Remembering My Friend Tifa

 This is not my usual blog content. It is sad and very challenging for me to write, so trigger warning for death and grief which will be talked about a lot as we talk about my friend Tifa also known as Tifadoesart on Twitch.

Friday morning, I had ended stream and was feeling pretty good because we had made it halfway to our donation goal for Starlight Children's Foundation, a charity event the Mothergamer community has done every September. Then I saw an email that I received from a friend of Tifa's. I read the email and I was devastated. The friend gently told me that Tifa had passed away in her sleep, it was sudden, and she had been sick for a while and that Tifa had spoken highly of me often and thought the world of me. I thanked them for telling me and offered condolences as well as politely asking them to pass along condolences to Tifa's husband, Malanok. 

I sat there for what felt like hours, crying and wondering how my friend could be gone just like that. I had spoken to her last week when she popped in my chat and said hello and we spoke for a few minutes and she said she would message me later and we would do our usual catching up and I told her of course. She then told me she was going to lurk because she was tired and I told her to please rest and she told me, "Doing my best. Love you!" I told her, "Doing your best is enough. I love you!" I didn't know that would be the last conversation we had, but I've been holding onto the fact that she and I both got to say 'I love you' to each other, that we got to have one last good conversation with each other. I then realized I had to tell our stream team The Wishing Well about Tifa. That was not an easy conversation at all. How do you tell people that loved someone as wonderful as Tifa that they're gone? I did manage to get through it and break the news to them. Bless everyone on our team for being incredibly kind about all of it. It was a shock for all of us and together we have been mourning the loss of our teammate and friend. 

Maybe it sounds odd, but I'm proud of everyone on our team for rallying and doing everything to honor and remember Tifa. Our friend and teammate Farfetchedfox thought of saving all of Tifa's past stream VODS before Twitch deletes them and giving them to Tifa's husband so he could have them and hear her voice as well as the possibility of setting up a memorial of her VODS on Youtube and talked to Mal about what he wanted, we all did because we know how important he was to Tifa and how important she was to him. Our founder, leader, and friend Liliyafae and her partner Dadmin have been helping with that. Mal was very kind and gracious saying that Tifa was so happy to be part of the team and she loved everyone. I was still sad, but it made me smile to hear that Tifa spoke so fondly of everyone. 

I don't know if I have all the words to describe what a wonderful person and sweet friend Tifa was these past eight years. How do you sum up a life, especially of someone you loved so dearly? All I can do is do my best and share some of the things about our friendship. I actually got to know Tifa from hanging out in other streams on Twitch. She was friendly, funny, and kind. We bonded over a love of dad jokes, puns, knitting, and crochet. We started saying hi to each other and chatting happily every time we ran into each other on various communities on Twitch and it may sound odd, but Tifa and I felt like we had known each other forever; it was just easy for us to talk to each other. 

When I first started streaming, I had no idea what I was doing and she was very supportive and encouraging. I started checking out her streams, at the time she did a lot of art streams. I loved her art. It was cute, wonderful, and showed her beautiful heart. I was so nervous when I asked her if she would do my first emotes for my channel on Twitch. Tifa was thrilled and asked what I would like. We went over ideas, like the fact that I love dragons and she offered some great suggestions. It was Tifa who named my little dragon Amethyst, remembering that it was my favorite gemstone. She also came up with the brilliant idea of my sub badges being dragon eggs hatching. The first emotes she did for me were fantastic. I loved them all, but my personal favorite even know is my heart emote she did for me of my little dragon holding a yarn heart with knitting needles. 

One of the first emotes and my favorite that Tifa did for me.

Tifa became my go to emote artist and she did an amazing job every time. I would tell her what I wanted and she would figure out a way to make it work or offer ideas to improve on it. When I asked her if she would do a design for my merch shop, she was thrilled. She would give me updates and tell me about figuring out sizing for things and when it was done, I was delighted because she had gone above and beyond and it looked fantastic. I always did my best to support her work and encourage her that she was talented because she was and that I loved every single piece she ever did for me. 

Tifa's design for my merch shop.

Tifa was so much more than that. She was one of my dearest friends. We'd chat back and forth about everything. We'd support each other, commiserate with each other, share silly dad jokes, share cute photos of our pets, or just check in to see how the other was doing. Tifa and I were always open with each other about our struggles with our mental health and chronic illness. We never shied away from it and we always spoke candidly about it doing our best to lift each other up and be there for the other. Every time she would always say she was doing her best, she wasn't giving up, and every time I would tell her how proud I was of her and that I loved her. Looking through the many Discord messages we sent back and forth one thing was always constant. Tifa and I always told each other, "I love you." throughout many conversations. There was a part of me that wondered if Tifa knew how much I loved her at the end and my husband Ron reassured me that she knew and yet it took seeing all those old messages where we told each other pretty often we loved each other to ease that heaviness in my heart confirming that yes, she did know.

Tifa's love language for many of her friends was creating art for us as gifts. One of the gifts Tifa made for me was an adorable piece of me knitting. She had asked when my birthday was and then surprised me with it. I told her how much I loved it and it has been the profile picture for my Discord server ever since. She also made a very cute Christmas themed emote of my dragon Amethyst as a gift. She was always doing the sweetest things for people she loved and always showed love and kindness with such a gentle warmth. 

Gifts that Tifa created for me for my birthday.

                                                                            

I still remember when I first got my Switch and Animal Crossing New Horizons for the first time. Tifa was so excited about it and about us getting to play the game together. I had played the original Gamecube Animal Crossing and was very excited about this one. I loved it and I still do. Tifa was right there sending me gifts for my island, giving me pointers, and was thrilled about me coming to visit her island. We had the best time hanging out together and then Tifa being the sweet person she was, gave me more things to take back with me to my island. We both laughed about how much fun we had just running around together and from time to time we'd visit each other's islands and enjoy puttering around together. It was nice just being with my friend. 

Tifa's blonde villager and my purple villager having fun in Animal Crossing.

When Tifa mentioned joining our stream team The Wishing Well I encouraged her to go for it, that we would be lucky to have her. She was ecstatic when she got in and told me how happy she was. She genuinely loved everyone on the team, telling me how nice it was that everyone made her feel welcomed and she felt like she belonged. I told her that of course she belonged and we were all so glad she was part of the team. Tifa made really lovely gifts for many of us on the team with our various mascots for our channels with the wishing well. She was planning on making more because that's how much she loved all of us. 

Tifa's Wishing Well version of Amethyst for me.

Tifa loved deeply with her whole heart. She would tell me often about her husband and how much she adored him. Every time I chatted with him in her streams, I could see how much they loved each other and I told her how glad I was for her to have someone that truly loved her as herself. She was also so proud about being an auntie to her little nieces and would brag about them all the time and it made me smile about how much she loved them. She also loved animals and Halloween. We'd joke constantly that it was Halloween in our souls. I honestly don't know how to live in a world without my friend, but I'm doing my best to keep going forward and living, and finding those moments of joy where I can for her. Eight years seems like a long time and a short time, but I'm grateful for the time I got with Tifa. I'm glad to have met her and glad that she and I could call each other friend. Thank you for being in my life Tifa, for being my friend, and loving me as myself. Thank you for sharing your ups and downs with me, for sharing your wins, and for just being one of the kindest people it has been my pleasure to know. I'm heartbroken that you're gone and I will always miss you; so many of us will always miss you. I love you Tifa with my whole heart and I know you wouldn't want me to be sad forever, but I hope you understand I'm going to be melancholy for a little while longer. Rest well, my sweet friend. <3 

Hug emote done by Tifa.

                                     

Mothergamer Plays Inkonbini: One Store. Many Stories

 The first thing I noticed about Inkonbini is the charming art style and the relaxing music. The story introduces us to Makoto a college student who is working the night shift for a week at her aunt's convenicene store called Honki Ponki in Japan in the 1990s. The game is easy to get into with Makoto checking the stock room, restocking shelves, and getting ready to open the store and help customers. There's a peaceful meditation in a way organizing the store shelves and unpacking boxes in the stockroom. Interacting with the customers is interesting because there's this theme of human connection and playing as Makoto is the perfect link to that and the game plays like a visual novel which works really well for this style of game. 

We meet Makoto. 

I loved the talks Makoto has with her aunt Hina about the experience of managing the store and getting to know the local community in a small town and Makoto coming to realize just how much work and effort her aunt has put into something she loves and how there are little details here and there that are more important than one realizes because they tie everything together. The layout of the store and product placement of various items are quite unique and you start to see the pattern of everything is laid out just so and each thing has a purpose. There's a mini game of sorts within the game where a customer will describe an item they're looking for or ask Makoto for a recommendation and you have to figure out what it is and find it for them. It's not terribly challenging and you can check your quest log to refresh your memory about the details. Once that's done, Makoto can ring up their purchase and can have a chat with them. The conversations are well done and I felt like you really get to see a bit of what kind of person each customer is. It's a nice touch to the game and the story itself. 

Makto chats with a customer. 

There's a cute feature in the game with gacha capsule machines outside the store. Makoto can use her loose change to get collectible figurines from a manga and anime series called Yojoki Masters. They're all themed around different types of tea and I loved how adorable they were. I could see myself collecting them if they were real because everything about them was great, right down to the lore for each one you get. 

One of the cute Yojoki Masters figurines. 

The pacing of the game is leisurely and that's definitely by design. There's no rush, no urgency, and Inkonbini allows you to take that moment to take a breath and just let yourself be and it does this for the customers that Makoto interacts with as well. I appreciated that subtle message of  reminding us that sometimes it's alright to slow down and savor those little things we take for granted like enjoying that first sip of a nice cup of tea or taking in a beautiful sunrise. The game isn't terribly long, I finished it in about five hours. It's short and sweet, not overstaying its welcome while keeping that gentle charm throughout the story and gameplay. I enjoyed Inkonbini and appreciated getting to see it through Makoto's perspective because it felt like a warm hug and by the end it felt like saying a fond farewell to a good friend. I was a little sad to see it end, but I'm glad I got to go on that journey. 

We say farewell to Makoto and friends. 

*Inkonbini: One Store. Many Stories is available on the following platforms: Steam, Xbox Series X/S, Playstation 5, and Nintendo Switch

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

Mothergamer Plays Aphelion

I have enjoyed quite a few games from Don't Nod such as Tell Me Why, Vampyr, and most recently Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden. I was curious about Aphelion because it looked interesting just from the teaser trailer so I was ready to dive right in. First, the accessibility options for the game were excellent just like the previous games of theirs I had played. I was also able to adjust the difficulty setting so I could just enjoy the story. I do appreciate that they also had trigger warnings about some of the topics in the game as well as a warning about flashing lights. 

Aphelion introduces us to a future set in the 2060s where climate change has pretty much devastated Earth and two European Space Agency astronauts Ariane Montclair and Thomas Cross. They're heading to a distant frozen planet known as Persephone to do a scout mission to investigate something only known as The Source and to see if this newly undiscovered planet could be a new home for humans. Things don't go as planned because their ship's controls go haywire and the ship crashes. Both are separated. From here we get to play as Ariane as she tries to navigate Persephone and find Thomas. 

The game itself is beautiful. Yes, it's a frozen tundra and the sky is very different, but it's beautiful all the same. There's a lot of commentary from Ariane about what to do next and the voice acting is great and you can really feel the urgency as Ariane does everything she can to complete the mission while trying to find her partner. 

Ariane takes in the pretty view. 

There's a lot of walking, climbing, and puzzles and not much combat which is fine. This is also a dual narrative story meaning that we get a few chapters with Ariane and then switch over to a few chapters with Thomas. It does give an interesting perspective on their differing points of view and scenery as they try to unravel the mystery of Persephone and how certain events happened. Ariane's chapters are more action based with some puzzles while Thomas's chapters are more slow paced and focuses more on investigation and quite a lot of puzzles. It does work for the story because we get to see some gaps filled in as we switch between the two and get a better picture of what exactly happened when their ship crashed and how they got separated.

Ariane solves a puzzle.

The majority of Ariane's chapters are climbing and parkour level jumps which again is fine, but sometimes the game would glitch and Ariane would miss a jump that I had clearly made with her and she would fall to her death and I would have to start again. There were also a couple of weird visual glitches with the lighting which caused issues with a few of the frequency puzzles I had to do. This made me feel more than a bit frustrated many times. There's also the issue with the stealth. Now, Aphelion boasts no combat and it's a purely narrative game. That's almost true. I say almost because there is a creature only known as The Nemesis which is a strange life form that comes after both Ariane and Thomas. Ariane had to deal with it more and after what felt like the tenth time of this creature showing up I was over it. You have no weapons so Ariane has to hold her breath and walk quietly. The slightest sound causes The Nemesis to be right on top of you and there's no way to defend against it so if it gets you, it's a game over. I can't count how many times that thing killed me. It was that much and while I get that they needed conflict for the story, by the time I was reaching the final chapter of the game I was no longer scared of The Nemesis, I was irritated and wanted to smash it with really big rocks because that's how much this aggressive creature showed up. 

Thomas explores where he is. 

Thomas's chapters are slower paced because of a pretty serious injury he has from the crash. While his chapters are more focused on investigating and finding audio files and emails to piece together what happened on Persephone regarding a rogue corporation that snuck their way onto the planet and yet there's no one there. Thomas's whole arc is trying to find out where they are and figuring out a timeline for the events that happened to them. I admit I found his chapters slightly more intriguing because of the mysterious aspect of finding a whole functioning lab, but no people anywhere and the reveals were wild and paid off. Thomas does have a couple run ins with The Nemesis too, but his were far more less and the solutions in his chapter for dealing with it I feel were slightly better and made more sense. 

I liked both of the characters a lot. Ariane is incredibly smart, brave, and quick on her feet with thinking of what to do in the moment even when things are really bad. It was very clear why Thomas is a good foil for her even though they are separated after the ship crash. Thomas is also very smart and whereas Ariane is quick on her feet, Thomas is more methodical in how he approaches solutions to problems. Both work for the story and for their individual chapters. The emotional investment is there for both of them and I was emotional at the end which is a point in favor of the storytelling. The main thing that frustrated me was so much of the gameplay especially in regards to game bugs, the overuse of The Nemesis, and very clunky controls. If those things had been worked on more, Aphelion could have really shined. I did like Aphelion, but I didn't love it the way I have their previous games. This was very much a one and done for me. I appreciated the journey, but I was relieved to be done with it after seven hours in spite of really liking Ariane and Thomas. 

Ariane takes a moment. 

*Aphelion is available on the following platforms: Steam, Playstation 5, and Xbox Series X/S

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

Mothergamer Plays Ereban: Shadow Legacy

 Note: I received the game for free for my honest review. Thank you to Baby Robot Games for the Playstation 5 game key!

Ereban Shadow Legacy starts off with a very interesting premise. We are introduced to Ayana who is an Ereban; a race of people who have the ability to use shadows as a tool and can literally wrap themselves in the shadows. You learn very quickly that Ayana may be the last of her kind and she's trying to figure out what happened to her people. This gives an introduction to the tutorial to figure out how Ayana moves and how the stealth aspect of the game works. Ayana shows up to a facility called Helios which is very much giving evil mega corporation vibes, but not just a corporation, it's a corporation that relies very heavily on technology and their supreme leader known as the Nascent who has put her personality and mind into a giant AI super computer. Yes, it's very creepy. Ayana has to do a series of trials to test if she has what it takes to be a Helios agent. There's a bit of a learning curve with how Ayana moves through the shadows, but once I got used to it, it was fun having her be able to jump across walls via the shadows and sneak past enemies. The tutorial also shows how light can neutralize Ayana's shadow powers and ways to think strategically to avoid that happening. 

We meet Ayana. 

I liked Ayana a lot. She's quite witty and her sarcasm delivered in a sassy flat Daria kind of tone had me chuckling a few times. Ayana starts to realize that Helios is not what they appear to be and some of the things they claim are for the greater good are blatant lies. This causes friction and the Nascent tries to have Ayana captured, but Ayana escapes with the help of a rebel group known as The Forgotten Suns who are actively fighting Helios. 

This is where the story really dives in with Ayana working with the rebel group to find out the truth about Helios, the Nascent, and what happened to the other Ereban. The world that Ayana explores isn't exactly linear, but there are very specific paths you have to take and the game does give hints here and there about where to go. This is very much Ayana needs to use stealth via her shadow powers to avoid getting caught by Helios robots and taking them out quickly and quietly. Ayana can't do combat which could be very frustrating in some situations. She must use stealth and do shadow takedowns in order to get by. If she's caught, she has to run quickly or it's game over and you have to start from the last checkpoint.

Ayana explores some temple ruins. 

Ayana does get various tools and gadgets that help her such as a sonar pulse that reveals where enemies are and land mines for stunning them. She can also upgrade her shadow powers in a skill tree and gain abilities like blinding enemies with her shadows or making herself harder to detect. You have to plan and think about which ones you want to use in the moment because they do have a cool down timer so this made me take my time often instead of rushing in. At certain locations there is a crafting bench so Ayana can restock on gadgets and tools as long as she has the materials for them. Some would drop off enemies and others could be found in treasure chests and around the area Ayana was exploring. 

Getting ready to make some things. 

I did like exploring and while the stealth aspect was interesting, I did find myself frustrated by not being able to at least defend myself and the only thing I could do was run away. I understand what they were trying to do here with the main focus being on stealth and taking out enemies quietly, but sometimes it felt a little imbalanced and in one area that was rather challenging for me, I had to retry from the checkpoint quite a few times. The art design is interesting and I really loved the look of Ayana especially when she merges with the shadows. Her eyes glowing and the electric blue of her hair stands out beautifully in contrast against the shadows. 

I do wish there was a bit more explanation with the lore of Ereban. You get the gist of some of the world building through notes you find scattered throughout the game, but in some spots it left me with more questions than answers so this causes some of the story to feel a little flat and some characters that Ayana meets don't feel as fully realized as they could have been. The game itself is only five hours long so it feels like perhaps it should have been a little longer in order to go more in depth with the world building.

I did like the game and I enjoyed seeing Ayana's story unfold as she tried to come to terms with her ideas of the world and how it really is. There is also some great exposition about her ethics and morals as she fits all the pieces together about what happened to her people and how some of the people working for Helios don't necessarily know the whole truth either. Ereban has four different endings; light, hope, darkness, and darkness-blood and the game leaves it entirely up to you which one you choose. Naturally, each ending has consequences some good, some bad, and some in a morally grey area. For me, I went with the hope ending because it made the most sense in my opinion for what Ayana would choose. While there are some things I feel could have been better in terms of the gameplay and some of the world building lore, Ereban Shadow Legacy isn't a bad game and if they made a sequel to it, I would be happy to play it. 

Hiding in the shadows. 

*Ereban: Shadow Legacy is available on these platforms: Playstation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Steam 

Join the Mothergamer community on Twitch where we play games and discuss mental health: https://www.twitch.tv/mothergamer

Mothergamer Plays Coffee Talk Tokyo

 I loved the first two Coffee Talk games and I was thrilled when Coffee Talk Tokyo was announced. I couldn't wait to experience a whole new coffee shop in a new area with new characters. I splurged and got the deluxe edition which has some nice perks like a digital art book, a little pre chapter setting up the Tokyo shop, and a really cool bonus ending at the end of the main story. The set up for the coffee shop in Tokyo is well done by tying Hendry to it. Hendry explains he's taking a business trip to Tokyo and the Seattle barista recommends a coffee shop there giving Hendry their contact information.

Hendry arrives at the Tokyo coffee shop and just like the first two games we never actually see the barista, but they can chat with everyone. We're also introduced to the barista's assistant Vin and Vin quickly became one of my favorite characters in the game because of their honesty about their chronic illness and explaining spoon theory and using up their spoons. Vin made me feel seen in regards to having to manage my own spoons with my Fibromyalgia and arthritis. It was refreshing to have a character like Vin in the game.

Hendry meets Vin in Coffee Talk Tokyo. 

The way to make the drinks for customers hasn't changed from the previous games with them giving hints about what they would like. The artwork for the Coffee Talk games is vibrant, cute, and lovely. Coffee Talk Tokyo continues with that lovely art style right down to the presentation of the drinks that are served. If you get stuck trying to remember how to make a drink, you can pull up your brew pad app in the game and look up the recipes which is nice. I confess I did use a drink guide walkthrough to make sure I got all the drinks right because that's how I like to play so I can get it right and enjoy the ebb and flow of the story with the various characters and get the best ending. 

Even the drinks are very cute. 

Much like the previous Coffee Talks the barista lends an ear while listening to the various Yokai and Human customers discuss their day or issues they're having like adjusting to retirement or dealing with writer's block. Sometimes the barista can weigh in offering some sage advice or just being a comforting presence while they work it out themselves. I loved meeting the new characters in Coffee Talk Tokyo and of course I have my favorites like Vin and another interesting character, Jun. 

There's no rush in Coffee Talk Tokyo. You can take your time and savor each moment while making the perfect drink for a customer. The lo-fi music is also great setting a relaxed vibe and adding another wonderful layer to the storytelling. There were a couple of moments in the story where I found myself a little emotional on behalf of one character because their moment was bittersweet, but it was important and needed to happen for them and I was glad to see how thoughtfully it was written giving them a good ending. The game isn't too long; I finished it in about eight hours. There's also an endless drink mode where you can make all kinds of drinks for customers, experiment, and see what new recipes you can unlock. 

Coffee Talk Tokyo absolutely delivered with more endearing characters, the charming art style, and an interesting story that kept me invested, wanting to see what happened next. I loved every minute of it because all of those things tied it together beautifully making it a wonderful experience. 

Hendry with some Coffee Talk Tokyo customers.

*Coffee Talk Tokyo is available on these platforms: Steam, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Playstation 5, and Xbox Series X/S

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

 

Mothergamer Plays Adorable Adventures

 *Note: I received the game for free for my honest review. Thank you to PQube and Wild Sheep Studio for the PS5 game key!

Adorable Adventures is very cute from beginning to end. We are introduced to the adorable baby boar Boris who is taking a nice little nap in the forest. Boris awakens and we get to do a little tutorial about how he walks, runs, and uses his nose to sniff out various scent trails and how to follow them. The whole point of this adventure is Boris needs to find his six siblings so they can free their mother who somehow got trapped in a big shed. Following the scent trails was interesting and Boris can run around until he finds the source of the scent. Once it's found, you can check it off the list and focus on the main scent of his siblings for the story. There's a narrator that cheerfully gives a summary of all of Boris's adventures which adds another lovely detail to the game.

Cute little Boris gets in a nap. 

The park is beautiful and I loved running around exploring everywhere with Boris. There were so many lovely trees, flowers, and a variety of mushrooms to find. Each new discovery can go into a sticker book which is another fun thing in the game. I would stop often just to look at the gorgeous scenery. There was always something to see from giant trees to taking a little break in a river with a cascading waterfall. 

Taking a break in the river. 

As Boris continues his journey searching for his siblings there's little side tasks he can do. Of course finding his siblings isn't that easy as some of them get into some amusing situations and he has to figure out how to help them. One of my personal favorites was finding specific types of mushrooms and then enjoying a little scene of Boris enjoying a mushroom feast with a couple of his siblings. There's no rushing in the game. You can take your time and explore as much as you like which I had a good time with because you can also use photo mode in the game capturing some beautiful landscape vistas.

Mushroom feast! 

There's also learning incorporated in the game with facts about the flora and fauna you find. The music in the game captures the mood of each moment of the story. There's even a funny high speed chase and it was a blast having Boris run as fast as he could and do a little drift as he raced around a tree or a rock. Adorable Adventures is a short game that I finished in about four hours, but short is not bad. It was obvious how much care and love went into making this game. You can also go back and look for any collectibles you missed after you finish the main story which is nice. I loved Adorable Adventures and everything in it was perfectly done right down to the smallest details. It was such a delight to play and I loved seeing Boris together with his siblings as they worked together to be reunited with their mother. It's an all around feel good game with the right amount of whimsy and cuteness. 

Boris with his siblings.

*Adorable Adventures is available on these platforms: Steam, Playstation 5, and Xbox Series X/S

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

Mothergamer Plays Wax Heads

  *Note: I received the game for free for my honest review. Thank you to Renaissance PR and Patattie for the Xbox game key!

From the moment I started Wax Heads, I was instantly drawn in by the unique art style and the whole vibe of music bringing us together. Suddenly, I was a sixteen year old kid again hanging out with my friends after school at the local record shop bonding over favorite bands, excited about a new album discovered, discussing an epic live show, and just enjoying that moment right there, not worried about tomorrow because we were living for that day and having fun. The fact that Wax Heads did that for me right from the start is lightning in a bottle and it made me so nostalgic for the kid I was trying to figure out her place in the world as a young Queer Filipino woman and the music and community that got me through when I needed it most. 

In Wax Heads you play as an unnamed employee who everyone just refers to as "Kid" at Repeater Records the local music shop in town. The first day is a tutorial of how to solve the puzzle of what a customer is looking for and recommending an album to them. I did like that there were great accessibility settings in the game to make this easier which I did use. If you get the recommendation right the customer is very happy and if you get it wrong they let you know it's not good. They do give you clues that hint at what they're looking for. Sometimes it's comically funny how they misheard a band name or they just remember the album cover art. This led to a few amusing conversations with customers, but I always felt a thrill at nailing that recommendation for them and seeing them ecstatic over it.

A customer ready for some music help. 

I survived my first day at Repeater Records and got some words of encouragement from the store owner and my boss Morgan. I also got to chat with some of my fellow coworkers and I instantly loved them. I also loved the sense of community and belonging with all of them. That diversity and representation made me overjoyed. My personal favorite character among the coworkers was Paul because he was full of joy, but he also understood how important it is to show up for everyone in a community especially in Queer spaces. Paul also constantly made me laugh with his humor, his roasts, and his whole attitude. 

Morgan encourages the newbie. 

The main story itself hit close to home with me as it showed how vital it is to not lose our community spaces to corporate greed and how music is a universal language that can bring so many of us together in the best ways. The music throughout the entire game is incredible ranging from edgy rock to lighthearted pop and all of it flows effortlessly through the game and the story itself making Repeater Records feel real and authentic. That is pure beautiful artistry and I found myself tapping my foot and bopping my head to every tune. Yes, it's that good. 

I love the art on the shutters of the store. 

I loved the fact that we were not always at the record store and could hang out at the neighborhood bar with the Repeater Records gang seeing a live show and getting familiar with the local music scene. This also has a bit of deduction puzzles as you get to figure out what a person's favorite drink is or what type of drink they would like and buy it for them. That was a nice touch adding to the comradery between everyone. 

Wax Heads isn't just a game about music, it's about the beating heart of a community. It shows that individuality while also showing how that can shine brighter than any star when we lift each other up and face those challenges together. It's a lovely beacon of hope and optimism when we need it most and that is priceless. It also reminded that Filipino Queer kid in me that we don't have to fit in, we can stand out as our true selves without fear with love and support from our family, chosen family, and friends while celebrating those connections through music and art. I loved every single moment in Wax Heads and the ending moved me deeply because of how well it told this story in such a beautiful and thoughtful way. I was a little sad to say goodbye to the characters that I had come to know and love by the end, but I was so glad I got to experience those moments because sometimes that's all life really is; a series of moments that stay with us in our memories and our hearts reminding us that for all the bad that can happen, there is also so much good. We just have to take the time to take a breath and soak it all in and enjoy some great music along the way. 

Rocking jam session at a live show. 

*Wax Heads is available on the following platforms: Steam, Xbox Series X/S, Playstation 5, and Nintendo Switch

*Join the Mothergamer community on Twitch where we play games and discuss mental health and social issues:https://www.twitch.tv/mothergamer