While there’s really no bright side to the pandemic, at least we have video games to keep us entertained through isolation. I’ve been intrigued by Animal Crossing, a franchise I’ve never gotten into before, despite the fact that it appears similar to games I absolutely adore–Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons, to be specific. I’ve seen some amazing screenshots of Animal Crossing lately, of people holding graduation ceremonies, weddings and even business meetings inside the adorable world of humanoid animals. It looks super cute and I admit that I’m tempted to try it out, but I fear that if I sold my soul to Tom Nook, I’d never free myself from the Animal Crossing world again.

That’s not to say I’m not feeding my video game addiction during quarantine. In fact, I’m using two to help retain my sanity without giving up too much of my writing time and one might surprise you. The one that probably comes as no surprise is the Final Fantasy VII Remake. I played the original through multiple times and I’ve been looking forward to the promised remake for near on a decade and, you guys–I am NOT disappointed. It’s not the same game it was 23 years ago and I’ll admit, that threw me at first. But the characters are as charming as ever with more depth, motivation and fun. The graphics are gorgeous and don’t even get me started on the music. For me, FFVIIR-2 can’t come fast enough.

The other game I’ve been playing is one I haven’t heard much about, but I certainly enjoy it. I used to be a big fan of the Wii Fit Plus game back on Nintendo WiiU, and before that Wii Fit on the Nintendo Wii. So when I heard the Switch was getting a fitness game, I was pretty excited. I guess I was expecting a rehash of the minigames of the Fit games, but Nintendo’s Ring Fit Adventure game is so much better! It’s an actual RPG that you run, jump and fight your way through. It’s WAY over the top on the goofy side–I mean, the main antagonist is a buffed-out dragon wearing spandex–but it’s still a lot of fun and yes, the workouts WILL make you sore. This game is perfect for staying active during quarantine. You can even set it to give you workout reminders at specific times. You can customize your workouts or just play along with the story, it’s all good fun and it can be challenging or mildly active, depending on how you like to play it. If you were looking for a fun, active game to play during shelter-in-place, this might be just what you’re looking for.

What is everyone else playing out there? Any recommendations for me after I beat FFVIIR on hard mode?