After an impactful experience I often enjoy, and sometimes require, some sort of cooldown or recovery period. A chance to breathe and really process the experience. This could range from a major life event to a particularly impactful experience in fiction. Anything from a change in the family, an impactful movie, a memorable vacation, or a moment in a video game.

The anime community is familiar with this idea, an entire genre exists in fact. “Iyashikei” (healing or healing type) is a term used to describe a show or movie that uses characters or story moments that have a calming or soothing effect on the audience. This is usually seen as a sub-genre of the “Slice of life” genre. Shows that focus on day to day life or more simple down to earth stories that are more relatable to the audience’s real experiences. Think Bob Ross or Mr. Rogers for some more western examples. 

Often people will seek out these shows, whether it be in response to specific life troubles or something as simple as a means of recovering from stressful or traumatic experiences. Even if these experiences are merely media they have consumed. 

Earlier this year I was in one of these recovery periods, and I found myself experiencing something similar to the effects of one of the prior mentioned “healing” shows. I started a game called Pacific Drive, a survival crafting game in which you drive an old station wagon through an exclusion zone full of various anomalies akin to what you’d find in a Control, SCP, or S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game. Roadside Picnic fans this one is up your alley. Bleak and intense as it sounds not every moment is action packed or running for your life from indescribably monsters and navigating constantly altering landscapes.

<My trusty Remnant from Pacific Drive>

While driving the rust bucket of a vehicle you’ll find yourself in long quiet stretches of road. These calm moments are where I was able to zone out, digest, and really ruminate on things. While the game does have specific linear narrative and characters within it to interact and receive information from, the amount of solitude you are granted vastly outweighs these moments. Especially if you’re like me and slide off the road or otherwise damage your vehicle, requiring more time gathering materials for repairs and the next venture into the “zone”.

At that basic description you would assume I would always focus on the road and its hazards at all times while playing, constantly on alert looking for useful items or hazards to avoid. However, more often than not my mind was elsewhere. Taking in the landscape around me, light rain hits the windshield as the game’s beautifully crafted and poignant soundtrack plays on the radio. Naturally the question would be something like “Damn Phil what kind of crazy life changing event had you so zoned out in such a way”?

Well, prior to exploring the previously mentioned Roadside Picnic-esque driving simulator that is Pacific Drive, I played a game called 1000xResist. An indie title that has had such a profound effect on me I cannot help but think about it daily even after over half a year since completion. It’s a title that I have so much I want to say, or rather want to be able to say, that I worry I may never be qualified enough to do so. It carries so many themes and aspects that resonated with me on a personal level I feel any attempt at conveying how much it meant to me would fall short. I’m still trying though, look forward to it…eventually…probably.

<From the cryptic opening to 1000xResist>

The only connective tissue these two titles have is they share some ground in the Sci-Fi genre, however both are pretty light on those elements. 1000xResist in a rough pitch being a game set in the far future on a colony of clones in the aftermath of a global alien invasion. If you think I gave away too much, trust me that well goes far far deeper. 

It wasn’t until a few days after completing Pacific Drive that I fully grasped how much of my time with it was just processing 1000xResist. Initially I was concerned I was not giving this cooldown game the attention it deserved. After thinking about it the last few months it has actually made me grateful for the help it gave me. Don’t get me wrong, Pacific Drive is an incredibly interesting and relatively novel premise and execution of a survival craft formula and stands on its own as a great experience. My own time with it just had a little something extra on top of it. 

<Much like the characters in 1000xResist, time to process was needed>

As I said, the impact 1000xResist has had on me is one that brings it to mind still to this day. If I didn’t have such a calming and accessible space to process after completing it I worry how much of that would have been lost or missed.

I was able to go on my own road-trip to clear my head in a way, and really nail down how I felt about this other game that I…still don’t have the words exactly. Again coming soon…probably. Go play 1000xResist.