get in the way.

Maybe it had to do with what happened with my best friend, but while I saw the game's ending from half a mile away, that didn't lessen how it landed, nor how hard it hit. After all, what's the point in saving the world if you have to sacrifice the biggest reason you were trying to save it in the first place for?

I needed this game. Even if you don't think you do, please get it and see Mark's journey to the end. It reminded me that even if someone you cherish is gone from your life, gradually or suddenly, and it feels like everything is over... you'll wake up the next day to find that the world has not ended quite yet. It might feel cruel, and you might feel lost, but you can and must keep going. For the ones who helped you thus far, for the ones still with you now, and for the ones you're sure to meet and help someday in the future. Until then... keep running towards tomorrow, until you can find yourself and that spark once again. I'll do my best to do the same. I hope we meet again, some day...