Retro Reflections: Milon's Secret Castle
The first game console that I ever owned was a Super Nintendo. I only had a hand full of games at the time so they ended up leaving a pretty big impression on me. Games like Super Mario World, Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure, and Super Star Wars would forever lead me down the path of gaming that I ended up on. The next console I got was a Nintendo 64 and a similar thing happened. It ended up being a very intimate and personal experience I had with these games. It was this way with pretty much all of my console pick ups until I became a serious collector and spending time learning indivigual games got harder and harder. My last great expirience with this phenomena was when I found my Mother's original NES. With it were of course the vlassic titles: Tetris, Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt and The Legend of Zelda but most impactful to me was Milon's Secret Castle.
Perhaps the most incredible part of Milon is how it is unforgetable without being particularly memorable. Contradiction? Maybe, but it's hard to describe otherwise. The protagonist is pretty uninspired, the backgrounds are greens and browns and pretty ugly, and the enemys are nothing to write about (except I just did, weird). That being said this game got into my head. It's a labyrinth in the worst way. Things don't follow any sort of real logic and if you want to get anywhere substantial let alone actually beat the game a walk-through is required. So why did it impact me so? Well it's for the very last thing I just mentioned. Thrust into a world of complete mystery and secrets. Wandering around a strange landscape, lost and confused may sound annoying but in fact it ends up being theraputic almost.
In adulthood there's very little time for wonder and dreaming. In my childhood I often wanted to explore the woods around my grandparents house. Who knew what secrets or even horrors could be hiding in the shadow of the wood. At times it's fun to be confused or frighted, being lost and alone can be a thrill if given the right situation. It gives us a chance at a particular kind of freeness and oneness with the core fibers of being. That is the feeling that a blind play of Milon's Secret Castle most resembles. So if you have the chance take a moment and sink yourself into the pool of confusion and magic that is childhood adventure with Milon's Secret Castle.
