I don’t know the exact year i started playing Perfect World, but i know for sure that it was during a time when games weren’t just fun. They were refuges. Places where you could get lost, but also find yourself. And Perfect World was, for me, one of the most powerful.
I clearly remember the login screen. The static background, the simple buttons, but especially the music. A calm, almost hypnotic soundtrack that made you feel like you were about to enter a parallel world. It wasn’t just a soundtrack – it was a state of mind. And yes, even now, years later, I still listen to those soundtracks. I find them on YouTube, put them in the background when i work, and it’s like i’m teleporting back. Not into the game, but into myself, into who i was then.
Perfect World wasn’t recommended to me by any friend and i didn’t see it in any commercial. I found it by chance, during a time when i was looking for something different. I was browsing obscure forums, downloading demos, testing everything i could find. And one day, i came across a screenshot of a character flying above a suspended city. I didn't know what game it was, but the image caught my eye. I searched, found the name, installed the client... and from there it all started.
It wasn't just the graphics. It was the atmosphere. It was the feeling of entering a space that was unlike anything else. And before i knew it, i started spending hours there. Not for the grind, not for the competition. But for the feeling i had when i was flying, when i was exploring, when i was listening to the music and getting lost in the landscapes.
What attracted me to Perfect World? The freedom. At a time when most games kept you grounded, here you could fly. Not just running or fighting – you could soar above mountains, explore suspended cities, get lost in landscapes that, at the time, seemed incredibly detailed. You chose a race, a class, a name – and the story began. I was always drawn to the Winged Elves. There was something noble about them, something special. Their city, Plume, was like an oasis suspended in the sky. And there, in that virtual space, i felt like I could breathe differently.
Perfect World also had a system of Territory Wars – massive battles between factions. I wasn’t always on the front lines, but i loved watching how they unfolded. It was a living world, with real players building alliances, strategies, rivalries. But what i liked most was the controlled solitude. You could be part of a community, but also retreat, explore alone, make your own path. And that mattered a lot to me.
After i gave up on the game, after the PC i was playing on was gone, after the account was probably deleted… the music stayed. And not just as a memory. As a connection. When i listen to it, i don’t just think about the game. I think about myself, who i was then, how i saw the world. How a simple game could provide me with a state of balance, of escape, of inspiration. It wasn’t about leveling up or gear. It was about the atmosphere, about the rhythm, about the time spent there.
Perfect World is no longer in my life as an active game. But it’s present in me as an experience. As a memory that hasn’t faded. Like a world that, in a way, was more perfect than the real one. And maybe I’ll never play it again. But I won’t forget it either.
And yet… If i reinstalled the game today, would i still feel the same way? Would the music still vibrate in me? Or maybe that world was just perfect for who i was then?
And you? Have you ever had a game that stayed in your mind, even after you left it behind? A digital universe that changed the way you feel, think, or dream? If so… do you still carry it with you? Or have you closed it for good?