the Legend of Thomaselda

Now that I’ve been traveling again I realized something:

Traveling, including exploring cities, has some similarities with certain genres of video games. I came to this conclusion, when I was watching a video about Link and his adventures recently.

Let’s start with this: First you come in to a new town, which would be a new level, and you have no idea where you have to go (looking it up on google maps would be like cheating, and real gamer/explorer don’t do that!)
So you simply start walking until you find something that’ll help you. Sure you talk to people if they might help you but unfortunately these people habe no explanation mark above their head. Advantage for the real life, though, they don’t give you any annoying side quests.

So your first achievement would be to get a map to get yourself a view of the city. Luckily, most of the girls working in the tourist info don’t wear tall hats and have a long white beards … some of them seem better if they would.

Now, when you have a map, you can finally go and start your mission. I’d say the first level boss is to find a hostel with free beds.
And as life’s a bitch and video game developers hate you, sometimes it is not that easy. You finally find one but it’s either full, way to overprized or it’s after 10 pm and they are already closed (ever heard of service you guys?)
The search for accommodation sometimes feels like this:

In times like these you just want to quit … somebody might relate to this. But this is where winners are born. Either you keep looking for a place or decide to play expert mode and just sleep on a bench in the park. Sometimes certain side quests (here it would be Couchsurfing) are indeed helpfull.

So cheers. After a while you finally beat the first level/day and you can go on. Tough thing, isn’t it?
The next level starts and you need ressources like food, energy portions or sometimes better equipment. In Granada for example, it was way colder than I expected. Luckily I upgraded my equipment in the level before (Valencia) and could beat the second boss, the coldness.

After all this excitement you need a break. You spend the whole day in the bed and watch stupid youtoube videos or you find yourself reading about things to do, tips and tricks, reviews, read stories from behind the scenes and how everything started.

You wake up. It’s Saturday and you can’t wait to start the adventure again. Sure sometimes it gets boring as you have to walk to the other side of the map to get shit done only to find out it’s not as good as you thought it would be. Or you walk and walk and walk and walk and in the end you only find a hidden easter egg.

To be honest, there are lot’s of games and cities we all love and hate. The result of this is differences in opinion.
But what’s about all this if we can’t share it? That’s why you start playing in co-op mode. The 2nd player can be the funny guy with beard and beer or the cute chic you have a little travel crush on.
Or you just start a multiplayer game and have a whole crew to beat it.

In the end you always got a time related level. As you booked the bus to the next city in advance (because it was cheaper) you see yourself on the last day realizing that you’re running out of time.
There’s still plenty to see and to do. You try and try. If it were a game this’ll take at least 10 tries. I can say the less time I have the less interessting certain sights become. It’s a shame but that’s how it is.

After exhausting days without sleep, with lots of tears, blood, sweating and laughter, all this time it didn’t work out and your mother telling you to stop (can’t you see that this is fun!!??), you finally made it.
You’re sitting in the bus and watching the credits (looking at all the photos you took or writing your experience in your journal) while you see the background fading out.

Some might say so much money for all these troubles that could’ve been so easily avoided, what for? If you are one fo them I will tell you: you have to do it by yourself to understand.

…

Oh and what about the princess? Yeah, what about the princess. There has to be a princess. Or does it?
Well, I’d say the princess you’re chasing after is not always a girl. And to be honest, most of the time it’s the journey not the destination.