Mothergamer Plays Little Kitty, Big City

The minute I saw the teaser trailer for Little Kitty, Big City I knew this was a game for me. The story starts with an adorable kitty taking a relaxing nap on their window ledge bathing in all the sunshine like cats do. Suddenly, disaster strikes and the kitty falls from the window and all the way down to the ground. This is where the kitty's adventures begin as they try to find their way through the city and try to get back home. 

Just a cute kitty having a window nap. 

I was happy to see they made it so the kitty is never really hurt. The biggest obstacle is giant puddles of water that the kitty has to find their way around. It was so much fun playing as kitty that I made myself everyone's problem. I did all kinds of cat things like rubbing against people and tripping them, stealing their phones, stealing their dropped food, and meowing to get their attention and get lots of head pats from them. I love the fact that the game allows you to do this. There's no rush, you can take your time exploring and just be a cute little cat. Kitty can talk to others to find their way around like an adorable fluffy cat that is the self proclaimed mayor. The mayor gives kitty some advice for getting around town after kitty does some chaos cat things for him. 

Kitty talks to the Mayor. 

There are puzzles to navigate for getting around the city like climbing up and over obstacles. This is a cat after all and climbing and jumping are things they do best. There's also a lot of cute collectibles to collect like hats. The hats are my favorite because each design is incredibly cute ranging from an apple hat to my personal favorite a frog hat. You can get them from doing side quests and also from gacha machines as long as you have enough coins. 

Kitty looking very cute in an apple hat. 

It's not easy for kitty to make it back home. The whole journey is about regaining their strength so they can make that long climb back to their window. The side quests help with this a lot because they get rewards that help with that in the form of fish to eat and lots of cute hats. Helping is a great idea not just for the rewards, but because the side quests themselves are funny, cute, and charming. My favorite quest was finding all the adorable ducklings. 

Playing video games with a duckling. 

Eventually, you also find a way to fast travel thanks to a very smart Tanuki. It makes going back and forth to get collectibles a lot easier. Little Kitty, Big City is not very long. If you do the main objectives and nothing else, it's about two and a half hours. If you're like me and want to get everything done, it's a little longer and I finished it in about six and a half hours. It's short and sweet which is not a bad thing. For me, Little Kitty, Big City hit all the bells and whistles for cuteness, a cheerfully fun adventure, and a lot of cozy charm. It's a delightful romp getting to play as an adorable kitty living their best adventurous life. 

There is only frog hat!

*Little Kitty, Big City is available on the following platforms: Steam, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S (Gamepass), and Nintendo Switch

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Duck Detective: The Secret Salami, I Made So Many Duck Puns

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

Right away Duck Detective is very cute with the art style that feels like a mix of sticker and cardboard cutout game pieces. We're introduced to Eugene McQuacklin a down on his luck detective hanging out in his office trying to figure out what he spent his rent money on. You can move Eugene around looking for clues and this gives a nice tutorial into how the game works. 

Eugene McQuacklin, duck detective.

After the introduction, Eugene gets a case at Bearbus, a bussing company. This is where the detective skills go a little more in depth having you look around for clues and adding clues to the case file. Eugene has to talk to the people there and certain words will be highlighted implying that it's relevant to the case. 

Adding a vital clue to the case file.

Eugene can also investigate various characters while he talks to them. Using his magnifying glass he can examine them and pick up clues like a loose thread on their sleeve or other interesting details he can add to the case file and write a note in his notebook. There's also a bit where you have to guess the person's name and when you do, you can add it to the suspect list in his notebook. 

Checking for clues on a penguin.

Eugene can explore a lot of places. He can snoop through someone's computer, check notes, talk to more people, and even look through someone's duffel bag for clues to solve the case. It definitely kept me guessing adding a few twists and turns. When Eugene has enough clues about one scenario he can put it together in what are called deductkions. I did like that the game would let you know how much of it you got right and then would tell you two things are wrong so you could go back and look at it again. It also gave helpful hints so there wasn't too much frustration solving the puzzle. 

Doing some deducktions. 

The story was interesting and so was the case. I also loved that it didn't take itself too seriously with all the silliness in some situations and of course the duck puns. I made so many duck puns myself while playing this because it was that much fun. The game also had little joke duck facts in between loading screens which I found really amusing. 

Eugene has trouble talking with a cat. 

The game isn't very long. It's a fun, short mystery that I finished in about three hours. The art style, the funny jokes, the main mystery, and the general whimsy of Duck Detective made it an enjoyable time. I love Eugene and his hard boiled detective voice. I also loved the myriad of characters at BearBus that added more humorous shenanigans to the story. Quacking the case was a great time. 

Eugene gets a ride home. 

 

*Duck Detective: The Secret Salami is available on the following platforms: Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, 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 Ravenlok

 I'm so glad I got a chance to play Ravenlok before it left Gamepass because I really enjoyed it. Let's dive into why I had so much fun with it. The game starts by introducing us to a girl playing with her dog and we find out the girl's name is Kira. Yes, you can pat the dog and also have it wear cute hats which is adorable. As Kira wanders around, the story shows that she and her family have just moved to the countryside. This introduces us to the fetch quest system of the game when her mom and dad ask her to get certain items like a dusting cloth. 

Kira and her dog. 

It's not long before Kira finds a mirror and travels through it to a magical land known as Dunia. It's obvious that the game is inspired by Alice In Wonderland which delighted me as that is one of my favorite childhood books. There's a white rabbit naturally who calls Kira by the name of Ravenlok explaining that she's the hero from the prophecy that will save Dunia from the Red Queen. 

Kira arrives in Dunia. 

There are multiple fetch quests Kira has to do for the various characters she meets including a giant cat that is very reminiscent of the Cheshire Cat in Alice In Wonderland. One of the quests including Kira getting a sword and shield. This is where the combat tutorial starts and it's easy to follow explaining the hack and slash mechanics as well as the magic battle skills Kira can do. The combat style is simple, but I don't think that's a bad thing because it felt like they considered the fact that kids could play this game and so it's not too challenging or frustrating. 

Fighting mushroom monsters. 

I loved exploring the different areas. The design and whimsy of each area is well done. The nods to Alice In Wonderland are lovely and I found myself smiling upon finding each one and appreciating all the details that went into Ravenlok's designs. My personal favorite was the tea party with the Mad Hatter who also seemed to be a mix of the March Hare in design. I ran around doing his fetch quest so he could have a lovely tea party. 

Kira meets the Mad Hatter. 

Sure at times the fetch quests could be a little tedious, but it didn't bother me that much because I was having a lot of fun with the game and enjoying the story. There were a couple of boss battles where it took me a bit to figure out what to do, but once I figured out the patterns I was able to hack and slash my way to victory. I liked the story and kept playing because I wanted to see how Kira's adventure ended. Ravenlok isn't very heavy with the drama and the storytelling is simple, but enjoyable. Simple doesn't always mean bad and Ravenlok shows that really well with the simplicity of the combat system and the variety of fetch quests woven into the story. It's not a very long game about four to five hours, but for me it was about ten because I explored everywhere and did the extra quest of finding cute collectible white rabbits in the game. I loved the ending and felt it wrapped everything up neatly giving concise answers to multiple threads in the story. For me, Ravenlok was a lovely game to play because I appreciated the charm and whimsy that went into it which made for a delightful adventure. 

Kira and friends celebrating their victory.

*Ravenlok is available on the following platforms: Microsoft Windows (Epic), Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

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

Paper Trail: Come for the Story, Stay for the Charming Art Puzzles

 Note: I received a game code for the Nintendo Switch for my honest opinion and review of the game. Thank you so much to Newfangled Games for the game code!

I was intrigued by Paper Trail the minute I started seeing the trailer for it and some of the art. It did not look like anything I had seen before and the fact that it was a puzzle game hooked me in. I'm not the best at puzzles, but I love them and I wanted to see what Paper Trail was all about. The story introduces us to Paige who is ready to leave home and go to university, but her parents don't want her to go. Paige decides the only thing to do is run away from home and fulfill her dream.

Paige and her parents. 

This is where we're introduced to Paige's interesting powers. The mechanics in the game are top down puzzles. Paige is able to fold the world like origami and create new paths like making a path to a lighthouse and repairing its tower. It's such a unique way to do puzzles in a game. It starts out simple at first to ease you in, which I appreciated and then gets gradually more challenging adding new elements to the mix like movable statues. 

Folding the world to fix a lighthouse.

I will say that I liked that I could adjust the accessibility settings. Sometimes, it was hard for me to see where to fold places on the map. I went into the settings and there was a feature called show grid. This broke the map up into a grid that I could see and it made things a lot easier for me figuring out what to fold and where. It did not distract from the relaxing lo-fi music or the charming art style of the game. No two maps are alike and I found myself delighted by each one. My personal favorite was the swamp with all the cute frogs because I love frogs. Each area looked like a lovely painting and I found myself taking time to stop and admire each little detail.

Look at the cute little frogs!

It's not to say that I didn't get frustrated with some puzzles, but that was a me issue because I didn't always see the patterns. I have Dyscalculia which makes it harder for me to see patterns with spatial things like this as well as struggling to see patterns in math. It's not that I can't get it, it's just that my brain takes a little longer to get there. Honestly, I feel this is where Paper Trail really shines for someone like myself. There's no hurry and no timer to solve the puzzles. The game gives you that freedom to take your time, to try different things, different folds, to see what works and what doesn't. So even though it got a tiny bit frustrating in places I would tell myself, okay let's take a moment and try again. The fact that Paper Trail is so relaxed it allows you to do that is really wonderful. 

This puzzle was a doozy for me.

Some of the story cutscenes have folding puzzles in them too. They're a little simpler and as you fold in the right places, you get more of the cutscene images. Sometimes I would be absolutely bamboozled by a puzzle because I could just not figure out how I was supposed to do it like a puzzle with a lot of lights and statues. This is where the hint feature comes in. I love that they thought about this and incorporated it into the game so that everyone can continue enjoying Paige's journey. It's called the slider and it will take you step by step through the puzzle showing where and how you fold the map. This is such a nice thing to have and when I got stuck on a couple of puzzles, that slider helped immensely. 

Thank you slider for all the puzzle hints! 

As I continued the journey with Paige, I loved learning more about her and what was driving her towards her goal. There were some parts of the story that made me sad for her, but it made me understand her much better. Paige wasn't running away, she was running towards something important that she felt would help her achieve her dreams and things she wanted to do. Speaking as a parent I do understand that fear of letting go, but eventually children grow up and they have to live their own lives and we have to let them. I do love the gentle way Paper Trail shows this with Paige's journey and by the end of the story I was happy for her and her family. The game itself isn't very long, I finished it in eight hours. I think that's the perfect length for it and I loved everything about it. The story is well done, the puzzles are interesting, and I love the charming art style. If you enjoy puzzle games, you will enjoy Paper Trail. It was such a joy for me to play and I'm so glad I got to experience it. Thank you, Newfangled games for this beautiful game! 

A vibrant Autumn landscape.

*Paper Trail is available to play on the following platforms: Steam, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Netflix Games

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

Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth: Fun Times And A Great Story

 I was so hyped when Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth was announced because I loved Like A Dragon and I adore Ichiban. Seeing that Ichiban and Kiryu would be together in the game had me really excited and I was excited to dive in right away. Infinite Wealth is set three years after the main plot of the first game with Ichiban working at Hello Work. The game gives us a great view of where Ichiban and his friends are at and how they're doing. It also gives a nice introduction into the improved battle system. It's still turn based, but now there are circles showing where your party members can move and they can move a lot more freely so you can plan your strategy during a battle accordingly. 

The gang is back together again! 

Without giving too much away, circumstances change things for Ichiban and his friends which leads to the main story of Ichiban going to Hawaii. It's exciting having an entirely new place to explore, but with the usual odd enemies that stem from Ichiban's imagination. Ichiban runs into Kiryu in Hawaii and the two of them teaming up is brilliant and it's the dream team I didn't know I needed. I love Ichiban and Kiryu together duking it out together against all these enemies. The over the top special attacks and tag team attacks are everything I love about the Like A Dragon games. They're fun, funny, and work really well with the story setting. 

Dream team Ichiban and Kiryu battle it out. 

There's the usual conversations between Ichiban and his friends, but now there's a fun twist called Friendship Bingo. Ichiban and Kiryu can chat with everyone and learn different things about them like favorite foods or hobbies. When they get a Bingo it increases the bonds which unlocks more battle abilities as well as supporting attacks known as chain reactions. It adds another fun layer to the battle system and with Kiryu you get to see the cool street fighting style he has since he can switch between stances and when his heat mode is full, he can go full brawl. The fights are fun which makes level grinding less of a chore. 

Friendship Bingo card. 

There's also of course tons of mini games in Infinite Wealth. There's the usual knowledge center mini game in the new Hawaiian setting and the can quest is still around in Japan. The Sujimon index is back too with even more Sujimon to discover and Sujimon battles which are an amusing parody of Pokemon battles. There's also a hilarious dating app minigame which leads to some pretty funny results for Ichiban. My personal favorite was Crazy Delivery and if you've ever played the game Crazy Taxi you will notice the references to it. It's such a good time and you can earn some pretty good rewards from it. 

It's time for crazy delivery! 

Then came my absolute favorite minigame, Dondoko Island. Think Stardew Valley meets Animal Crossing, but with a Yakuza setting and of course more Ichiban shenanigans. For me, it was a ton of fun tidying up the island and getting that resort to five stars. There's also a farm and you can have your Sujimon work there which levels them up and boosts their stats. One of the things I really enjoyed about Dondoko Island is you can leave and come back anytime throughout the story and you can invite people to the resort. After you finish the game, you can also go back and do any extra things you might have missed. 

Sujimon battle on Dondoko Island.

The story of Infinite Wealth is great. I was so invested in all of it because of how much it got me to care about not just Ichiban and Kiryu, but their friends too. I loved that we got to have so many moments with them throughout the story revealing intimate knowledge of things they struggled with, what made them happy, and how much they cared about Ichiban and Kiryu. I found this was strongest during the Drink Link substories which not only gives everyone in the party experience, but gives huge boosts to the friendship bonds. I of course also enjoyed all the karaoke which is always fun especially with Kiryu who is delightful. 

It was interesting switching back and forth between Hawaii and Japan with Ichiban being the Hawaii team and Kiryu being the Japan team. It is story locked, but it's smartly done and works surprisingly well with the flow of the events in the story. The story itself is great and had me in its grip for a good sixty plus hours of gameplay. There were a lot of beautifully emotional moments in the story that had me crying and some incredibly heartwarming moments that had me smiling.  The epic battles, the fantastic storytelling, the great side quests, and the great storytelling made Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth such a good time for me and I'm so glad I got to appreciate another adventure with Ichiban, Kiryu, and all their friends. 

*Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth is on these platforms: Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

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

Mothergamer Plays Chicory: A Colorful Tale

 Chicory starts off with playing as a cute little dog named Pizza who is the janitor in a tower and a big fan of Chicory who is the wielder of a magic paint brush used to color in the world. It's quite clear how much Pizza loves Chicory and her art the way they talk about her and is a nice introduction into the world of Picnic Province and the story itself.

Gushing about Chicory.

However, Chicory has gone missing and the world's color is disappearing. Pizza happens to find Chicory's brush and decides they'll help by filling the world in with lots of colors. This is a nice lead into learning the mechanics for how the brush works and how to paint everything. There's lots of nice accessibility features in the user menu to adjust the brush's movement as well, tweaking the game controls, and being able to adjust the difficulty so you can enjoy the story or have a challenge. I also appreciated that there was a setting to give trigger warnings before certain story points in the game.

Pizza learns how to paint with the brush.

There's not really combat in the game as the world is basically a giant coloring book. Pizza starts learning more about Chicory and how her disappearance isn't just affecting the world, it's affecting people connected to her. As you go through the story, you learn more brush styles and you unlock more colors that you can use to paint everything. Sometimes you need the brush to solve a puzzle, coloring in certain areas to open a door or coloring a plant so it will grow and give you a bridge across a cliff. Sometimes different characters will ask you to paint or decorate things for them which is also fun. I really liked designing a new donut sign for the owner of a donut shop. I'm terrible at drawing and painting, but the game never made me feel bad about that. Each character always reacted with joy or admiration with whatever I made for them. That polka dot donut sign was awesome!

Pizza paints the world.

Chicory is eventually found and there is a very important conversation between her and Pizza about mental health. Chicory explaining how much pressure she felt to be perfect and to not disappoint anyone, to not show any weakness really resonated with me. It's beautifully done with a gentleness and mindfulness that shows we can talk about these issues with others and that we're not alone in these feelings and thoughts. Pizza telling Chicory they want to help her and they want to be there for her is such a lovely scene and had me very emotional. 

From there, Pizza and Chicory are working together through the story and I really enjoyed it. Sometimes the puzzles were a bit frustrating as I tried to figure it out because a couple felt like math puzzles. I have Dyscalculia so math is incredibly difficult for me, so for a few puzzles I did have to look up how to do them. Other than a few frustrating puzzles, the rest of the puzzles weren't so bad. I did have a giggle at the phone booths because I haven't seen a phone booth in years. The phone booths are a cool thing though, because Pizza can call home and ask for a hint if they get stuck on where to go next or what to do with a puzzle. There's also side quests and collectibles to find which add another charming layer to the game. 

Chicory asks Pizza for help.

Chicory isn't a long game. I feel it's just the right length depending on how much you explore and do extra things. I finished it in about twenty hours and for me that was perfect. Chicory isn't just about art, it's about so much more. There are many conversations with different characters that hit close to home whether it's talking about imposter syndrome or coming to the realization that while we stress about the pressure others put on us, there's nothing like the intense pressure we put on ourselves. Chicory is suited to all of it because of how much care was put into the story and the gameplay to reflect all of those soul searching moments with a kindness that allows us to soak it all in and process those thoughts and emotions.

The music in Chicory is beautiful too and each area and main story scene always seems to have the right tone and music evoking the right nuance of feeling for each one down to the tiniest detail. Throughout the story there are always gentle reminders that it's okay if we're struggling and that it's important to do our best to take care of ourselves, to be kinder to ourselves. I loved the story in Chicory, I loved all of it because it told such a meaningful story in a way that hit close to home and while it appears simple, it's actually rich in storytelling, art, and expression. I'm grateful that games like Chicory are made because we need more of that color in our world. 

Sometimes we just need a hug.

*Chicory is available to play on the following platforms: PC, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

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

My Time At Sandrock Review

 *Note: I was given a free copy of the game for my honest review. Thank you to Renaissance PR for the Nintendo Switch game code.

I played My Time At Portia and I loved it so I was excited when My Time At Sandrock was announced. Finally it was here and I could not wait to get started. This is a sequel to Portia and it is set in the same world with the builders helping to rebuild after an event that destroyed previous civilizations. You play as a builder who has just come to the town of Sandrock which is out in a vast desert. It's quite different from the lush fields and forests of Portia, but a new setting with a new builder was exciting. The character design is great with a lot of diversity for skin tones and hair styles. You can even change the color of the hair and there are long hair options. You can tweak how you want your builder to look with the editing tools in the character design menu. Once you name your character, you're ready to go and meet everyone in town to begin your journey.

Welcome to Sandrock! 

I learned right away how different Sandrock is in regards to gathering resources and building. There is of course a workshop, but in order to keep the machines running you have a water tank that needs water constantly, but you also have to conserve water because you're in a desert. There are a couple solutions to this with being able to buy a set amount of water from one of the villagers and building a contraption called a dew collector which would catch the morning dew. Once you had enough dew you could make a jar of water. You can't just cut down trees because again you have to conserve water and places that help the oasis in Sandrock. You can kick the trees, cut down dead trees, and sort through scrap piles spread throughout the area. It definitely makes you plan out each day with what you want to do and makes good use of the desert setting. There are mining areas too and you do need those for building and various requests from the villagers. I feel that the mining is slightly better here in Sandrock as it feels a bit more streamlined and they improved on some things from Portia. The farming aspect is a bit different too as you have to carefully plow your fields with a special tool that adds a border of straw so the seeds you plant don't get whisked away by the wind. You also have to be aware of how much water you're using and it kept me on my toes keeping track of each detail with farming and using my machines to build. 

Doing a bit of mining. 

Sandrock's story kept me going because it was interesting and added to that sense of adventure making it more than a farm sim. The whole town works together to reverse the town drying up because of a relic boom that had treasure hunters sucking up all the resources while trying to figure out the motives of Logan a bandit who was a member of the community who was kind, but suddenly went rogue and is causing a lot of problems for everyone. There is a bit of downtime between each story chapter, but when a new chapter started up I was invested. Unraveling the mystery of Logan by looking for clues, talking to people, and trying to piece the puzzle together was fun and intriguing. Some of these searches lead to old world dungeons and the combat is hack and slash mechanics like Portia. You can also use old world guns which work really well for distance attacks. The fights are straightforward and with the boss battles you have to figure out patterns and sometimes use your environment to win. These are great places to level up and you do get a lot of great rewards from them. 

Battling it out in a dungeon. 

There are of course plenty of side quests as the town's residents make requests. There's also the builder's guild board where you can take on jobs and improve your shop's reputation while earning money as you build. Each character is different and I loved seeing how their personalities shined through as I got to know them better. This can lead to romance with some of them. There are twenty one possible romance options in Sandrock and yes, you can romance them as a guy or girl builder so there is queer romance in the game. I had a hard time choosing because there were quite a few I liked and some of their quests and requests allow you to get to know them better. You can go on a date with them which is a terrific way to learn more about them and give gifts they like. Eventually, you can choose to get married in the game to the person you choose and it's really cute and sweet. Just make sure you have expanded your house and made room for them ahead of time. 

On a date with Owen.

I noticed that there were a lot of quality of life improvements in Sandrock compared to Portia. Some of the ones I appreciated most was a better menu system, having icons over desert creatures showing if they're hostile, and free sprinting with no stamina bar. It made for a much easier time running around getting things done. There are holidays and festivals in the game as well that I enjoyed like a Summer festival that had everyone making a wish and releasing lanterns into the night sky. It showed very well the community aspect of Sandrock and it added a nice touch to the game. 

Sandrock isn't perfect. On Switch there are definitely a few bugs and visual issues. Honestly some of them are quite hilarious like the character Matilda sometimes being stuck in a t-pose. The running joke is this is how she establishes dominance. Sometimes there would be an odd visual glitch with a tree or a rock which was also amusing. It's nothing game breaking, but it is noticeable. 

Overall, My Time At Sandrock is such a great time. I've loved every single minute of it because of how good the story is while making the building, exploration, and farming aspects of it a lot of fun. There's always something new to be discovered and the townspeople in the game add to that desert life charm. It's well thought out and every detail is wonderfully done making it so enjoyable to play.

*My Time At Sandrock is available to play on the following platforms: Nintendo Switch, Playstation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows 

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