Mothergamer Plays To a T

 I was very curious about To a T as it is the latest game from the creator and designer of Katamari Damacy, Keita Takahashi. I also wanted to check it out after hearing that the game is an allegory for being disabled. That resonated with me due to my issues with Fibromyalgia and arthritis. 

 The game itself is described as a coming of age story. The main character who is just named "Teen" who is  a 13 year old kid (don't worry, the game lets you change the name if you want) is stuck in a permanent T-pose. There is a bright and colorful opening theme song about it that feels like a fun anime or tv show episode. The art style is cheerful and full of whimsy which adds to a lot of the cuteness and energy of the game.

The Teen forever in a T-pose.

The Teen also has a dog (of course I named it after our dog Jake) which you can name and the dog isn't just a pet, the dog helps Teen with daily tasks such as getting dressed, brushing their teeth, and getting breakfast. You can also pet the dog. In fact, it's one of the first things you can do and it's very charming. 

Dog helps Teen get dressed. 

This isn't your typical town. It's full of lots of interesting characters and not all are human like a cute ladybug that runs the local newspaper or a giraffe who runs a cafe that makes tasty sandwiches. Even the teachers at Teen's school are a myriad of amusing differences especially the science teacher who claims one student is qualified in dark magic. It's fun and shows moments where the game doesn't take itself too seriously, but does a great job of telling Teen's story. 

We do learn why eventually why Teen is forever stuck in a T-pose. No spoilers, but the reason is quite a surprise and bizarre in the best ways. There's also moments of familiarity with Teen being bullied for being different from everyone else. This does get resolved pretty quickly with a few lessons about the importance of understanding that being different doesn't mean bad and how a little kindness can go a long way. Dog even has its own little adventure making new friends with folks like someone they call DJ Pigeon and a menagerie of other fun characters. It does add an extra layer of silly fun to the game's story and comes full circle in the ending. 

Dog hangs out with DJ Pigeon.

When Teen is done with school, you're free to explore the town. The town map helps with that and you can do extra things like play a speed eating mini game at the ice cream or sandwich shop, or collect tokens all over town to buy new outfits for Teen. It's not easy being a T so Teen has to figure out how to turn sideways to fit down hallways or going through a doorway. One of the cuter things in the game is the theme song with the lyrics "you are the perfect shape" which is such a bop and plays at the start and end of each chapter. There's also another cute song about the giraffe explaining how making sandwiches brings them happiness. 

While To a T brought a lot of joy, whimsical things, and an absolutely original story, it's not perfect. Sometimes the camera angles would zoom in so much I could barely see where I needed to go. This was especially true for Dog's adventure because it was zoomed in so much I had a hard time with a platform jumping section because of it. This made things incredibly frustrating for certain puzzles and trying to navigate the town which is a shame because the game itself has a lot of charm and moments of thoughtfulness within the story. 

To a T is still worth playing the five hours for the great story full of laughs and a wonderful message at the center of it; that being different doesn't have to be bad and we can just talk to each other and be surprised at how many things we may have in common and that the differences are what make life far less boring than if we were all the same. That's a lovely sentiment that To a T brings with a lot of earnestness and humor. 

Teen with Dog with all their friends in a group photo.

*To a T is available on the following platforms: Xbox Series X/S (Gamepass), Playstation 5, and Steam

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

Mothergamer Plays Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping

 *Note: I received a code for the Nintendo Switch for my honest review of the game. Thank you so much to Future Friends Games for the code!

I quite enjoyed Duck Detective: The Secret Salami and was happy to see our hard boiled duck Eugene McQuacklin was back in The Ghost of Glamping. The sequel sees Eugene down on his luck divorced, addicted to bread, and living with Freddy Frederson the alligator from the previous game and possibly the only fan and friend of the duck detective. The opening gives you a refresher on how to look for clues and do de-ducktions. You can also adjust the difficulty of the game to story mode to make things a little easier. 

The Duck Detective is back!

Freddy drags Eugene to a glamping trip (glamorous camping) and right from the start things are going terribly wrong. Camping chairs are stolen, tents are ransacked, there's a rude celebrity guest, and Freddy continues to irritate Eugene with his cheerful positivity. The guests at the campground are the main cast for the mystery and they're all in agreement that the trip so far is subpar and the events happening around them are making that worse. The camp manager Emilia is trying her best, but it's obvious she's stressed trying to keep everything running smoothly. 

Freddy and Eugene arrive at the campgrounds. 

The artwork for the game is just as cute as the first one with everyone looking like cute stickers running around. It's obvious that each of the campers has something to hide with the exception of Freddy and the child of one of the campers. Eugene has to talk to everyone and the game helps by highlighting all the questions you can ask. You can also highlight who you're talking to with a magnifying glass and examine them looking for clues that stand out. Then you can check your notebook and put those clues together by filling in the blanks. If you get stuck, the game has a hints system that gives tips like going to a different location or questions you might have missed. I liked story mode because it shows you which answers are wrong and which are correct. The game lets you take your time and there's no pressure to hurry. When you do get it right, Eugene can do some de-ducktions to unravel more of the mystery. 

Examining a character for clues. 

The music for the game fits the film noir vibes of the game and the story itself is interesting and amusing. The humor from the previous game is still there puns and all with a few new ones which caused me to chuckle often. The voice acting is great and the voice actor for Freddy does a great job capturing that earnestness about wanting to help his friend, but also wanting to have a memorable and fun camping trip. The game doesn't overstay its welcome and wraps up everything in about two to three hours. I go slowly and take my time so I finished in three hours. Overall, The Ghost of Glamping is a fun whodunit with a smart way of showing nods to the previous game through Freddy. I enjoyed it and had a great time solving this mystery. I hope we get to see our Duck Detective friend again sometime in the future. 

*Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping is available to play on the following platforms: Steam,  Nintendo Switch, Playstation 5, and Xbox Series X/S

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

Mothergamer Plays Assassin's Creed Shadows

 I was so excited for Assassin's Creed Shadows when I saw it would be set in feudal Japan and not only that, but that we would get to play as an actual historical figure in parts of the game, Yasuke an African samurai who served Oda Nobunaga. Yasuke wouldn't be alone because we also get to play as a young shinobi woman, Naoe. I was ready to dive into the game and begin my adventure. Once again, the accessibility settings for the game are great. I was able to tweak the size of the subtitles, adjust the difficulty to my liking, as well as getting the controls how I wanted them. 

The story introduces us at first to Yasuke known as Diogo here traveling with Jesuit priests who are meeting with Nobunaga to request safe passage through Japan. He agrees, but only if they allow Diogo to be in his service. They reluctantly agree and Diogo trains as a samurai for Nobunaga and is now known as Yasuke. It does a great job of setting up the scenario and themes for the game. Shortly after, we meet Naoe, a smart and talented young shinobi in her village of Iga. This introduces us to the tutorial on the mechanics of the gameplay and of course the usual favorites like leap of faith are still there. I instantly liked both Yasuke and Naoe. Both voice actors did a wonderful job with them. Naoe is sharp and quick with her wit while Yasuke is more than just a big man, he has a thoughtful demeanor that stands out and is a good foil to Naoe's sometimes brash impatience of the young.

Naoe the young shinobi. 

One fun thing that I got for having preordered the game was a fun cosmetic that gave a cool Sekiryu dragon armor for the horse and weapons and armor for Naoe. I was able to use the dragon armor on Yasuke's horse as well and it was fun pretending the horses were very cool dragons. 

The Sekiryu armor in action. 

The nods to previous Assassin's Creed are spread throughout the game which I appreciated, but I also enjoyed that Shadows explored its own story with the usual Templar versus Assassins thread woven in. I love that the game lets you take your time with the main story and allows you to explore everywhere. For me, that's always been one of the joys of the Assassin's Creed games; being able to mosey along discovering fast travel view points and getting to take in the gorgeous scenery from atop a mountain or at the top of a castle. 

The main story missions and side quests are spread out on a huge objective board allowing you to find the clues for each one in the various areas. I also love that the game allows you to switch between Naoe and Yasuke for the story missions and side quests. Both Naoe and Yasuke are quite skilled and depending on which skills you want or need for a mission, it's very easy to switch between the two. You can also switch when fast traveling. There are of course some story missions that are specifically just for them and these are very well done flowing organically through the story. I loved Naoe's stealth and agility, but I also had a blast busting through doors like they were paper and bouncing baddies around with Yasuke. The combat for both is a lot of fun and I liked seeing what both of them were capable of. 

Yasuke shows off his samurai skills. 

Of course it wouldn't be Assassin's Creed without allies and some of the side quests give you a myriad of characters who meet Naoe and Yasuke on their journey and join their cause. This means you have a base hideout that you can expand and build provided you get enough resources. Raiding various castles and bandit hideouts helps with this because Naoe and Yasuke can tag the items to be smuggled out of their by their scouts. When the seasons change in the game, it resets so you can raid those places again. Another cool thing is you can summon certain allies in a fight to help you out. My personal favorite was summoning a badass monk Yaya who had no qualms about busting the heads of the baddies she helps you fight. 

There is also romance and romantic dalliances in Shadows. I was pleased to see there are two Queer romance options for Naoe and Yasuke. I did that for both of them and the romances are thoughtful, sweet, and quite lovely. The writing for all the characters and allies is very well done. I was invested every step of the way for not just the main story, but the side stories as well as Naoe and Yasuke's personal story quests. 

Assassin's Creed Shadows also understood the assignment about letting everyone pet and hug dogs and cats in the game. Every single dog and cat I came across I absolutely hugged and cuddled them and they were all incredibly cute. It seems like such a small thing, but it brought me so joy stopping to cuddle a cute dog or play with adorable kittens. 

Cuddling a cute, good dog. 

The only thing I wasn't really a fan of is the knowledge point system. The game doesn't do a very good job of explaining it at first or that a lot of Naoe and Yasuke's skills are locked behind this system. You need a certain number of knowledge points to unlock those skills. Some are unlocked automatically after certain story chapters are done, but the rest you get from doing exercises in various map locations that give you knowledge points. For example, Naoe has to do a meditation known as kuji-kiri following the button prompts and when successful gets a knowledge point. For Yasuke, it's doing exercises like the kata with various weapons or being able to shoot targets with his arrows while moving on horseback. I understand what they were trying to do here and why, but frankly knowledge points are not fun and often feel like a tedious chore to get in order to unlock new skill trees and gain mastery of those skills. I was relieved when I had mastered all the skill trees because it meant I didn't have to do it anymore.

I had an amazing time with Shadows. The story itself is well done and there are a lot of interesting side quest threads that do tie in with the main story beautifully. I really love Naoe and Yasuke's blossoming friendship not just with each other, but with their companions and the many people they help throughout the story. I took my time with all of it and ended up putting about seventy five hours into the game. The story reveals blew me away and by the time I got to the end of their journey I was sad to say goodbye, but I was impressed with how well they tied everything together giving a truly satisfying ending. I'm looking forward to the DLC we have coming in September because Naoe and Yasuke are both characters I came to like a great deal and I can't wait to adventure with them again.

Naoe enjoying the cherry blossoms. 

*Assassin's Creed Shadows is available to play on the following platforms: Playstation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows (Steam)

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

Mothergamer Plays Avowed

 I'm going to be honest. I've never played the first two Pillars of Eternity game, so I had no idea what to expect from Avowed. I was intrigued when I saw a friend playing it and decided to check it out for myself. From the start I was fascinated with the story as we're introduced to playing as the envoy for the Aedyr empire. Not only that, the envoy is known as a Godlike, a person that has been touched by the gods and it shows in their physical appearance. With the envoy, no one has any idea what God "blessed" them. It's here where the adventure in Avowed begins. 

I loved the character creation design because there were so many options to choose from with skin tone, hair, and godlike features. I loved giving my envoy what looked like tree branches in her hair and of course gave her hair a purple hue. The accessibility options in Avowed are great ranging from a color blind mode to being able to adjust the size of the subtitles. Once I was done creating my character, I dove into the world of Eora.

The story has the envoy traveling to the Living Lands on behalf of the emperor of Aedyr to investigate a mysterious illness known as the Dream Scourge. It not only affects people, it also affects animals and plants. As part of the story a series of mishaps happens at the start of the envoy's adventure and this gives a good introduction into a tutorial about how combat and magic works in the games. It was easy to follow and the battle system is actually fun. 

Eventually, the envoy does make it to the Living Lands and we get our first companion, Kai who acts as a guide at first for the start of the adventure. I absolutely loved Kai and he became my favorite very quickly. If his voice sounds familiar that's because it's Brandon Keener who voiced one of my favorite companions in Mass Effect, Garrus. Keener dos an amazing job as Kai and I found myself talking to Kai often throughout the game and having him constantly in my party because every conversation with him is well done with a lot of thoughtfulness to emotions, world building, and lore. He's not the only companion you get and over time you have four companions with you and the envoy can take two companions with them during their journey. 

I loved exploring the Living Lands. The surrounding areas are gorgeous with brightly colored bioluminescent mushrooms, interesting fantastic creatures, and no two landscapes were ever the same. Going off the main trail just to see a beautiful tree that caught my eye was always a good time. What makes it even better is that Avowed allows you to do this and in fact seems to encourage the spirit of exploration and adventure. 

Discovering a beautiful cavern with companions.

Each decision you make as the envoy can carry a lot of weight especially in regards to the main story. For good or bad, the envoy has to step up and decide these things. One decision in particular felt impossible in a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation and I agonized over it for a good ten minutes. Yes, it was that difficult. However, I appreciated how excellent the writing was in regards to that choice and the many choices my envoy had to make. It wasn't just for the main story either. There are tons of side quests and your companions can weigh in giving advice and opinions. There are also quests we can do for our companions that expand on their stories, who they were, and who they are. My personal favorites were for Kai and our Dwarven friend Marius because of the themes about grief and loss. These were beautifully and thoughtfully done and by the end of both quests I felt that I understood Kai and Marius and never wanted my travels with them to end. 

Leveling in Avowed isn't a chore and I was always having fun with the combat especially after I unlocked being able to use an arquebus (basically a long rifle) which helped with keeping enemies at range and picking them off one at a time. The envoy can also use magic with their godlike abilities such as healing their party or throwing thorns at enemies. I tend to like rogue builds which is what I did for my envoy, but the nice thing about the skill tree in Avowed is you're not locked to just one job class. You can mix and match abilities like fighter skills or mage spells. I padded my squishy rogue with some fighter abilities that helped her to be less squishy and she quickly became a powerhouse dominating the battlefield. 

Talking to the queen of the tree creatures. 

I know it's very easy to compare Avowed to Skyrim because of some small elements in the game, but frankly Avowed is different from Skyrim in regards to the lore and world building. Yes, they're both high fantasy games, but Avowed is definitely its own thing with the art style, music, and story. I personally like both for different reasons. I loved every single moment in Avowed and I was a bit sad when the adventure was over, but the ending of the story really delivers wrapping everything up with no loose ends and I was happy for my envoy and all her companions. 

Avowed is a great time and I spent fifty plus hours doing absolutely everything and learning all the lore and solving the mystery of the Dream Scourge while also admiring how much beauty there was all around in the landscapes, the cities, and with all the characters I met. It made me want to check out the first two Pillars of Eternity games which I plan on doing as I downloaded them. Avowed is a grand adventure and I'm glad I got to experience it. 

The envoy takes a break. 

*Avowed is available to play on the following platforms: Xbox Series X/S, Steam 

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

Mothergamer Plays South of Midnight

 Ever since I saw the first trailer for South of Midnight, I have been counting down to the release day. The day was finally here and I could not wait to dive into this Southern Gothic fantasy game. Right from the start I was impressed with the game as I tinkered with the settings because of the many accessibility options including a letterbox for the subtitles to make them easier to read. It homed in on my point that I have brought up often that accessibility should be the norm and not the exception. South of Midnight's accessibility options are excellent. I also appreciated the fact that the game does have a warning about flashing lights as well as explaining that there are themes in the game that are heavy, but ultimately the story itself is about empathy.

We are then introduced the protagonist Hazel Flood who is quickly packing up her things due to the approach of an oncoming hurricane in the fictional town of Prospero. We also get to meet Hazel's mother Lacey. Right away I liked Hazel and Lacey. These are both strong, smart, and brave women and you can sense right away the love they have for each other. Without spoilers, some intense dramatic things happen and this is where Hazel's story and adventure truly begins. Hazel discovers she has special powers as a Weaver, someone who can see the strands that connect all life and fate known as The Grand Tapestry. Weavers can repair those strands when they get tangled by pain and trauma with special tools and help to heal. 

Hazel discovers her Weaver powers. 

Hazel meets all kinds of fantastical creatures like a giant talking catfish who helps her on her journey. The combat in the game is simple, but that's not a bad thing and there are action platformer elements as well. I will say I did not like the wall run. I can't count how many times I died in the game due to a wall run fail and that got frustrating pretty quick. I got there eventually and I enjoyed South of Midnight so much I didn't mind the bits of frustration. Hazel has to use her Weaver powers to heal a blighted landscape by fighting monsters called haints. There's several different types and they're all well designed to look as creepy as possible. Hazel fights them and can unravel the knots they cause and then heal the land. I found it very satisfying to watch the land transform with pretty flowers suddenly blooming everywhere. 

Hazel fights haints.

Hazel doesn't have to do all this alone. She has an adorable little helper in the form of her doll Crouton who has come to life by Hazel's magic. Crouton is so cute and I love him. He can go into small places that Hazel can't go, if a jump is too big for Hazel to cross he can be thrown across to push switches to make bridges for her, and he can control enemies making them fight alongside Hazel. 

This is Crouton. He's just a little guy and I love him. 

What I loved most about South of Midnight was the storytelling. Not just the folklore, but Hazel's story and those of the people and creatures she meets. It's so obvious how much love and care went into every aspect of South of Midnight and Hazel is an excellent foil and guide for us to show that in such a beautiful and thoughtful way. There was one chapter in the storytelling that struck a chord with me personally as a mother and I just had to take a moment because it made me cry with how heartfelt and bittersweet it was. It was very well done and it moved me. There are many moments like that in South of Midnight, but this one in particular resonated with me. It's true that the story does focus on empathy and compassion for others. I loved how Hazel throughout all of it had her moments of impatience like so many of us, but ultimately she understood how to be kind and I appreciated seeing her kindness and empathy not just with people, but with some of the creatures. 

I also found myself stopping and just taking in the incredible fantasy landscapes throughout the game. Whether it was a giant peach in a river or glowing blue butterflies, there was always something wondrous to see in South of Midnight. 

Wow, giant peach! 

The only issue I had with the game itself were some technical glitches. There were times where sometimes wall run and jump wouldn't work or Hazel would appear to still be in combat while talking during a cutscene. Rebooting the game seemed to fix the issue, but there were a couple of times where it was a bit irritating because in a few places I had to redo fights because of it. In the long run it wasn't a big deal because I was enjoying the game so much I could deal with those few bugs here and there. 

South of Midnight is frankly, a true gem of a game. The storytelling is powerful and I really like Hazel and all the characters throughout the game. The art style is interesting and gorgeous, the music soundtrack is incredible, and the folklore is fantastic. I also appreciate the big picture of how a little empathy can go a long way and you never know who may need a bit of kindness. It's beautiful to see Hazel come into her own as she gains more and more confidence with her Weaver powers as well as seeing her learn important things about herself. South of Midnight is beautifully crafted and I had an amazing time adventuring with Hazel. The game isn't very long. I finished it in two days, but it doesn't detract from the powerful tale it told in such a lovely and thoughtful way. Don't sleep on South of Midnight. It's absolutely worth it. 

A bit more Weaver magic. 

*South of Midnight is available to play on the following platforms: Xbox Series X/S and Steam

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

Mothergamer Plays Mika And The Witch's Mountain

 *Note: I received a free copy of the game for my honest review. Thank you to Keymailer for the PS5 game key!

When you're introduced to little witch Mika, she's on her way to witch school at the top of the mountain. Well, things don't go as planned and Mika gets tossed off the mountain and her broom gets broken. Mika meets a kind villager on the beach and they help her fix her broom, but this broom isn't going to last very long which means she'll have to earn money to buy a new broom. 

Mika on her way up the mountain. 

Luckily, there's a job opening for Mika at a delivery company. The guy running the place, Greff is definitely phoning it in as he explains to Mika that she gets paid based on her job performance. The game explains the package delivery system. Some are marked urgent and some have stipulations such as don't get the package wet or damage it. If you do it perfectly, you get paid for the packages that are in exceptional condition or those with green stamp marks. You have a stamp card to keep track of all your completed deliveries which you can check any time in your inventory menu. If you're not sure where to go, you can pull up your map and it will show where the person expecting their delivery is. 

Finding out where our delivery location is. 

With each successful delivery you get the funds to not only get a new broom, but also get upgrades to it so you can fly faster and higher as well as a variety of skills. The flying is the one thing I struggled with in the game. The concept is there, but the execution is lacking. The controls for flying Mika's broom are extremely clunky and the game doesn't do a great explanation of explaining how they work. I would lose altitude really quickly and then constantly having to try and catch a wind current so I didn't crash land the broom got very frustrating. I found myself fighting the camera as well during some of the flying sessions. I had to try a lot to get it right and that definitely detracted from the fun of the game. It's not great if people have to struggle with the controls for something like flying and bad camera angles. 

Struggling to fly on the broom. 

I did enjoy chatting with all the different characters on the island and there's even a few side quests involving favors you can do for them like helping a Kappa deliver ice cream to kids on the beach. The art style for the game is cute and charming and you can see the nods here and there to Kiki's Delivery Service. There's also a few secrets here and there as you explore that add to the ambience of the story and you get to learn more about Mika as you continue her journey. 

I liked Mika a lot because of its relaxed vibes and whimsical charm. It's not necessarily unique, but that's not a bad thing. I did find the game is a bit short; about three hours if you focus on just the main story and about four to five if you do all the side quests and  find all the secrets. Short isn't terrible either, but I did find myself wanting a bit more and felt there were a few pacing issues here and there for the story.

Mika And The Witch's Mountain has the potential to be great if they can just sort the clunky flight controls and the odd camera angles in places. It's a good game and it has a cozy charm to it with the art and characters, but it needs a little more tweaking to the story and mechanics in order for it to really shine. 

Mika meeting one of the villagers on the island. 

*Mika And The Witch's Mountain is available on the following platforms: Playstation 5, Playstation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, Nintendo Switch, and Steam

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

Mothergamer Plays The Tale Of Bistun

 I received the game for free on PS5 for my unbiased review. Thank you to Keymailer for the PS5 game key!

I'm not really into rogue lite games, but there was something about The Tale Of Bistun that stood out for me. I was intrigued by the fact the story for the game is inspired by the 12th century Persian epic tragic romance poem Khosrow and Shirin. The story itself is set during that time period and right away I was drawn in by the beautiful artwork and landscapes. There was also the fact that the narrator for the story is Shoreh Aghdashloo which is honestly the perfect choice for this game. Her voice is so distinct and I was really excited to dive into the game. 

You play as a stone carver who has amnesia. He can't remember who he is or how he got there. This is where the story for The Tale of Bistun begins with the stone carver trying to unravel this mystery with the help of several allies some of them magical like a talking guardian tree. 

The stone carver chats with a guardian tree. 

It's very clear how much thought, research, and care went into the cultural elements of the story which I genuinely appreciated. There are two environments that are explored; Earth and a kind of astral plane dream realm of sorts. There is some combat, but not so much that it's overwhelming. In the dream realm there isn't a lot of fighting with the exception of some story driven boss battles. I was able to adjust the difficulty of the game which is really nice as I prefer casual story settings. The battle system is pretty standard rogue lite with clearing a bunch of enemies, use special skills with your weapon of choice, rinse, and repeat. I didn't mind because it was actually fun and the story itself kept me going, wanting to find out more about the stone carver and figuring out the mystery of his lost memories. 

In the dream realm. 

The story hits on a lot of themes about love and hate as well as trying to do the right thing even when it's difficult. However, the biggest one of all is hope. Throughout the story and at the end there was the important message of holding onto hope especially in the face of adversity. The Tale of Bistun isn't an overly complicated game and that's okay because it tells a story beautifully through the artwork, landscapes, and some of the combat. It's not a very long game. I was able to finish it in about four hours. Short isn't bad and I enjoyed an appreciated the great job they did with the storytelling, the artistry, and the game as a whole. It does quite well at pulling you in and keeping you interested from start to finish which for me made this indie game stand out in the best way. 

Another trip into the dream realm. 

*The Tale of Bistun is available to play on the following platforms: Playstation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Steam, and Epic Games

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

Life Happened Hard Edition

 Hello all. I know it's been quite a chunk of time since I last wrote on here. There is a good reason why. Let's just say life happened and it was the hard edition. I've started and stopped this multiple times as I was trying to gather my thoughts and figure out how to write about this because I'm still processing a lot of it and trying to overcome my body and brain being in full survival mode. Luckily, I have a great therapist who has been helping with that immensely and suggested that writing about everything could help with the process. I think it's a valid point so here we go. 

First, one of the big things was Ron and I moved out of the house and to a smaller place, a three bedroom apartment. We had been talking about downsizing for a while because it was just the two of us and our dog Jake. It was a lot of house for the three of us and we started looking at places. Ron and I wanted a smaller one story house, but were daunted by the ridiculous pricing of them and agreed the housing market has gone a little banana pants. We started looking at apartments and honestly, some of the rent prices were pretty outrageous too. Our oldest niece asked if we were moving and we explained to her what was going on. Bless her for helping us out because she mentioned her boss owned a bunch of properties and there might be something available, she'd ask him. There was something thank goodness and we started the process of moving. I will say the only thing I don't like about the place is the damn stairs outside. Our apartment is on the second floor and the outside staircase is twenty steps. Yes, that is correct. It's twenty steps and it does have railings including a metal railing to the right. However, those stairs are a pain to climb and I'm always careful on them because I don't want to fall and with my fibro and arthritis I don't want to take risks. Everyone knows moving is stressful and overwhelming. One of the big things was decluttering. I cleared out so much of my closet discovering clothes I hadn't worn at all and items I hadn't worn in years. Ron and I cleared out a lot of things and it was funny how many of the things we didn't remember getting. We got it done though and our niece and her husband were so kind helping us move everything. Sorry about that treadmill, D. I know moving it up the stairs was a huge hassle so thank you for helping Ron with it. 

We also had to get Jake accustomed to the new place. This was definitely an adjustment for him because we had to schedule his bathroom breaks and gently get him used to going on those stairs down to the shared yard and then back up again. At first Jake was a little hesitant, but soon he was going up and down the stairs perfectly fine. I think Jake knows those stairs are serious and he's very careful on them just like we are. Jake was settling in and getting used to his new home. Ron being the sweet man he is got my desk set up as well as my computer and the streaming computer and monitors. He also got the consoles hooked up. We tested everything and figured out what wasn't working and why, then figured out the solutions for things and got it all working again. I was anxious about streaming because it had been a week while we got moved in. My first stream back was great. Everyone was really supportive and it felt nice to have things getting back to normal and getting used to our new place. Seems great right? Yeah, hold onto that thought and gird your loins. 

For those who don't know, Ron is diabetic. He has Type 2. When he got diagnosed we learned about all of it together. We looked up diabetic friendly recipes, talked to the dietician at his doctor's office, made food changes, learned about managing it, what to do when he gets sick with a cold, and more. I was a bit of a social drinker, nothing to excess, but I pretty much stopped drinking in solidarity with him. I may have one drink on my birthday, but that's it. When the pandemic hit Ron and I made sure we did everything we could to protect each other, our loved ones, and everyone around us. Ron gets regular flu shots. We both got our vaccinations and boosters. We continue to do contactless grocery delivery and wear our masks when there's a lot of people and if one of us gets sick with a cold we do everything we can to not get each other sick. Ron and I are homebodies anyway so we were fine. Ron knows I'm a worrier and he would always try his best to reassure me any time he got a cold or the flu and tell me he would be okay because we both know with him being diabetic if he gets sick, if he gets hurt, it takes longer for his body to heal. 

Well, this year Ron got sick. Two weeks ago Ron thought he had the flu. He definitely had the flu symptoms and he did a telehealth call with his doctor. His doctor wanted him to get a Covid test. Ron did that and he tested negative for Covid. Ron called out of work something he rarely does so I knew he wasn't feeling well. By the middle of the week, Ron was not better and seemed like he was getting worse. I told him that while he said it was the flu, this felt different and I was worried and gently told him I thought he should go in. Ron assured me he would be okay, he was fine. He did do a telehealth call with urgent care and they gave him a prescription for Amoxicillin. Ron took the first dose and asked if I would make him some green tea. I did that for him and after he finished his tea he went to rest. The next day he was still sick and then Ron vomited. He was mortified telling me he was sorry. I told him it was okay, helped him clean up, and told him again that he should go in and get looked at because this felt serious. Ron told me, "Honey, I'm fine. It's just the flu. I'll be okay. Don't make a fuss." You can't force your husband/partner to go in. Believe me, I tried to talk to him about it, but he kept insisting he would be okay. In hindsight, Ron agreed that he should have listened to me and has apologized to me repeatedly. 

The next morning I went to wake Ron up to see if he would like a cup of tea and try to eat a little something for breakfast. No matter what I did Ron would not wake up and kept sleeping. I tried to gently nudge him awake and he opened his eyes briefly and patted my face and went back to sleep. The panic started to set in as I realized something was very wrong. I tried again and he would not wake up at all. I had to call emergency services for Ron and they arrived pretty quickly. I had to explain to the paramedics and told them that Ron is diabetic. It was awful. I was distraught because this was my Ron and he was in trouble and I didn't know if he was okay. They got Ron into the ambulance and told me what hospital they were taking him to. It was snowing that day and I'm outside crying absolutely devastated not knowing what to do. My brain caught up and I got a hold of Ron's family to tell them what happened. Bless all of Ron's family for being so incredibly kind, supportive, and for helping me. Ron's sister did everything she could to get me an Uber to the hospital. It took a lot of tries, but wow she got it done. I remember calling my dad and stepmom just sobbing because everything was awful and in that moment I needed them. Both of them were understanding and gentle with me telling me everything would be okay, focus on one thing at a time. It helped and I was able to gather myself and get to the hospital. 

Ron had been rushed to the ICU and everything was terrible. It's kind of a blur in places because everything was terrible and I don't know how I kept calm talking to multiple doctors and nurses about Ron's condition, his Diabetes, and how he had been sick with what he thought was the flu. There were a couple of times where I did start to cry and all of them were incredibly kind telling me I did everything right calling for help, that my actions saved his life. At the time it was cold comfort because I had no idea if my husband was going to make it and I was terrified of losing him. It's one of the worst feelings in the world not knowing if the person you love the most is going to be alright. 

This was the worst day ever. 

The nurses told me they would be getting Ron set up in the cardiac ICU and showed me to the waiting room telling me the would come get me as soon as he was settled. Ron's parents and sister arrived and sat with me and I was grateful for them being there. One doctor came and talked to us explaining that Ron's mental state had taken a turn for the worse and he was agitated so they had to sedate him. They also informed us that he had tested positive for Corona virus, that it wasn't Covid-19. When I asked how it was possible for him to get it since we're always careful, the doctor said that everyone was getting sick lately; that there has been a massive influx of  Corona, Covid, Influenza, and Bird Flu. Then another doctor came to talk to us and explained that Ron was in diabetic ketoacidosis which is absolutely dangerous for diabetics, this is something that can kill them. The doctor explained that the Corona virus basically torpedoed Ron's immune system and with him being diabetic it was serious and his body was fighting. They also explained that Ron's breathing was very rapid to a concerning degree, that it was like he was running a marathon, but he was standing still. They said they wanted to put a breathing tube in Ron to help with his breathing until they felt he could safely breathe on his own and that as his wife they needed consent from me as well as consent for leads that would regulate his heart and blood pressure. They would have Ron sedated during that time and explained that the goal was to remove it in a few days and see if he passed the respiratory tests and be able to do the breathing by himself. The doctor asked if we had any questions. I'm so thankful for Ron's sister because she asked questions and helped me to talk to the doctor and got them to elaborate on some of the procedure with the breathing tube and explaining that they had Ron on insulin via IV as well as IV fluids and that he was stable. 

Eventually they did let us go into the cardiac ICU to Ron's room to see him. I didn't want to leave him and they were very understanding about it. The doctor and nurses explained they don't have set visiting hours because they know how important it is for the family and for the patient to be able to see each other, just that we let the nurses do their jobs. They told me I could stay with him if I wanted and of course I did. My brain was all over the place and I'm glad Ron's family was looking out for me because I didn't think of food at all until his mom mentioned it. They let us know where the cafeteria was and we took a look there. Ron's family gave me some money so I could get something to eat which was truly kind of them. They said goodnight to me and let me know I could call them if I needed anything at all. We worked out a system where I could text his sister and give her updates and then she could let the rest of the family know. I also made the decision to have her be a secondary emergency contact and be added to the list so she could call the nurse station and get updates as well. Ron's sister is great at working out all the details and organizing, so I knew she was absolutely the right choice because she had helped me a lot already. 

That night I sat with Ron, holding his hand and I cried a lot. I prayed and prayed for him to be okay. I also softly spoke to him telling him I loved him and he needed to fight, to not give up. His first nurse that night was a really lovely lady talking to me about what she was doing to take care of him, going over what medications they were giving them, how they worked, and I thanked her for doing that for me. Every single one of his nurses took time to do that for me and I'm forever grateful for them being kind and taking such good care of Ron. She asked how we met and she smiled the entire time telling me Ron sounded like a sweetheart. I remember smiling and telling her, "He's been my sweetheart for seventeen years." She told me she loved that, that it was very obvious how much love there is between us. I sat all night with Ron, just dozing off in the chair telling him that I was resting my eyes. 

In the morning, I did get something to eat and his parents came to visit as well as his sister. I knew I had to go home and take care of Jake, get a shower, and some sleep. Ron's parents kindly gave me a ride home. I felt so bad because no one had been able to get Jake and he had been alone all night. It broke my heart to see our sweet little dog curled up in a ball on Ron's side of the bed. He came running to me so happy that I was home and I cried and hugged him telling him his dad was going to be okay, we just had to think good thoughts. I made sure he got to go outside for a walk, fed him, and somehow managed to get food for myself. I still can't remember what I ate, but I did eat. Jake stayed close to me and kept cuddling with me. Animals always know when something is wrong, when we're sad, and I was glad our good boy was with me. Ron doesn't usually let Jake on the bed to sleep with us, but that night I told Jake that this was a special situation and Ron would understand. Jake curled up in the bed with me and stayed there all night. I must have been exhausted because I ended up sleeping for fifteen hours. 

Jake was being my comforting cuddle buddy.

Ron's parents helped me to figure out something for Jake. They generously offered to take Jake and look after him so I could focus on Ron. They dropped me off at the hospital and took Jake home with them. Later I got a cute photo from them of Jake settling in nicely. He became best buddies with our great-nephew and with Ron's parents and he was being a very good boy. I was relieved to hear that and I knew he was in good hands with people that love him. It was a different nurse this time and he was very kind and let me know Ron was doing fine, but they were concerned about him getting fevers in the morning. They said they couldn't find anything and more than likely it was Ron's body fighting off the virus. The doctors were concerned about a mass in his stomach on his CT scan and wanted to do an endoscopy to make sure it was nothing serious. I agreed, but my anxiety was through the roof about it hoping it wouldn't be anything bad. 

I was there pretty much every day with Ron sitting by his side holding his hand and talking to him. The nurses told me they thought it was wonderful, keep talking to him because even though he was sedated he could hear me and it would help him to keep fighting, to get better. The nurses also made sure I rested. I would bunk down in the ICU waiting room with blankets they gave me and try to grab some sleep where I could. It was incredibly hard to turn off my brain and I slept in short bursts of five hours and I would make sure I ate too because I knew Ron would want me to take care of myself. 

One night, I was sitting by myself in the waiting room just taking a moment because the next day was the endoscopy for Ron and I was scared. This lady came in and her calm spirit and energy reminded me so much of my stepmom. It turned out she was the chaplain and she sat with me and chatted with me. It was odd because I have pretty bad social anxiety and I don't really talk to people I don't know and yet here I was telling a total stranger about Ron and about how scared I was for him. I admitted to her that I have struggled with my faith and that many times I have been in awe of the peaceful confidence that Ron has in his. I told her, "Any time I've ever been anxious about anything or I worry, Ron tells me it will be alright my love. When I ask him how do you know? He smiles at me and tells me gently, I have faith. He says it with so much conviction in his gentle way and I believe him every time." I told her that it reminded me of my grandfather because he had that same gentle manner and he had faith, that I was in awe of both of them for having that and a bit jealous too because there have been times where I questioned things or was unsure. I admitted to her, "Sometimes I feel like I'm a bad person because in moments like this, I'm angry with God." She put her hand over mine and smiled at me and said, "It's okay to be angry with God in this moment. God understands and it's okay for you to let God carry it for a while." I don't know why her words touched me, but they did and I felt a knot in my chest ease and I found myself crying. She asked about my family and Ron's family. She said she felt a kindred spirit with my grandmother and I told her I'm sure they would have been friends and she agreed saying that my grandmother sounded like a force of nature and that my grandfather was her balance and together they were wonderful. I smiled at that and said I loved them both dearly. She asked if she could say a prayer with me and one for Ron and I said yes. Both her prayers were beautiful and touched something deep in my heart that I hadn't felt since I was a child and it was comforting. She asked if she could give me a mom hug and I told her of course and it was a hug filled with tons of warmth and light. I told her, "I don't know how, but somehow I feel that God sent you to me when I needed someone to just listen and understand. Thank you." She gave me another hug and told me, "You're so welcome. We'll see each other again. I don't know when, but God will help us meet again I'm sure." It was such a kind lovely thing for her to say and I thought of Mister Rogers telling us to look for the helpers and it felt like God, the universe, or both was showing me that I wasn't alone, that there were wonderful people like this who are always ready to help when needed. I went back to sit with Ron, holding his hand, telling him about this wonderful lady and that I think he would have liked her if he met her. I felt Ron's hand squeeze back and I felt a rush of joy and hope at that. 

The doctors did the endoscopy and I was quite relieved that they didn't find anything bad. They said it was just inflammation from him vomiting and that he would be okay. Then they worked on trying to wake Ron up so they could remove the breathing tube. It was challenging to say the least. Ron would not wake up at all. He opened his eyes and then closed them going back to sleep. They tried and tried, but it wasn't happening. One of the nurses saw my disappointment and told me kindly to not give up, they would put their heads together and try to figure out a solution because at this point Ron had been sedated with the breathing tube for four days. His family and I remembered Ron has bad anxiety about dentists and that it could be he was anxious about the tube. They came up with a plan to use a lighter sedation on him and also give him Ativan which is for anxiety. They told me not to give up, keep sitting with him and talking to him. 

Easing the sedation worked. Ron was moving around a little more and a few times he instinctively tried to yank the breathing tube out and the nurses had to tighten his restraints a bit. In the morning they tried again. They said that Ron passed his respiratory tests and that he was actually breathing on his own and his breathing was okay and it was time to remove the breathing tube. They prepared me saying it would be rough because the tube is very uncomfortable. Ron passed their next test which was to respond to commands. He did squeeze the nurse's hand and he wiggled his toes and then he squeezed my hand. They were able to remove the breathing tube successfully and said it would be gradual, but he would wake up and he would be coming down from the sedation and to give him some grace because he would say some things and it wasn't necessarily him. Ron did wake up and he was talking to me here and there. He did say some pretty funny things that had me giggling. He woke up more and it lifted my heart to hear him say, "Hi, Mamita." 

He also tried to get me and the nurse to give him water. We couldn't do that yet until the doctors cleared him something we both explained to him repeatedly. I felt really bad about it, but the explanation was they needed to make sure his lungs were clear and they would be testing it and when he passed he could have all the water he wanted. He did pass and Ron was very glad to have sips of water. He asked me what happened and I told him some of it and he held my hand telling me how sorry he was he put me through all of this. I told him it was okay, that all that mattered to me was he was alright. He very sweetly kept calling me his beautiful water angel and his queen. We had a moment where I cried because I was very happy he was still with me as he told me, "Thank you for saving my life my love. I get to have more time with you. You did great. I'm proud of you." 

Ron woke up, yay! 

They had Ron doing some breathing exercises to help strengthen his lungs. It's kind of funny now because Ron was a bit like a kid trying to make a deal with me about using the breathing exercise tools. He said he would like some water and I gently told him we should try the breathing exercises first. He sighed and told me, "Oh come on honey, have a heart!" I thought to myself, am I really negotiating with my husband over breathing exercises and water? Yes, yes I was. We made a deal that he had to do at least three each for the breathing exercise tools and then he got a sip of water. Ron did them and he did well and he was excited to get to sip his water. He was still coming down from the sedation, but he was becoming more and more coherent over time. 

Eventually they moved Ron out of the cardiac ICU and to a floor room. It took some time to get him set up and once he was settled they let us come visit him. His parents hung out for a bit and then they said goodbye and Ron and I were together alone. I stayed over the weekend with him and we chatted about everything and said I love you to each other a lot. He asked what happened because he had no memory of the past two weeks. There were some things he remembered, but other things he couldn't recall. We both knew this was normal with everything that happened. He had nurses checking his vitals, testing his blood sugar, and helping him go to the bathroom. I know it was frustrating for Ron that his body wasn't doing what he wanted it to do. I told him it would be alright, that it was going to take time and we would get through it together. He told me how glad he was that I was there and we held hands and enjoyed being together. 

There was a lot to do on my end with calling Ron's job and talking to the HR lady explaining what happened. She was nice about all of it and got the short term disability forms set up for Ron and said she would make sure Ron has everything he needs and if we needed anything at all just ask. That was such a relief. Then I had to talk to the insurance lady and go over the timeline of events and I don't know how I got through it or remembered all the dates, doctor information, and other important information. I did though and when I expressed concern that I was worried I missed something she kindly told me, "You did great. Your recollection of all the dates, times, and information helped a lot." She pushed the paperwork through after she got the banking information from Ron. I let Ron know and told him I was exhausted and he told me how proud he was of me, that I was doing a terrific job. 

Ron looking much better. 

The next step was getting Ron into rehab to build up his strength so he could get back to normal and come home. This took a bit of doing because one occupational therapist insisted he could do it from home. I was proud of Ron for standing up for himself and being firm saying that no he needed to go to rehab. There was also the issue of getting a bed for him there. It was a lot of frustration, but the doctor supported Ron saying he absolutely needed rehab and the second occupational therapist assessed him and agreed. We finally got some good news and they had a bed for Ron at the rehab facility. They transferred him there and it took a long time because they had to assess and evaluate him. Ron let me know as soon as he was set up in his room. 

On Saturday Ron's parents graciously gave me a ride to the rehab facility to visit with Ron. They visited for a bit and said they would let us have some alone time together and to call when I was ready to go home and they would pick me up. Ron and I thanked them and then it was just the two of us. We were absolutely happy to see each other because we both pointed out that in our seventeen years this was the longest we had been apart. Ron asked me to move my chair closer to him so that we could sit together. He touched his forehead to mine and we held each other's hands smiling at each other. Ron smiled sweetly at me and told me, "I missed this. I missed you." I smiled right back at him and told him, "Me too. This is nice." Ron agreed. We gave each other the biggest hug and we sat together talking about everything and nothing. We said our little saying to each other, "You're my favorite." It was the best day being with my Ron and seeing that he was doing much better and that he was glad to be with me. He thanked me for coming to see him and I told him it wasn't even a question, he's my heart. When it was time to go, it was hard for both of us, but we said I love you to each other and that we would get through this together with patience and love like we always do. 

Ron told me he has three hours of therapy a day throughout the day and that he knows he needs it so he can get back home to me. I told him how proud I am of him because he's doing his best and he's getting it done. His nurses, doctors, and physical therapists are great helping him and taking good care of him. I'm grateful to everyone who helped Ron, who helped me, and who helped us. The doctors, nurses, and physical therapists have been great with him. Thank you to his parents for giving me rides to the hospital and to rehab. Thank you to his nieces for checking in, thank you to his sister for helping me talk to the doctors, for helping me figure out the disability forms, and for printing them out so we could get them done. To my family, thank you for checking in and making sure I was okay, for praying for us. To all our friends and communities, thank you for all the messages of love and support, for asking if we needed anything, for cheering Ron on every step of the way. To everyone in our lives, thank you for caring and loving us. Thank you for helping and being there. It means a lot to Ron and I. We're grateful to know so many kind and wonderful people and we're so glad you're in our lives. Life happened and it was hard, but we were able to get through it because of the basket of blessings that is all of you caring about us. Than you. We love you all very much. 

The best day with Ron. 

*I did have to take time off and Ron did as well, so we're trying to catch up on things. If you would like to support me on Ko-fi you can do so here: https://ko-fi.com/mothergamer Thank you, we appreciate you! 

Mothergamer Plays Overthrown

 Happy new year! It's time for our first review of 2025! I was genuinely curious about Overthrown when I saw it on Gamepass. It is in early access which the developers let you know right away warning about unfinished things and possible game crashes. I decided to check it out and see what this kingdom building game was like. 

I find it odd that the game just kind of throws you in with no explanation or story of why you're going to build a whole kingdom. I do like that you can adjust the difficulty in the game settings before you start your world. You also have the option to play co-op with up to five other players if you want. You play as a Queen and you have a crown that you can use to heal yourself and gives you overpowered physical abilities. You can start by changing your look by choosing the outfit in the user interface menu. Depending on what color you pick it changes the color of the queen's hair and outfit.

Starting my kingdom.

Overthrown has a kind of bare bones tutorial for building. The first thing you have to do is build your town hall of course and then you have to build a few lumber mills which the new villagers will assign themselves to when they show up. That was another interesting I noticed. When you build more things like a bakery or a food kitchen, the villagers will volunteer themselves for the various jobs. You don't have to worry about building tools to chop down the trees. The queen is so comically strong, she can punch trees, lift them up, and throw them in the lumber mills. I was amused by this aspect of the game. Don't like where a building is? You can pick it up and throw it where you want it to be. You can also pick up all the people and throw them. That seems to be a funny thing you can do that makes me think of cartoons with slapstick humor. 

If you want to unlock more things, you have to do research. As long as you have the correct amount of resources, you can research things like farming which will unlock access to other things like orchards or metalworking unlocks access to making weapons for the village. Since it's in early access some research items aren't available yet, but let you know when those updates will be happening which is nice.

Doing some research.

One thing that I'm not really thrilled with in Overthrown is the bandit invasions. With the kingdom building comes having to prepare for bandits coming in trying to destroy and steal everything you have built. The Queen does have weapons of her own. You can either punch bandits with your bare fists or switch to your choice of swords. Combat isn't too overwhelming and you can dodge and dash around taking out the bandits easily. You can zoom the map out and take a look at where the bandit camps are so you can preemptively take them out. If the bandits take you out, you respawn, but without your crown. You have to find the bandit that stole your crown which is marked on your map and defeat them to get your crown back. If you don't get your crown back the villagers lose hope and their morale drops. This is yet another thing the game doesn't explain very well, but I was able to figure it out pretty quickly. 

Frankly dealing with the bandits was my least favorite part of the game. There's a timer telling you how many days you have to prepare for the next wave of bandit attacks. I feel that it detracted from the relaxed cozy building aspects of the game and it gets frustrating pretty quick having to constantly repair buildings that got damaged in the bandit attacks. I really wished for a way to turn it off so I could just build and farm in peace. 

Taking out all the bandits. 

I loved the farming and I feel that is something that Overthrown definitely got right. You can forage for items and with a lot of the plants those drop seeds you can plant in your fields. There are also fruit trees you can plant making your own orchards. Harvesting is easy because again, you can just spin using your sword to cut through all the crops. The game does a good job of letting you know what crops grow in what seasons. It was fun to see giant pumpkins and tomatoes, then getting to harvest all of them. Building storage for them was easily done and constantly farming helps provide food for your growing kingdom. 

There were tons of game crashes, but it was usually after a couple of hours of gameplay. It caused me to save often so I wouldn't lose progress with my building. With it being in early access that is to be expected, but sometimes it would crash in the worst moments and there are issues with the loading times being a bit long in places. There are also a few weird world clipping glitches with the ground missing in some places or in one case a villager's face was missing and it was just a blank face. Overthrown isn't a bad game, but it definitely needs some more polish and work on those issues in early access. The potential for it to be a solid game is there so hopefully they get it sorted and it can truly shine for us lovers of cozy building and farm sim games. 

Giant pumpkins! 

*Overthrown is in early access on the following platforms: Steam, Xbox Series X/S, and Playstation 5

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