Mothergamer Plays Detroit: Become Human

I had gotten Detroit: Become Human for free, but never got around to playing it until recently. I had played Beyond Two Souls so had an idea of what to expect with the gameplay. The introduction to the story was interesting because it shows several different android characters that are part of the story, the first being Connor who is a police investigator android, working with a human detective, Hank Anderson who hates androids. They work together to try and figure out why there is an outbreak of deviants, androids who are breaking their programming. Detroit is a slow burn because it is about the story as it switches between the android characters of Connor, Markus, and Kara.

Kara looks out the window. 

There are different scenarios for each character and you have a short time to make a decision for each path of said characters, some of them life or death decisions. It also decides what kind of person each individual will be, based on their choices. The overall idea is the same for each, exploring what it means for these androids to be human and there are several different paths they can take to figure that out. 

Markus is introduced.

The thing is for me personally, I really liked the story path for Markus to a degree. It seems to never bring up Markus's blackness as he leads the revolution demanding equality for androids. Maybe they thought it didn't matter, but it does considering the years of systematic oppression and racism black people have faced, important issues that are shown in Markus's story. It feels ignorant and does a disservice to black culture and history. While I am aware that Detroit: Become Human is a couple of years old, in the wake of Black Lives Matter and the constant issues that black people and people of color face every day, the flaws in this story chapter stand out. There was a moment in the game early in his story that I liked where there was a discussion about art with the man he is a caretaker for and Markus gets to create some beautiful art himself based on the choices picked in his path. It was a simple, beautiful moment exploring what it is to be human and figuring out ones individuality. 

Markus discusses art. 

I admit Kara's story frustrated me a great deal because she is the only female character and the way they just seem to gloss over the fact that she and the child she cares for are victims of domestic abuse is quite troubling to me. In some regards Kara's story path feels rather short and it's disappointing because I liked Kara and her love for the little girl Alice as she did everything in her power to protect her. I felt like the story for Kara should have been stronger, but I did like her and I appreciated what the story was trying to do. Throughout all of these paths, Connor is the one constant because he's working with Anderson to solve this case and there are some areas where he goes that are very pretty and detailed like the garden where he reports his progress to his boss. 

Connor in the garden. 

I love Clancy Brown and I thought he did a good job in the role of Anderson. The interaction between Anderson and Connor as they work together offer some thought provoking conversations about decisions Connor has made and what makes a person human. There is also a great scene where Anderson finally reveals why he hates androids and if certain choices are made Connor and Anderson can eventually become friends. There are a variety of paths you can take based on the decisions you make in the game, but you only have a split second to decide. This is where quick time events come in and frankly I do not like quick time events because sometimes I would mess up and pick the wrong thing and then have to reload my last save and start over. Don't get me wrong. I don't mind quick time events in moderation, but there are so many quick time events in Become Human that it could get a little frustrating. 

Connor and Anderson working together. 

I feel that Connor's story works on many levels because the feelings of being other are handled in a thoughtful and subtle way and Connor's story felt the strongest because of how minimal his interaction with the other androids is. I just wish Markus and Kara had gotten that same thoughtfulness. This does not mean I did not like the game, because I did enjoy the overall story and I appreciated what they tried to do. I also found it interesting that you can replay through each chapter and make different choices which affect the ending for each character. Detroit: Become Human is a solid game, with some great voice acting and good characters. However, I do feel that the discussions about race and bigotry should have been handled better in a way. I am glad I played the game for myself to see what it was all about. 

Markus in the final chapter.

*Detroit: Become Human is available to play on the following platforms: Playstation 4, PC

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Mothergamer Plays Trials Of Mana

I had played the original Trials Of Mana long ago and I was looking forward to playing the remake. The first thing I noticed when I started the game is how crisp and pretty everything is. The music for the game is great as well and you can switch between the modern soundtrack or the original game soundtrack. When you start the game you have six main characters to choose from. You can choose a main character and then two companion characters. Each one has their own fighting style so it's a good idea to pick a balanced team based on what you want for your fighting style. There are many different combinations of teams to choose from and depending on who you choose for your team you will get different origin stories, villains, and relationships between the characters. This gives you a lot of great replay for the game so you can see all the different paths. I personally went with Hawkeye as my main character, then picked Riesz and Kevin as my companions to round out my party.

Hawkeye was my main character. 

Once I had my party chosen, I was ready to start the adventure. Hawkeye is on his own at first so you can see his origin story and get an introduction to the villain of the story. He meets the other two companions later and when this happens, they share their origin stories. You get to play as the companions, but you don't really get to keep the items that you find during those chapters. It's essentially just for the purpose of getting to know your companions.

Riesz shares her story. 

Combat in Trials Of Mana is a lot of fun. Instead of the top down of the original, the remake has everything fully 3D and you can see enemies on the map so that you can attack them and enter battle. You have light and heavy attacks which you can chain together leading you to build up enough attack points for special ability area attacks. There are magic spells too of course for healing and attacks as well as items that can be used for healing, upping your defense, or increasing your attacks. Battles are fun and level grinding doesn't feel like a chore at all. Boss battles are epic and make you plan out your strategy and tactics. Another nice thing during battles is that you can switch freely between the characters in your party so you can unleash their special abilities or heal everyone in a pinch. My only real complaint was with the camera. The camera doesn't follow you and you have to spin it around so you can see and sometimes this gives you some really weird angles. That is one thing I wish I didn't have to worry about while I'm in the middle of a hectic fight with a boss. Saving your game is pretty easy with angel statues in various areas of the map and the game has an autosave feature too. 

Saving the game at a statue. 

The maps in Trials Of Mana are fairly linear and there's really not too much exploration in the towns. It's pretty much the main story quest and not a lot of side quests which isn't too big a deal because the game itself is charming and I found myself invested in the main story. It's simple and feels like a fairy tale, but sometimes simple is what works and with Trials Of Mana it works quite well. At level 18 you can change your job class and then you can change it again at level 38. You have the option between a light and dark class. Depending on what you want for your character and party you can decide which one you want. Each class has its own unique skills and abilities and when you decide their armor changes as you upgrade. 

Choose between light or dark class. 

There is one fun little mini game throughout the game involving a creature called Li'l Cactus who is a little cactus with a flower on its head. The challenge is to find it in various areas on the map and every time you find it you receive a stamp proving that you found it. After a certain number of stamps you receive a reward such as extra items or discounts at the shops in town. I became obsessed with finding Li'l Cactus on every map because often it was in the last place you would think to look. It's weird, but I always felt excited every time I found this cute cactus and was having fun searching everywhere. 

Oh look! I found Li'l Cactus!

There's no fast travel in the game which can make traveling back and forth a bit tedious, but that changes once you get tools you can use for summoning various creatures to help you get around faster by sea or air. The story in Trials Of Mana is essentially the same as the original, just with updated gameplay and graphics. There is a new game plus which gives you all your abilities, points, and items. If you pick the same party that you started with you get some extra chapters with them and they're at their current levels, but if you pick an entirely new party all your items carry over. It adds to the replay factor and the game leaves it entirely up to you to decide. Trials Of Mana is a good game and it's fun to play because of it's JRPG charm and some smart choices on updating the game with a modern feel. It appeals to us older gamers who remember the first one and introduces the next generation of gamers to a new story that is interesting and a game that offers some solid gameplay. 

Flying around the world on a dragon. 

*Trials Of Mana is available to play on the following platforms: Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC

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