Games of 2026 - #8 Linda³ Again
Now we're talking. The 1997 Playstation version of this JRPG got a fan translation in 2024. Here is a good interview with those responsible. If you have any interest in weird old shit you gotta play this one. And here, watch the intro of the game as well.
Yes, the planet will be destroyed in a few years, and while the population is evacuated the two young pilots Ken and Linda must gather pairs of God's freaky creatures for a space ark. Cramming animals into their storage pods is perhaps the most humane things to do with them in this world. There are no veils drawn across the extensive use of meat and gristle - a slaughterhouse, a wall of cages in every town. You can sell animals as they are or process them into food or equipment, tame them for combat, or bring them to your local 'ripper' to see what treasures may be found amongst their guts. The only thing that isn't rewarded is wasteful brutality - doing too much damage results in the animal being obliterated rather than captured, providing one of the few points of combat strategy in the late game as you try to mitigate your levelled strength to take your prey alive.
This spiky backbone provides the societal structure, supporting two delicious flanks of narrative meat. Scenarios A and B are separate selections from the main menu, with entirely different but equally exciting stories. The game has an admirable refusal to lapse into predictability - so much that the opening section (Ken waking late in his mother's house and being rushed out to volunteer for the pilot position) is a little joke on standard set-ups we can share. By the time a creepy masked Santa delivers a cryptic message and your commander leaves a panicked voicemail about everyone in Linda's home town disappearing overnight, you understand this will not be a rote adventure. Every phonecall portends some sudden swerve - kidnaps, assassinations, conspiracy, clones, mutants, the evil girlboss plans of the CEO of perpetual Christmas town. Below it all, the mysteries of the planet itself - and above it all, of course, love.
Then there's scenario C, in which you have to gather 100 different species for the ark - a significant increase on prior requirements. This gives an initial thrill as you lock in to a speedrunner routing mindset, planning efficiently to collect animals on your way to open a chest you remember, drop some eggs off to incubate, see if you're strong enough to tame a wolf companion yet. It's a pleasant rhythm, and forces you to engage with the more obtuse ways of making certain animals appear whether by season or circumstance.
Unfortunately there's no central plot in scenario C - instead you get a series of small, timed side-quests for minor characters. It's certainly nice to get to know everyone better, and learn details that only drifted lightly in the background during the previous scenarios. But the big story moments are sorely missed - and their accompanying anime cutscenes even moreso. The overall experience of the game ends on this low-key, slightly underwhelming note - if an effectively sombre one. As the years pass and you toil in your duties, the citizens really do evacuate the planet in drips and drabs, leaving homes and towns abandoned, shops and services simply unavailable. A ghost world, waiting to die.
I do believe if all three scenarios were somehow rolled into one singular experience the game would be much stronger for it. And while I'm complaining - it's rather plain to look at outside of the animal designs and animated scenes. And it sure would be nice if Linda was actually in the game more as well.
But - as it is, merely an incredibly incredibly good video game that I will recommend to everyone at every opportunity and be really annoying about. We love those.
I also highly advise keeping this extensive play-through bookmarked, not only for hints you will almost definitely need but the fantastic art from the game guide and artbook which wrap up each section.
