Mothergamer Plays Days Gone

 I got Days Gone as one of the free games with my PSPlus and I was curious about it because I had heard so many mixed things from people. Some liked it, some didn't, and some felt that it was a good game, but bland in some places. I started playing and one of the things I thought was good was the options for accessibility helping with the game controls to make the game a more enjoyable experience. Accessibility is important and I know for me with the arthritis in my hands, having controls I can manage really helps. You can choose the difficulty of the game based on what you're looking for. I tend to go for the easy/casual setting my first playthrough so I can just enjoy the story and see what the game is like so that's what I went with. 

Sorting out the accessibility controls. 

The premise for Days Gone is pretty easy to follow, you play as outlaw biker Deacon St. John in an open world post apocalypse complete with zombies, gangs, and feral wild animals. The story starts off intensely with Deacon, his wife Sarah, and his best friend Boozer attempting to flee the city as a virus known as the Hooligan Virus has devastated the world turning humans into violent zombies known as Freakers. They manage to find a helicopter run by the National Emergency Restoration Organization (NERO), but there is only room for two more. Deacon makes the decision to stay behind with Boozer who has been stabbed during the chaos and promises to reunite with Sarah later.

Deacon and Boozer.

The story moves ahead two years later with Deacon and Boozer working as mercenaries and Sarah is believed to be dead because the refugee camp she was staying at was overrun by Freakers. Deacon and Boozer make a plan to travel north searching for a better life. This is where the game really begins with a tutorial on how the inventory system works and what the user interface is like. I wasn't thrilled about going into a darkened highway tunnel, but I worked out what to do with the items and learned how to fight my first Freaker. Sam Witwer who does the voice acting for Deacon does a great job with the nuances of Deacon's frustration, anger, and playing it cool vibe when talking to Boozer. I like Sam Witwer a lot because he's incredibly talented and while there were some places where it felt a little odd for Deacon to be talking, he absolutely did great voicing Deacon. 

Boozer and Deacon explore a tunnel. 

Things take a turn for the worse when Boozer is attacked by a gang of cultists, the Rippers who burn Boozer's arm with a blowtorch. Deacon makes sure to get Boozer back to their safehouse and they find out the Rippers put a bounty on them. Deacon has to figure out how to get medicine for Boozer, avoid the Rippers, and also avoid all the Freakers that roam everywhere. This aspect of the game shows Deacon's motorcycle and how his bike is his constant companion. The motorcycle can make the difference between a lot of life or death situations with Deacon able to speed up and race through a group of Freakers or avoiding different gang factions. The controls for the motorcycle aren't great because sometimes it would fishtail all over the place making me crash the bike. I'm also very clumsy so it took me a bit to get used to it. Once I did, I found I liked riding the bike everywhere because there are some very pretty scenic forests and mountains  in Oregon which is where Days Gone takes place. I found myself stopping when it was safe to look around and appreciate the views. It was also interesting to ride the bike by areas that showed just how different the world had become with abandoned cars and houses.

Deacon drives through an abandoned highway.

There are three camps where Deacon can trade, get upgrades for his bike, and get fuel. In order to get these things, he has to do jobs for each camp in order to earn credits and be able to unlock certain upgrades for the bike and for better weapons. There are story locked missions with these camps too which also help Deacon earn trust with them and as part of the story Boozer does join Deacon later for some of these. Most of the side quests are interesting, but some feel a bit tedious because they're essentially fetch quests. Once you get them done you receive some pretty good rewards and you also are able to trade for even better items because the trust between camps and Deacon increases. You also are able to learn a bit of back story with a couple of the leaders of those camps and there was one that was my personal favorite because you got to hear why and how they eventually changed.

Deacon roaming the woods doing a job. 

There is very much a sense of danger and everything has the potential to kill you in Days Gone. I really hated going into tunnels or dark caves, because there was always a great chance that I was about to have something kill me whether it was a group of Freakers, wild animals, Rippers, or other gangs. There are quite a few parts of the main story that required me to go into dark tunnels or caves which heightened my spooky vibes a lot. 

We're going into the spooky tunnel with a blood trail? Oh, good.

Being sneaky and using stealth is a good idea in Days Gone because there are so many things that respond to the slightest sound. As Deacon levels up you unlock skills that enhance those abilities as well as increasing your inventory or being able to craft things like healing items. Salvage plays a big part in the game because everything can be used to make something that Deacon can use that increase his chances of survival. I also found that increasing his accuracy with weapons I used the most helped immensely. My personal favorite was the sniper rifle because I could take a lot of enemies out while hiding. Stealth became my best friend in this game. 

Deacon keeps his distance from Freakers.

The Freakers scared me. I learned very quickly that it was dangerous to travel at night because that is when they're most active. I also learned that I had to sneak anywhere that was a potential spot for Freakers to hang out like caves and barns. I was absolutely terrified of the hordes. A couple of Freakers are bad enough, but an entire horde with hundreds of Freakers is a damn nightmare. I died so many times to those as I tried to run, speed up the bike, or use every explosive I had. The Freakers are not slow shuffle zombies. They're fast, vicious, and will tear everything apart. It's not impossible to take down a horde, it just requires a lot of planning, strategy, and running, so much running. I was ecstatic when I took down my first horde because it was definitely not easy.

A Freaker up close. One is fine, but more is yikes.

The story itself for Days Gone isn't bad. I did like the interaction between Deacon and Boozer. You are able to see the close relationship they have not just as best friends, but as a dynamic where they consider each other brothers. I think that Boozer's more understated demeanor balances out Deacon's intensity and there are moments where there is a softening of Deacon's hard exterior when he talks to his best friend. There are story missions that have Deacon checking out the old NERO camps for supplies and also searching for answers. You're able to find tape recordings in some of these that unlock some of what happened at the start of the outbreak. There are also some required stealth missions with current NERO members where Deacon has to stealthily follow and eavesdrop on their conversations. I found these to be tedious and frustrating because the slightest mistake would cause me to fail it and I would have to start all over again. 

The story arc with the Rippers was intriguing, but I felt it kind of fizzled out at the end. That particular chapter could have been shorter. I think Days Gone could have had some better editing with certain chapters like this one that dragged on and felt like it was just there to add content to the game rather than adding to the story itself. Frankly, this chapter could either have been shorter or lifted out altogether. There is another story arc in a later chapter that I also felt this way about because it really felt like the game suffered from some overarching subplots that didn't need to be there. There are some characters that are really well thought out and there are others that don't fare well because they feel like cardboard cutouts that are just there as window dressing. 

This isn't to say I didn't like Days Gone because I did. Melee combat is a lot of fun and I found myself tinkering with different materials to make some brutal weapons for taking down Freakers. I also enjoyed tinkering with the different firearms and having some pretty souped up sniper rifles and explosives. All of those things could change the tide of a battle in some very cool ways. I also liked that there is a photo mode in the game and I spent a lot of time taking a lot of great picturesque pictures of the Oregon landscape. The music soundtrack in the game is beautiful as well and it was eerie how certain songs really fit particular areas that Deacon was driving through on his bike. 

Days Gone isn't a bad game at all, but it does suffer from an overextended story that could be reduced by a couple of hours if they had just cut out those two chapters that really do nothing for the story. There are some parts of the game that feel unfinished, and while I know Deacon was not really a good guy, I did like him because of Sam Witwer doing an amazing job bringing him to life. I'm glad I played it for myself and while it's not a perfect game, it's not completely terrible, and I did have fun playing it. 

Deacon takes a ride through the forest.

*Days Gone is available to play on the following platforms: Playstation 4, Microsoft Windows

*Join our community on Twitch as we play games and discuss mental health: https://www.twitch.tv/mothergamer

The Adventures Of Pirotess: Make It Rain Campaign Event 2021

 Summer is the time for the Make It Rain event in Final Fantasy XIV at the Gold Saucer. It's a nice break from the adventuring level grind and you get a new emote and a nice reward. The Make It Rain Campaign started July 19 and the last day for it is August 11. Just like every year with this event MGP are increased by 50% while it's running so it's the perfect time to play some of the games to get some extra MGP for yourself. The emote you can get this year is Vexed and this is the only time you can get the emote for free. In order to start the event, you need to head to Ul'dah, Steps Of Nald and talk to the NPC Ollier to receive the quest The Great Horn Heist.

Getting the quest unlocked.

Then you need to head to the Gold Saucer and talk to Ollier there to continue the quest about the mystery that only you the adventurer can help solve about the theft of a priceless object from the Gold Saucer vault. You will need to talk to the NPCs around Ollier first in order to unlock several clues. 

Questioning people at the Gold Saucer.

Frankly, it's a good idea to use a guide because the Gold Saucer is huge and the event doesn't really give you a good idea of who to talk to or where to go. There is an excellent guide on gameskinny.com that helped a lot which you can check out for yourself here: https://www.gameskinny.com/89cfx/ffxiv-make-it-rain-the-great-horn-heist-walkthrough

When you have all the clues you can return to Ollier and start talking to everyone about your findings. You need to carefully pick the conversation options based on the evidence you found during your investigation in order to complete the quest and watch the great cut scenes and conclusion to the mystery you helped solve.

Pirotess cracks the case! 

After this, look nearby for a quest called A Token Of Thanks and you will receive the Vexed emote. You can also purchase the Senorita Sabotender minion from the Campaign Attendant at the Gold Saucer. It costs 21,000 MGP. You can also get the cactuar stool and cactuar round table furniture items. 

The Senorita Sabotender is new this year. 

That's the Make It Rain Campaign event all wrapped up. Enjoy the new emote and minion on your adventures. Thanks for reading. See you at the next adventure! 

See you at the next adventure! 

*Final Fantasy XIV is available on the following platforms: PC, Playstation 4, Playstation 5

*Join our community on Twitch where we play games and talk about mental health: https://www.twitch.tv/mothergamer

Smashbomb Launches New Feature, Famous Favorites

 As many of you know I love Smashbomb because it is a great site that helps you discover new books, games, movies, board games, podcasts, and more through recommendations from friends and influencers on the site. It's free to use and you can review and recommend things yourself as well. The community is really friendly and I have discovered so many great books and games because of recommendations from the Smashbomb community. 

Smashbomb is pretty great. 

Now, Smashbomb has rolled out a fantastic new update on the site called Famous Favorites. Have you ever wondered what your favorite author's favorite book is or have you thought to yourself, I wonder what my favorite musician's favorite album is? Well, now you can find out on the Famous Favorites page on Smashbomb. You can see the favorites of many authors, musicians, actors, and more. You can also reward them with kudos points on their public profile page as well as leave comments on their recommendations. You can follow them too. They're a great addition to the Smashbomb community with over 200 public figures on Smashbomb already sharing their personal favorites. If you want to see it for yourself you can join Smashbomb and check it out here: https://smashbomb.com/favorite/famous-favorites

Smashbomb continues to add really cool updates like this one and always makes sure everything is running smoothly. Famous Favorites is great and for me personally, it's been interesting to see what are the favorites of my favorite public figures. Thanks for reading, see you at the next adventure!

*Come join our community on Twitch where we enjoy gaming and discuss mental health: https://www.twitch.tv/mothergamer

Saying Goodbye To Loki

 I wanted to do this for Loki the way we did for Sport. It's been a few days and I'm reminding myself to just breathe as I write this. July 13, 2009 we adopted a 9 week old mackerel tabby kitten. Our oldest niece brought him over explaining her apartment didn't allow pets. Ron joked that once I saw him, he'd live with us forever. He was right. I saw this little kitten march up to Sport who was curious about him and the tiny kitten let out a little hiss and booped Sport's nose. Sport backed up in surprise, but it made me laugh and I fell in love with that feisty kitten. We figured out that his birthday was May 9, 2009 and as I watched this kitten explore, play, and act like he owned the place right from the start, we decided that Loki was the perfect name for him. 

Loki at 9 weeks old.

Right from the start, it was clear Loki was going to do whatever he wanted to do. Sport was 8 years old when Loki became a part of our family so he was the big brother. At first, they didn't get along. Loki would boop Sport and Sport would chase him. Ron was the one who sat down with them and worked with them to help them get used to each other, explaining that we were pack, we were family. It took a bit of time, but eventually they accepted each other. Once they were okay with each other, they actually started playing together. Sometimes they would wrestle or run around the living room. A few times they both got scolded because they came racing through the kitchen and knocked me over! There were some funny moments where Loki wanted to play and Sport just wanted to relax and chew on his chew toy. Loki would pounce on him, chew on his ears, and would even try nomming the top of his head. Sport would just keep calm and ignore him which would frustrate Loki a lot. He would give up and just sit there watching Sport and after a while, he would just lie down next to him and go along with the chilling out session. 

Loki annoyed with Sport for not playing. -2010

Loki and Sport were always together. If I couldn't find Loki, all I had to do was look for Sport because they would nap together in Sport's bed or on the couch. They also really liked sitting at the window and watching outside. Loki would come outside with Sport sometimes and wander around with him. They weren't just brothers, they were best friends. Naturally, as Sport got older he moved a little slower and took more naps. Loki was happy to sit with his friend and nap with him or just sit with him at the window or outside. I think a part of Loki knew his brother was getting old so he didn't give him such a hard time about not having the energy to play. 

Sport and Loki hanging out together. -2013

When we had to say goodbye to Sport, it was awful and sad. It still hurts even now to write about him, but he lived to be 16 years old which is pretty good for a happy dog. Towards the end, Loki sat with him a lot and the day we came home without Sport I think on some level Loki knew. He stayed close to us and a few times when I cried, Loki hopped into my lap and purred while I petted him. He would follow Ron too and Ron would pick him up and cuddle him with Loki purring loudly. Loki comforted us, but I think he was taking comfort from us too because we all missed Sport. 

Time went on and life moves forward, because that's how the universe works. We still missed Sport, but the pain was a little less and we did our best to live each day good or bad. After some time, Ron and I talked about getting another dog and were firm that we wanted to adopt. We went to the SPCA and looked at the dogs and that's when I noticed a spirited jack russell and I fell in love with him the minute he happily barked at me. I pointed him out to Ron and we took a closer look. We decided we really liked him and went to talk to the people at the front desk. It took a little bit of time and they needed to test the dog with cats. It turned out he was fine with cats, he ignored them. We were able to bring Jake home with us and we were thrilled. Loki was not. He avoided this new dog and stared at him a lot. Then he marched upstairs and sat in front of me with a look that said, first of all how dare you and secondly, I did not approve of this dog! 

Loki was not happy when we brought Jake home. -July 11, 2017

Jake was a year old when we adopted him and he just wanted to play and make friends. Loki did not want any part of it and would walk away from him or bop him on the nose. Jake was never offended by this and would keep going on to play by himself or with us. Then, something happened. Jake was very tired after a walk and lots of playtime and he curled up on the couch and drifted off to sleep. Loki hopped up on the couch a little bit away from him, but he curled up and took a nap too. After that, Loki would sit with Jake sometimes and he liked going outside with him in the backyard walking around. I found it amusing that Loki was now the grumpy old man and Jake was the young upstart testing his patience. If Loki did not want to play he let Jake know with a nose bop. He never had his claws out when he did that as if he knew Jake was just a silly kid. He always seemed happiest sitting with Jake outside or on the couch. Much like Sport, Loki was slowing down and wanted to relax. Jake didn't always get that, but sometimes he did and he would hang out with his big brother.

Loki and Jake sitting together as usual. -February 2020

We noticed the changes in Loki and we made adjustments for him to make sure he was comfortable. He wasn't eating as much of his kibble so we added a bit of grain free wet food for him which he liked. He wasn't drinking as much water, but I noticed he liked it when the water was moving so I would put in some water into the water dish so he could see it moving and see the bubbles which got him to drink some water. Our vet told us this was normal in older cats, he was just slowing down. He was still as feisty as ever. Whenever I was streaming, everyone in our chat could hear Loki meow loudly as he came into the room. Everyone would say, "Hi Loki!" in chat and I would have to give him chin rubs and ear scritches until he was satisfied. Loki didn't care what I was doing. As far as he was concerned, he was the star and ran the house. I would talk about his antics and how sometimes he would decide to sing the song of his people loudly at 3 in the morning which would frustrate Ron who was sleeping at the time. If his breakfast was late by even a minute, he would let you know with his familiar glare that he was displeased. It was his house and he was allowing us to live in it. He was very much a diva. 

Loki was letting me know breakfast was one minute late.

After a time, we noticed Loki was barely eating and drinking. He was having trouble jumping and climbing up the stairs. Shy, our oldest daughter noticed it first and we explained that Loki was old. He was 12 years old so he was not the kitten he once was. We started carrying him up the stairs when he wanted to come up with us and helping him to his food bowl. We made sure he had a low litter box he could just step in so he didn't have to jump. He still loved going outside especially on sunny days. I think he enjoyed the sunshine and the warmth on his old bones. We got a heat pad for him and put it on his bed which he seemed to not like at first, but then when he realized it was warm, he napped there pretty often. He was eating and drinking less and less and sleeping more. I was worried. Ron and I spoke about it and we came to the understanding Loki was winding down. I didn't want to think about that, because this was our sweet boy who had been with us since he was 9 weeks old. Ron hugged me and said he knew because he felt the same way, but that our pets don't live forever. We kept an eye on him and Ron gave him a small bit of honey with his food and Loki ate. He seemed to perk up for a few days after that. He ate his food and drank some water. 

Then on Friday, Loki didn't want to eat and he didn't want to have any water. I tried giving him his favorite treat which he always ate right away and he just picked at it. I picked him up and held him and he curled up against my chest, purring. I started crying and I gently put him in Ron's lounge chair because I knew that was his favorite nap spot. I sat with him and petted him and he curled up on the chair. Jake came over and sat with us while I gently spoke to Loki, telling him that I loved him and that if he wanted to go be with Sport, it was okay. I cried the entire time and Jake cuddled up against me trying to be there for us. I let Ron know what was going on and Ron went to check on him and sat with him. Ron said he seemed to be just resting and he would have Shy keep an eye on him so I could sleep. I was tired, but I didn't want to sleep because I was worried about Loki. Ron gently told me that Loki wasn't alone and he knew we loved him. Somehow, I did sleep. 

It was Shy who woke me up, crying that she thought Loki was gone. I hugged her and told her it was alright and went downstairs with her. Shy said Loki did follow her around for a bit and he picked at his food, but he let her hold him and curled up against her. She put him on Ron's lounge chair and made sure he was comfortable with his favorite blanket so she could make him some fresh food for dinner. Loki was in his favorite nap spot with his favorite blanket and he curled up like he always did to sleep. He was at home with the people who loved him just as much as he loved them. He was safe, he was happy, and he was loved. Shy went to get him for dinner and that's when she found that our sweet boy was gone. We think he went in his sleep which is not a bad way for a loved diva cat to go. Shy and I hugged and cried a lot. I don't know how I was able to call Ron at work and tell him, but I did. I hated that I had to do that because I know Ron loved Loki, but he said to let him know if anything happened. Jake wouldn't leave Loki. He sat by the chair looking very sad and that broke my heart. When Ron got home, we all hugged, cried, and talked about what we wanted to do for Loki. Jake stayed close and gave us lots of cuddles during the entire time. 

Jake and Loki together and Jake offers cuddles to everyone. 

I brought up the fact that Loki always loved sitting under our weeping cherry tree in the backyard. Every time we were outside, Loki could always be found sitting or lounging under that tree. We agreed that Loki getting to rest under his favorite tree would be lovely and that it would be a nice spot for him. I'm so grateful to Ron for doing all the digging and placing Loki to rest under his tree. I know that physically and emotionally drained him, but Ron said he loved that cat and he knew it was important. We said our goodbyes to our sweet boy, knowing that he was now running free with his brother Sport.

Loki gets to rest under his favorite tree.

Through all of this, Animal Crossing New Horizons has been a nice distraction. I've been crying off and on for days about Loki, but Animal Crossing has helped me to turn my brain off a bit. I'm not the best at drawing or designing, but I was able to make Loki's face so in a way he gets to be with me in the game which is comforting for me. 

Loki's face in Animal Crossing. 

Loki was more than just a cat the way Sport was more than just a dog. He was part of our pack, he was family. Even on the days where he would be a mischief making diva, we loved him. Sometimes on my bad anxiety/depression days, Loki would sit with me keeping me company. When Shy moved back home, Loki wasn't sure about her, but he came to love her too. He was convinced everyone in our family was his person and all food belonged to him. He still thought that Jake was silly, but he loved him and decided he wasn't so bad after all as he went outside for walks with him. There are moments where I thought I heard his meow or I forget and close the door to the bathroom because he liked to play in the water. For 12 years, Loki kept us on our toes with his antics and he showed us so much love with all his cuddles, his meows, and he had a big personality. He was a diva, but he was our diva and he will always be our sweet boy. I'm sure he's having fun with his brother Sport and showing everyone why he's the boss cat. Goodbye, Loki. Thank you for 12 years of adventures and love. We love you. 

We love you, Loki. 
May 12, 2009 - July 2, 2021

Concrete Genie, A Whimsical Art Adventure

 I was interested in Concrete Genie because of seeing some of the art style. I got ready to check it out and was ready for a new adventure. Concrete Genie can be played in VR or without VR. I played the game without VR. Setting up the game options and seeing a lot of accessibility options made me happy. I was able to set the painting controls the way I wanted, adjusted the volume to a setting that worked for me, and was able to set the difficulty to the casual setting for me. Then, I was ready to dive into the game. Concrete Genie takes place in the fictional port town of Denska, once a thriving town that is now practically abandoned after an oil spill. The main character, a young teenage boy named Ash spends his time creating art in his sketchbook and finds himself targeted often by a group of kids who are his bullies, Zack, Beatrice, Froggie, Chuck, and Janie. The opening of the game shows the bullies taking Ash's sketchbook and ripping it, scattering the pages all over town. Then they shove Ash onto a cable car that takes him to an abandoned lighthouse on Denska island.

Ash starts his adventure.

Ash explores the island and sees one of his pages go into the lighthouse. He chases after it and when he catches the page, the creature he had drawn on the page and named Luna comes to life and gives Ash a magic paintbrush which brings to life anything he paints. This is a good introduction into how the painting controls work and they're pretty forgiving so you're not too frustrated with painting the pictures. This also introduces the Genies which are friendly magical creatures based on Ash's chalk drawings that he made as a small child. Luna shows Ash that there is a darkness covering Denska and asks for his help to remove the darkness by using the magic paintbrush.

Ash and Luna have a chat. 

The creative gameplay and artwork is where Concrete Genie truly shines. The first area shows that Ash can paint on walls, doors, and up high on rooftops. As he finds more pages, it unlocks a lot of different designs in his sketchbook. Choosing from the designs is simple and among the starting art, there's quite a variety to choose from. I was delighted to paint a starry sky and seeing the stars move and twinkle, paint butterflies and watch them flutter across, or paint a strand of colorful lights and see them sparkle and move. 

Painting a pretty picture with a variety of designs.

The genies are also there to help Ash on his journey. For example, each genie has a different element that can assist Ash with certain puzzles. A red genie has fire, a yellow genie has electricity, and a green genie has wind. Depending on what is needed, Ash can call a genie over and they can use their elemental abilities to help him whether it's burning a tarp so he can climb up on a crate or powering up an electrical box to start a generator. Sometimes the genies will ask for Ash to draw a specific thing and when he does they become very happy filling up a meter on the paintbrush icon called super paint. Super paint can be used to paint over the darkness in various areas in Denska and allows Ash to paint even more beautiful landscapes. 

Ash paints a pretty landscape for the fire genie.

One of the challenges is Ash avoiding his bullies. If he runs into them, he has to run away from them and climb up on things. The bullies are bad at climbing so Ash can go all the way to the rooftops if he needs to. He can also duck around corners and call out to them and when they come towards him, he can circle around behind them and avoid them that way. The bullies will sometimes ruin Ash's paintings, but when the coast is clear Ash can fix the paintings. The story is not overly complicated and as it progresses, Ash gets a glimpse into the background of each bully. The game does a good job of showing simply yet clearly why each kid is so angry or hurting that they lash out and take it out on Ash. It sends a clear message about the fact that it isn't about Ash and is more about the pain and anger they have inside due to circumstances beyond their control and you see Ash feeling sorry for them and understanding that it was never about him. 

Flowers and stars for an electric genie.

As the story continues, you get to see how Ash changes and grows as a person, as well as the kids who bully him and receive a wonderful message about how hope and friends are found in surprising ways. There is not a lot of challenging combat in the game which I'm fine with because it's about the story, art, and charming vibe of the game. The game is not very long. It's 6 chapters and takes about five or six hours to complete. However, it's beautiful. The story is clearly told in a way that people young and old can understand, while adding vibrant, whimsical art that brings a lot of joy. There's a photo mode so you can take screenshots of your creations and there is a free paint mode so you can go in any area in the game and paint to your heart's content. I loved running around in free paint mode, painting whatever I wanted. Concrete Genie is a lovely gem because of the visual style, story, and charming gameplay. It set a lovely tone about seeing the beauty around us, the importance of holding onto hope, and the power of friendship. It is absolutely worth your time and I am happy that I got to play it. Thanks for reading. See you at the next adventure! 

Free paint mode is great! See you at the next adventure!

*Concrete Genie is available to play on the following platforms: Playstation 4 

*Join our community on Twitch as we play games and talk about mental health: https://www.twitch.tv/mothergamer

*For the entire month of June which is Pride month we are raising money for Trans Lifeline. If you would like to donate you can do so here: https://donate.tiltify.com/@mothergamer/trans-lifeline/

Mothergamer Finally Plays Animal Crossing New Horizons!

 Many know that I love Animal Crossing. I have been loving Animal Crossing since the original Gamecube version. In fact, I still have my Gamecube and copy of Animal Crossing and I still play it. I was ecstatic about Animal Crossing New Horizons when I first saw the reveal for it and that was the game that made me want to buy a Nintento Switch. Then, the pandemic happened and the hope for getting a Switch faded because frankly there were tons of scalpers that took advantage of the situation and there was no way I was paying outrageous amounts for a Switch. I lived vicariously through my friends who were streaming it and enjoyed seeing all the wonderful ways they designed their islands and watching all the fun events they could participate in. 

Fast forward a year later and thanks to the generosity of everyone in our community, I was able to buy a Switch and Animal Crossing New Horizons. The big thing was working with Tom Nook to choose my island. This was a little overwhelming because I had to really think about the shape and layout of the island, how much room I would have, and thinking about where the rivers and cliffs were. Special shoutout to my friends Jason and Ryan of Betweentwogays for helping me figure all of that out and making it a lot easier. Once I had that set up, I had to choose where I wanted to put my tent and find locations for my two starter villagers, Buck and Sylvia. Then it was time to name my island. Considering what our community is all about, it was quite easy to pick out the name and I think it suits my island perfectly. 

Welcome to Kindness!

I was ready to dive into island life and do everything on my island. As with previous Animal Crossing games, New Horizons is in real time so it's a slower pace kind of game. It gives you the freedom to pick and choose what you want to do, but also encourages stopping to savor the moments. You can time travel if you want, but be warned if you time travel too far it can mess with certain things like turnip prices. I do time travel, but only adjust the time to morning such as when it's 10PM at night, I switch it to 10AM because due to my busy schedule and my streaming schedule I miss things, so this is how I adjust it. I'm playing on my own mostly, so I don't think this affects things too much. I started getting familiar with my island. I learned how to craft tools, learned about how the Nook Miles system works, and I got started on making friends with the current villagers. 

Buck gives me exercise advice.

The big thing of course, is building your house. Tom Nook as usual builds your house and then you have to pay back the loan. His sons Timmy and Tommy are in on the action as you can sell things to them for bells which is the currency used in Animal Crossing. Seriously, Timmy and Tommy will buy anything. You can pick fruit off the trees, gather seashells on the beach, go fishing, and pull up weeds and sell it to them for a nice lump sum of bells. I was able to pay off the first version of my house from doing all this at the handy Nook Miles machine. The Nook Miles machine is also where I can get rewarded with miles for how many days I've logged in and I can buy specialty items, like the Princess Peach dress. It's an interesting variation from the usual Animal Crossing games. 

It's a lovely day!

Running all over the island gathering materials for crafting and for making improvements such as adding a new museum or upgrading the resident services building were not a chore for me because I was having fun and doing a variety of things. The museum is one of my favorite things in Animal Crossing. I love Blathers the owl the museum curator and his desire to share his knowledge and passion for learning with everyone. Digging up fossils, catching fish, catching bugs, and getting art pieces to donate to the museum is a hoot because it means getting to listen to Blathers chat excitedly about it even the bugs which scare him. 

Another thing I really love is the character customization. The fact that I can change my character's entire look is very cool. I can use Nook Miles and buy some new hairstyles and hair colors. Tired of that hair style and color? I can change it as long as I have a mirror. It was fun trying out new colors and styles. I just wish there were longer hair options, but I understand it's hard to code hair. My hair is actually pretty long, past my waist so I found something that was as close to that as I could. Purple is my favorite color, so of course I went with purple hair. 

New look is a go! 

One thing that I am not really enjoying is the durability of the tools. Tools like my shovel can break and then I have to gather the materials to craft another one. It's not a big deal, but it can be a little frustrating when I'm trying to landscape and plan out areas of my island to suddenly have the tool break in my hands. For me, it takes time away from the things I want to do and instead of doing that I'm having to craft more tools. As I said, it does not detract from the game for me, just that I wish tools didn't break at all. 

The thing that brought me the most joy was being able to visit my friends on their islands. It was amazing to see how different each island was and the variety of themes that everyone came up with. Special thanks to the following friends and fellow streamers for inviting me to their islands: Altogirl, TheFinnishCeasar, Lisathewhitewolf, RedLotusPrince, Lemmiecat, and QueenTubaMom. 

There were islands that were all about Pride, a fantastic homage to The Worst Witch books, fantastic museum tours, and moments of just vibing watching the ocean. Everyone was very kind, welcoming, and made my first dive into Animal Crossing with friends a fantastic experience. 

Dinosaurs, sharks, butterfly garden, and the ocean oh my!

Animal Crossing is definitely much more with friends. Being able to open our islands and visit each other is a wonderful time. The best time I had was just getting to explore everyone's islands and seeing all the incredible ways they made their island unique. What shined through was the love and support from everyone and a shared love of the game. I was nervous at first, but because of how kind people in our community were, I found myself smiling and delighted at the incredible creativity of everybody. 

Pride celebration courtesy of Altogirl. So much fun!

I never found myself bored in the game at all. I can play it in short bursts or for a few hours depending on my mood. I can putter around on my own or visit friends. Whatever I decide to do in the game, it's always a lovely time. The fact that there's no pressure and I can go at my own pace is great and allows me to not worry about how much I have to do. I can pick and choose a few things at a time or just chill out for a bit. 

Grand visits with Lemmiecat, Queentubamom, and FinnishCeasar.

I live with depression and anxiety and sometimes it feels like I have lived with it forever. There are days where things overwhelm me or I feel a lot of pressure to do enough, be enough, and it gets exhausting. Animal Crossing has been a happy place that gives me a pleasant escape from all that. It gives me a few minutes of peace and helps distract my brain a bit. On the really bad grey days, I'm absolutely grateful for Animal Crossing being that place full of sunshine and flowers for me. Whether I'm tending a garden, celebrating a new shop opening, or taking the time to sit on the beach watching a meteor shower, there is always something wonderful to do that allows me to appreciate those moments of joy. 

Life on Kindness is pretty good. 

Animal Crossing may not be everyone's cup of tea and that's okay. For me, it's great and I have been playing it fairly often enjoying all the things it has to offer. It's a happy place for me and I am grateful for how welcoming and sweet people in the Animal Crossing community have been offering helpful tips when I ask and gifting crafting materials when I run low. It has been so inclusive for many people in our community, and seeing that representation is amazing. Animal Crossing New Horizons is a terrific game and I'm over the moon that I finally got to play it for myself. I can't wait to keep playing more! Thank you to everyone who invited me to their islands, welcomed me to the community, and showed that even though we are far apart, we can come together and celebrate a love of gaming. Thank you for reading. See you at the next adventure!

Thank you! See you at the next adventure!

*Animal Crossing New Horizons is available on the following platforms: Nintendo Switch

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Why No Post For May?

 My mental health has not been doing great this month. I live with depression and anxiety and sometimes it's a lot. This month it has been a lot. I have games lined up that I want to write about, but they're going to have to wait until June. I apologize for the lack of Mothergamer blogs this month and I hope you understand. Thank you for reading and happy gaming! ~Mothergamer