N64 Connoisseur

1 More Castle Behind the Gaming: Glover Part 1

Known now as a classic platformer on the Nintendo 64, the story of Glover is not as cut and dry as many other games of that time. While the game itself featured a fun and original story, the true story, no matter how fictional, is what occurred behind the scenes. Join us for this rollercoaster of a story as 1 More Castle takes you behind the gaming.

On a mid-September morning in the mid 80’s, proud parents Helping Hand and Minnie Left welcomed twins into the world, Glover and Cross-Stitch, as the first of many children for the couple. From day one it seemed as though the twins would be destined for greatness, appearing together in baby clothing catalogues, fashion magazines, and even a guest spot on popular children’s show Sesame Street.

“It was not your normal childhood,” remarked Glover in a candid one-on-one interview. “We had everything and we had nothing all at the same time. For a while you couldn’t look at a pair of hands that me and my brother weren’t on. It seemed like we were the luckiest gloves in the world, you know? Try being six years old and working seven days a week, constantly having your picture taken, not getting to go to school and make friends. My brother and I, we didn’t even have a childhood, you know? How lucky does that sound?”

“My boys, I was always just so proud of them,” bragged Helping Hand. “I knew from day 1 (takes drink from brown paper bag) DAY EFFING 1 that those boys would be special. They weren’t going to be stuck peddling a box of cheeseburger flavored poison. Those boys were gonna be bigger than that. Bigger than all of us! That’s all I ever wanted for them. I just wanted them to make it, to be somebody; somebody I wasn’t glove enough to be.”

The lifestyle and the schedule that came with it would take a toll on the brothers. Cross-Stitch soon developed a starch addiction that tore the family apart.

“You never want that for your baby,” sobbed Minnie Left. “I just wanted the best for my boys. I couldn’t accept that he was hooked on the stiffies (street name for starch) and I made excuses for him. I’d say he was just stressed or he needed a break or anything I could think of to avoid the truth. I thought I was protecting him, but I was just enabling him.”

The brothers got their much needed break from the road as Cross-Stitch entered rehab and successfully completed his treatment  He credits the support of his twin brother for his success in the program.

“I would be dead today if it wasn’t for Glover,” said Cross-Stitch with a dead gaze in his eyes. “He called or showed up every single day. He asked how I was, he was there for me. He cared. He gave me something to fight for. THAT is a brother.”

Soon, Cross-Stitch was sober and on his fingers again. The brothers got a job helping a wizard in a magical kingdom. It wasn’t the spotlight they were accustomed to, but it was honest work and the brothers thrived.

“Those boys were the hardest working gloves I’ve ever seen,” remarked the wizard. “Before they came along, I couldn’t conjure a simple spell of HP regeneration. Two days after they started, I created a potion that gave me the power to produce any baked good by simply touching a plate. I gained so much weight, I had to have them both let out so I could fit my hands in them. Then, they helped me come up with this potion that got me free cable. We watched so much HBO! The best thing they helped me do, though, was to build this castle and get these seven crystals put up. You see, those crystals are what protect the kingdom. Yep, me, Glover, and Cross-Stitch, we were on top of the world. There was no stopping us…”

No stopping them, except for unforeseen tragedy.

Next time, in the second part of this 1 More Castle Behind the Gaming, the story of how a simple potion error almost ended not just lives, but an entire kingdom.