Mother Gamer Plays The Tomb Raider Reboot Trilogy

I knew of the Tomb Raider games, but I never really played them. After playing Uncharted many people suggested the Tomb Raider reboot trilogy to me saying that I would like it a lot. I picked up the trilogy and started my adventure as Lara Croft. First up of course was the first game in the trilogy. Since this was a reboot, it was a way to start fresh. With the first game it was clear that Lara is young and this is her first expedition to find the lost kingdom of Yamatai. Right from the beginning the first game is action packed with a crazy storm and the ship sinking, stranding Lara and her friends on the island of Yamatai.

Lara get her bearings on the island.

Exploring the island was exciting and a bit scary with some jump scare moments. I did like the fact that I could adjust the difficulty settings in the game and turn on tutorials so I could figure out the combat system. I did like taking moments to stop and explore the island and appreciated a lot of the view. There's definitely a lot of climbing and jumping while using Lara's various tools to get around the island. 

Lara climbs up. 

It was fun using the tools and zip lining everywhere. The battles are fun, but sometimes a little frustrating with the sheer amount of quick time events. I would die in the game and have to try again and sometimes the quick time events were not always accurate. It didn't deter from the enjoyment of the game for me because I really liked the story and reveals in the game. In order to save the game and craft items, you can rest at a campfire. This is also where you can upgrade your skills and weapons as you level up. 

Craft and upgrade skills here.

I had a great time with the first game and learning about the island of Yamatai. There were definitely tense moments that scared the heck out of me which added to the game. Sometimes the controls could be a little clunky, but I had fun. Next was Rise Of The Tomb Raider which opens in Syria with Lara trying to come to terms with what she saw in the first game. It was interesting to see Lara trying to wrap her mind around seeing something she could not explain from the first game. Her adventure in Rise then leads her to Siberia in search of the prophet of Constantinople. There were lots of beautiful scenic vistas in Rise Of The Tomb Raider and I stopped often to check them out. 

Taking in a beautiful view. 

I felt the map in the second game is a little better because everything is laid out clearly with side quests, optional tombs, and the main story quest. I also loved the fact that you could place custom markers on the map because me being the derp that I am, I need to be able to see clearly where I need to go. 

Finding my way around the map. 

I loved that you could change Lara's outfits and each outfit had a beneficial use for her with things such as better agility, more health, or bigger inventory space. The campfires seem to be the staple for all the games so they were in the second game as well. Using salvage found in different areas helps Lara to craft arrows, upgrade her tools, and even create makeshift grenades. 

Changing up Lara's outfit.

I loved the story in Rise because it showed us a new mystery as well as a new villain in a secret cabal organization known as Trinity. The story also showed more of Lara's back story and what happened to her father which gave great insights into why she was obsessed with finding out the truth about her father's research into various artifacts and legends. I also liked exploring the optional tombs. These offered puzzles to solve and the reward for figuring out the tombs was not only treasure, but revelations that tied into the main story. The art and music in the game was beautiful and I appreciated the thought and time that was taken to make them shine. I kept playing because I wanted to see where the story took me and it delivered greatly. 

Lara explores a tomb.

Finally, it was time to play Shadow Of The Tomb Raider. The story is set two months after the events of Rise Of The Tomb Raider and Lara and her friend Jonah are working together to stop the activities of Trinity. Honestly, right from the start I fell in love with Shadow Of The Tomb Raider. Lara walking around in Mexico during a Dia de los Muertos celebration, seeing the ofrendas, and all the thoughtful details that went into it warmed my heart. This is where the story really starts as Lara runs into some of the Trinity operatives, but also learns where to go next in her adventure. 

The beauty of Dia de Los Muertos. 

Getting to explore the Amazon in Shadow was incredible. There was so much to see and do and the element of danger was definitely heightened. I had a bracing, scary fight with a jaguar and had to use all the tools at my disposal. It was also a lot of me running away and yelling, "Oh no!" because let's face it jaguars are beautiful big cats and scary as heck predators.

As the story continued, I got to learn more about Trinity and the artifact Lara was looking for. I loved interacting with the indigenous people of Paititi. I loved it because it brought up important discussions about Lara and her reckless behavior. Jonah had these conversations with Lara before about the importance of looking at the big picture and understanding that sometimes it's better to take a step back. I loved seeing the people and how they lived. There are side quests you can do in the game that are part of the story and involve helping many of the villagers. I especially loved Unuratu because she was smart, brave, and cared deeply about her people and the world. I was fascinated by her and enjoyed getting to know her as the story progressed. 

Unuratu is amazing!

The skills and abilities have been overhauled and is more colorful as well as adding some new abilities. Campfires are still in the game and serve the same purpose they did in the previous two games. This is where you upgrade your weapons, unlock your new skills, and craft different types of arrows. I feel that there were more options with the weapons like the bow and arrows which I liked because I tended to use the bow and arrows often for sneaking around enemies. 

The skills menu has been updated and it's more colorful. 

You can also change Lara's outfits here and each outfit has tactical advantages. There are also outfits that celebrate the clothing the people of Paititi wear. I had a giggle over the fact that you can change the outfits on Lara to make her look like her old school original character design. Some parts of the story would have Lara automatically change into disguises which was a lot of fun. 

Changing outfits. 

I can say with all sincerity that Shadow Of The Tomb Raider is my favorite in the entire trilogy. The story is well told and talks some about colonialism. It really turns the mirror around on Lara and forces her to self reflect on her past actions. Jonah is a good foil to Lara because he's thoughtful and kind, but he is not afraid to challenge his friend and tell her that she's wrong, that there are dangerous consequences to her actions. These interactions that Lara has with others throughout the story are important and it's interesting to see this darker side of her as well as seeing her coming to terms with her actions and trying to make things right. You get to see Lara learn and grow throughout this whole experience. 

There are optional tombs with some pretty interesting puzzles. The puzzles are a little more complex, but I had a good time figuring them out. The platforming in the game is much better and I enjoyed the combat. One of my favorite parts of the game however, was getting to pat all the llamas in Paititi. I love it when a game lets me pat cute animals. 

I can pat the llamas! 

The ending for Shadow I felt wrapped things up nicely and showed how far Lara had come from the first story and how much she had matured and learned from her journeys. I am glad that I got a chance to play the reboot trilogy because all of them were fun for me. I liked Lara, her friends, and her adventures. It was exciting to explore these different locations and see where the story took me. I liked the extra quests and puzzle solving in tombs. Overall, the games were fantastic for me! 

*The Tomb Raider Trilogy is available to play on the following platforms: PC, Playstation 4, and Xbox one

*Come join the Mothergamer community on Twitch as we play games and talk about mental health: https://www.twitch.tv/mothergamer

Persona 5 Royal: A Royally Good Time

I am a big fan of the Persona series and have played them all and Persona 5 became a big favorite with me so of course I picked up Persona 5 Royal immediately. Is Persona 5 Royal the same game? Yes and no. The story is the same, but there are some extra things added with some new bells and whistles that frankly make the game even better. Let's dive in and go over those things. Some spoilers will be in here so if you haven't finished the game yet, do that first. If spoilers don't bother you read on.

One thing that is different is there is a brand new opening and theme song which looks incredible. It's vibrant, colorful, and fun. The story starts in the usual way with the Phantom Thieves pulling off a heist with one small difference. It introduces one of the two new confidant characters, Kasumi who is also a romance option for Joker. When you meet Kasumi she is in her metaverse costume showing her to be a Persona user, but you don't learn about that until later in the story. Kasumi is the Faith arcana confidant. You also meet another confidant, Maruki who is the Councilor confidant.

Kasumi is a new character in Royal. 

Having played through the original Persona 5 a few times, I was excited to see what was different in Royal. The introduction of Kasumi and Maruki happen very naturally and fit into the story quite well. I liked Kasumi and Maruki a lot. They were interesting characters and the introduction of them into the story happened organically and fit perfectly with Joker and his friends. The anime scenes for Royal are crisper with more color palettes. I noticed that right away with the initial first anime scene with Joker and Ryuji.

Joker and Ryuji in the first chapter. 

The metaverse palaces have been revamped. They are essentially the same, but with some cool new tweaks. One of those things are Will Seeds. There are three Will Seeds in each palace and they are hidden so you really have to look for them using Joker's third eye ability. Morgana will also give hints about the location of  a Will Seed telling Joker that he senses it nearby. Each seed is a different color of red, green, and blue. The doors to the room holding a seed are a distinct design. The third door is guarded by a mini boss that the Phantom Thieves have to fight. This boss is challenging, but can be taken down easily with technical and elemental attacks.

Phantom Thieves ready to take the third Will Seed. 

When you find all three seeds they fuse together forming a crystal skull. This introduces you to an addition to an upgrade to Mementos. When you go into Mementos you meet a young boy named Jose who is exploring Mementos also. This leads to a collection quest of sorts. Jose tells everyone he is studying humanity and exploring Mementos. You can now collect flowers in Mementos and star stamps. Jose will be on different floors in Mementos and you can trade him flowers for various items such as healing items. The number of star stamps you have allow you to change the cognition of Mementos. Talk to Jose to do this and you can have the shadows grant more experience points or find more items. With the crystal skulls, you can give them to Jose and he will craft them into an accessory that Joker and his party can equip. For example, there is an accessory that can nullify all physical attacks. It's worth your time finding those Will Seeds and finding the collectibles in Mementos.

Will Seeds fuse into crystal skulls. 

The boss battles in metaverse palaces have been upgraded too with some new additional mechanics making the boss fights a little more challenging, but still a lot of fun. There is also the introduction of disaster shadows. Disaster shadows look very pretty, but they can be quite deadly so you can focus on them first and when you defeat a disaster shadow they explode and can take out the other shadows next to them. If you're lucky, sometimes the disaster shadows drop extra money and rare items.

Disaster shadows are worth the reward. 

The portraits for the different characters during conversation scenes are redone. I noticed right away that Ryuji's portrait was different. I like the new portraits. They're sleeker and make the characters stand out more and add to the great art design Persona 5 has already. There is also another cool feature known as the Thieves Den. Here, you can go and decorate with collectibles from the Persona 5 universe. You can also play a card game with your fellow Phantom Thieves known as Tycoon which feels like a more complicated version of Hearts. This is a good way to earn tokens which you can use in the Thieves Den to buy collectibles to decorate with. There is also an art gallery and a wall where you can watch the movie scenes from the game. It's a really cool thing and I enjoyed gathering all the collectibles and playing cards with the Phantom Thieves.

New portrait for Ryuji.

It was great to see the extra scenes with the Phantom Thieves and with the new characters. Kasumi was very nice and I was curious about her. Getting to know her I found I liked her personality because she appeared to be confident, but there were moments where she was vulnerable. Her conversations with Joker are interesting and if you decide to romance Kasumi it is very sweet and endearing. When it comes to Maruki, there are some pretty complex conversations about relationships and struggle. Maruki is nice and it's intriguing to see how he treats all the kids like equals and doesn't talk down to them.

Maruki has a conversation with Joker. 

There are new things to do with your social links in Royal. You can go to the batting cages in Yongen Jaya and you can now go to Kichijoji where you can play billiards and darts with your friends. This is also where you can find Kasumi and Akechi to hang out with them and increase your confidant rank with them. Yes, you can now hang out with Akechi in a social setting not just as part of the story. I liked that Royal gives you this option and it is a welcome addition to the game because you get to really know Akechi and gain a little more insight into who he is and why he became the person that he is. There isn't just an ending to Royal, there is now a true ending and a third semester. There is an important detail that the game doesn't necessarily tell you in order to get these. It involves Kasumi, Maruki, and Akechi. In order to get the true ending you need to max out your social rank with all three before November 18th because that is when Maruki leaves as part of the story. Kasumi only goes to rank 5 at first so that is done easily. With Maruki, you want him to be at rank 9 and Akechi at rank 8 because both of them rank up to max level as part of the story. If you want the true ending and third semester unlocked, get that done. Hang out with them when they invite you and watch the story unfold.

Joker at the batting cages. 

The bells and whistles that come with Royal are worth it. You can upload your original Persona 5 data which gives you extra money and items. You can also get the DLC Legacy bundle for free in the Playstation Store. This gives you all the school uniforms from all the Persona games, maid outfits, butler outfits, Christmas outfits, as well as outfits from the game Catherine and Shin Megami Tensei IV. The Christmas outfits look different for each character unique to their own style. You also get a social rank with your fellow Phantom Thieves beyond max rank 10 which makes their Personal more powerful. The Velvet Room is different too with the introduction of fusion alarms. When a fusion alarm happens this gives you a great chance to fuse powerful personas in the various arcanas.

Yes, the story in Royal is essentially the same, but with all the extras that have been added it has made the game itself amazing. You can of course change the difficulty in the game tailored to your personal play style and when you finish the game, you can start new game plus which carries over all your social stats, money, items, and persona compendium. Persona 5 Royal is a royally good time and if you are a fan of the Persona series, it is absolutely worth picking up and playing. Now, I'm ready to start my new game plus adventure!

Enjoying some signature outfits.

*Persona 5 Royal is available to play on the following platforms: Playstation 4

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

Final Fantasy 7 Remake: A Beautiful Adventure

Funny story, I had been waiting for Final Fantasy 7 Remake for three years. Yes. Ron preordered it for me for my birthday and then it got delayed so three years later I got my birthday gift. I was excited to start playing and dove right in. From the start, I was amazed at how great the game looked as it introduced Cloud during the first mission. I did like the fact that you could adjust the settings in the game options menu which includes setting the difficulty of the game according to what your play style. I personally like the easy mode as that is easier on my hands and allows me to enjoy the story. The first mission gives a good tutorial on how the game controls and battle system work. One of the things that is different from the original is you get more time with Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge which makes them fully realized characters. Wedge is the lovable heart of the trio and it was great getting to know him. This first part of Final Fantasy 7 Remake takes place in Midgar. Sure you don't get to see places like The Golden Saucer, but this allows you to get to really see Midgar and appreciate the setting and the people who live there. Getting to explore the sector 7 neighborhood and seeing Tifa's bar was fantastic. I took a moment just to take it all in.

Cloud ready to explore sector 7. 

The big thing in the areas were side quests. Doing side quests earns gil, items, and in one case a free sword for Cloud. Various people in the sector need help and as you complete each side quest your reputation goes up. This is also a smart way to level grind your characters as well as earning money for upgrading weapons and accessories. You also find moogle medals which you can trade in to an adorable kid named Moggie dressed in a moogle costume. One of those items is a key item for another side quest so it's a good idea to check in with Moggie often. 

Getting a side quest and rewards for moogle medals from Moggie.

The story is still relatively the same, fighting against Shinra a greedy corporation that only cares about the wealthy elite and is killing the planet as it drains it of Mako. You mainly play as Cloud, but with the battle system consisting of three party members you can switch between each character according to what you need during the battle. For example, if there are flying enemies you can switch to Barret who can shoot at them with his gun arm. You can also use spells that target an enemy's weakness. There are limit break attacks as well which is a stylized special attack for each character. 

Taking down an enemy together.

The materia system is in this battle system too. The different orbs fit into your weapons and accessories. Each orb has a unique ability ranging from wind spells to a chance to get a first strike on enemies. The more you use these spells and abilities, the stronger the materia gets which unlocks more powerful spells and abilities. There are summons too and the summons are incredible doing specialized attacks. Battles are fun and exciting with this new system and I found myself enjoying every second of the game because of it. 

The materia system in action.

The game has a nice auto save feature with save spot areas which consist of a bench and a potion vending machines. This is convenient because you can also buy healing items, materia, and accessories from the vending machines. There are story checkpoints throughout the game that have auto saves as well. There are 18 chapters in Final Fantasy 7 Remake and each chapter brought something exciting and wonderful to the table. Seeing Midgar in all of its glory was incredible. There are also mini games in some of the chapters. My personal favorite was the dance mini game. It added an extra layer of fun and depth to the story. 

Taking time to save the game at a bench area. 

There are some differences from the original, but it is well done and the essential part of the story is the same. One big difference is Sephiroth is there a little earlier adding a lot more tension and showing a little more of the story with him and Cloud. With some of the side quests you also get a little more time with Aerith. Taking the time to explore and take in the sights was such a great experience. Getting to see Aerith's house was one of my favorite scenes in the game. Taking it all in made me appreciate the beauty of each aspect of the game. 

All the pretty flowers at Aerith's house.

Cloud himself stands out more too. In the story it takes the time to show the trauma and pain Cloud is experiencing and it shows his emotions much better here which includes showing elements of his relationship with Tifa, how he slowly becomes better at opening up with Aerith, and how he comes to have a sense of friendship with Barret. That is one of the big things in the story for me, how everyone is working together to achieve this goal to stand up to destiny and choose their own fate. These relationships really shine as they interact with each other, but as they get to know Cloud it also shows how he gradually changes and becomes a little better.

Cloud, Tifa, and Barret working together to the end. 

I loved every minute of the story and gameplay. Final Fantasy 7 Remake got so much right and each detail showed a nod to the original while also becoming its own special thing. The city of Midgar truly came to life as I got to explore each aspect of it and getting to know all the characters for the main story as well as the supporting characters was amazing. There are 18 chapters in the game and for me doing everything including the side quests, the game was about 33 hours for me. Once you finish the game this unlocks the hard difficulty setting and you can select a chapter to play. If you have a favorite chapter you would like to replay you can do that after finishing the game. This also gives you a chance to finish any side quests or get special items you may have missed like different theme songs for areas and characters. The game is so good that I want to play through it again. If someone asks me if Final Fantasy 7 Remake is worth it, the answer is a resounding yes. It updated aspects of the game making it feel modern and new while keeping the emotional elements of the original story and characters. For me, it is a beautiful adventure. 

Taking a moment with Cloud. 

*Final Fantasy 7 Remake is available to play on the following platforms: Playstation 4

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

The Adventures Of Pirotess: Hatching Tide 2020

The Hatching Tide event ran from March 30-April 13 and I was able to participate in it before it ended. For those who don't know, Hatching Tide is the Easter event in Final Fantasy XIV. The holiday events in the game are a nice break for me from adventuring and crafting. The rewards you get for the events are pretty nice too. I headed to Old Gridania to start the event. Everything was decorated for Hatching Tide and it was so bright and colorful.

Pirotess arrives in Old Gridania. 

Anyone who wanted to join in the festivities had to have a melee or mage character to at least level 15. This is true for all the holiday events. The event was divided into two chapters. I approached the NPC in the bunny costume to start the first chapter event, The Eggth Umbral Calamity. 

Pirotess starts chapter 1. 

This quest had me going to Central Shroud and speaking to an NPC there to get a temporary bunny costume which I had to wear and join a FATE where everyone had to chase and capture chickens. This was silly fun and I found myself laughing at all of us running around in bunny suits. Once this was done I returned to Old Gridania to turn it in. 

Pirotess the bunny is ready to catch chickens!

After that, I was ready to start the second chapter of the event and got the quest A Procession Eggstraordinaire. No bunny costumes here, just participating in another FATE that involved me walking around Old Gridania and passing out colorful eggs to all the NPC children. This was a nice easy quest to do. 

Pirotess starts the next quest.

Once that was done, I was able to run back and turn the quest in. The rewards for this event were pretty great. Available rewards were the rabbit suit, dapper rabbit suit, stuffed rabbit, and a Hatching Tide poster. I received the rabbit suit from the NPC for the first quest and the dapper rabbit suit could be bought with the bejeweled eggs that I got from the quest events. 

Items in the seasonal shop. 

Hatching Tide this year was great and it was nice to celebrate it with everyone. If you missed it this year, don't worry. It will return again next year with all the fun and colorful bunnies everywhere. I needed this bit of fun. I think many of us did. The events in the world have caused many of us to feel stressed, sad, anxious, and in some cases angry. Being able to come together and enjoy an event that celebrates gaming together and having some time to just enjoy things for a little while was a good reminder that we're not alone and there are still things we can enjoy. Remember to do your best to be kind to yourselves and to each other and be safe. Thanks for reading, see you at the next adventure! 

See you at the next adventure!

*Final Fantasy XIV is available to play on the following platforms: PC and Playstation4

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

Mother Gamer Plays The Uncharted Series

I don't know why I had never played the Uncharted series. I think there are just so many great games to play out there that sometimes it's hard to pick up and play them all. I was able to get the Uncharted Collection for free with my Playstation Plus monthly free game and picked up Uncharted 4 on sale. I was ready to start my adventure with Nathan Drake beginning with the first Uncharted game, Drake's Fortune. The first game started off pretty well introducing me to Nathan Drake and showing right away his love of adventure, treasure hunting, and solving historical mysteries like what happened to Francis Drake. The menu system was easy to follow and the combat was a lot of fun. I was not a fan of the jetski waterfall level however because the controls for it were terrible and frustrating. I managed to get through it and get back to the adventure and enjoying how it turned out. There is a love interest aspect of course and I found I really liked Elena. She was smart, tough, and wasn't afraid to challenge Nathan. There were some interesting puzzles to work out in the various main story areas and if I got stuck, I could always check Nathan's  journal for hints. The nice thing about the series of games is you can adjust the difficulty. I tend to like to just enjoy the story so I had it set to explorer mode which gives you a hint if you are really stuck. I do like that mechanic in the game. The first game does show its age, but it was a lot of fun.

Nathan and Elena taking a breather from adventure in the first game. 

Next in the collection was Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and I was excited to start the next Nathan Drake adventure. The second game started off pretty exciting with a daring escape from a crashed and burning train. This gives you a nice refresher about the game controls and a run through of the combat. Then the game does a flashback where you get to play as Nathan and find out how he wound up dangling from said burning train.

Nathan climbs for his life from a crashed train. 

The combat in Uncharted is intense, but it's a blast trying out different things against the bad guys. There are some quick time events, but once you get the hang of the timing you can finish the fights with finesse. Of course I am a derp and I died quite a bit usually from mistiming a jump or blowing myself up with a grenade. I was able to laugh at all my misfortunes because some of the ways Nathan died were rather comical. I still remember bouncing off a flag pole and then going splat on the ground. There is an autosave feature so I was able to try again right where I left off.

Having fun fighting bad guys on our adventure. 

Of course there is lots of exploring of tombs, tunnels, and catacombs complete with puzzles. Figuring out where to go and what to do is always an adventure. I did like the story for the second game as we hunted for the main story treasure and clues. This was another fantastic adventure and there is a noticeable improvement in a lot of the graphics and gameplay. I really enjoyed it.

Nathan explores some caves. 

I continued my adventure in Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. I found this one to be very interesting because there are flashbacks in the story showing Nathan when he was a kid and how he met Sully and got to be where he is in the present. It also gives some insight into who Sully was before and a little bit of his past. The present story goes hand in hand with both their pasts and the sense of adventure is present in both. There are even more puzzles and battles, making it a thrilling ride. There are also incredible vistas to check out set in the desert this time, but just as beautiful as the jungle settings from the previous two games.

Nathan on his adventure in the desert. 

The treasure that Nathan and Sully are working together to find is cool and adds some great story elements. There are stealth aspects in the combat which add to the fun. Some of the timing for the quick time events take a little getting used to, but they're not terribly challenging. There are driving battles in the game which were also in the first two games and I did have a rough time with those because sometimes the camera angles would go a little crazy and caused a bit of motion sickness. There aren't too many driving battles though so overall I had a good time with the game.

Finally, I was ready to play Uncharted 4: A Thief's End which is the last game in the series. I think this may be my favorite game in the series because of the story and the relationships that Nathan has with various people. He's older, married to Elena, and seems to have settled down from his life of adventure. Circumstances change that however and he's off on one last thrill ride. The story here shows some more of Nathan's past from when he was a kid and introduces his older brother Sam. It gives a lot of insight into why Nathan has issues with trust and why he has that intense curiosity about wanting to know about historical mysteries.

Nathan on one last adventure.

The combat in the game had not really changed all that much and it was still a lot of intense chaos and fun. Finding clues that showed where to go next was also a blast. The puzzles in the game are a bit more intricate and while I got frustrated with a couple of them, it felt pretty good once I figured it out and took the next step on my adventure. My favorite puzzle was the one involving a clock tower. It was original, creative, and I had a blast solving it.

Nathan having the time of his life. 

The big thing in the story was Nathan's relationship with Elena. Elena makes Nathan better because she does challenge him and she is his equal through and through. You get to see first hand the love they have for each other and it adds such a great element to the story. Sully is there too and it's nice to see the father/mentor aspect that he has with Nathan and there's a family love there too. I found it interesting to see how Sam and Nathan's relationship as brothers handled everything they had been through as well. A Thief's End does such a great job showcasing all those relationships in a thoughtful and wonderful way.

Nathan and Elena enjoying the view together. 

There are so many fantastic scenic views in the series. A Thief's End was my favorite because of the incredible story that gave a nice sendoff to Nathan and his family. I had a great time playing the entire series because Nathan himself is a likable character who has flaws, but he's charming and a genuinely good person at heart. The people who support him like Elena and Sully are what help him to be that better person and I loved them too. I'm glad I took the time to play through the Uncharted series because I had such an amazing time enjoying where the adventures took me.

Taking the time to marvel at that great view. 

*The Uncharted Collection and Uncharted 4 are available to play on Playstation 4

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

Mother Gamer Plays Forager

I was genuinely curious about Forager because it looked like a very cute game. I am always on the lookout for games that I want to play and that I think would be fun to play on my Twitch streams. Forager hit all those bells and whistles. A member of our community graciously gifted me the game (thank you JFTigers!) and I couldn't wait to try it out. Forager uses a mechanic that combines idle games with exploration and adventure. Right from the start I was hooked at the cute world of Forager, but I really got drawn in by all the crafting, exploring, and adventuring you can do. Automation and crafting is the name of the game in the world of Forager. You can build tools for crafting like a loom or a forge for smelting iron bars while you run around foraging and harvesting materials for crafting.

You have a certain amount of energy and hearts which represent your health in the game. The various tasks that you do take up that energy so you have to constantly forage for food. You can also level up cooking by making meals in your forge or in a cooking pot. Cooked meals restore more energy and health. This comes in handy when there are monsters to fight all over the different areas. You can craft weapons on an anvil to fight the monsters and the monsters drop materials for crafting.

Exploring, adventuring, and crafting ahead!

One of the things in Forager is being able to make money. This doesn't have to be a hassle at all. This is also how you level up your character and skills. When you level up, you get points that you can use in the skill tree to unlock abilities and different crafting paths. In the user menu, you will find several different paths you can unlock for your game that help with the crafting, adventuring, and foraging. The first thing you should unlock is the finance path because this makes coins worth more, allows for trade, and lets you build banks which will gradually accrue money for you slowly. You just run up and click on the banks and get your coins. Having two of each crafting machine and building is a good idea so you have plenty of materials and money to go around. 

The skills menu in Forager. Starting with the finance path first is a good idea.

One major aspect of Forager is buying land. There are several different land types in the game ranging from desert to snowy horizons. Each island has unique plants, animals, and ores that you can gather for your crafting needs. There are various NPCs on the different islands as well that offer quests you can do for rewards such as money and more crafting items. There are dungeons on some of these islands too which you can explore. Unlocking the islands does cost money and the price increases as you unlock each one, but it's worth it because you get a wider variety of crafting and building materials. 

Buy land and expand your foraging empire. 

Speaking of dungeons, each dungeon has its own unique theme with monsters to fight and puzzles to solve. It has a very Legend Of Zelda vibe with the combat style and boss battles that works quite well with the world of Forager. When you successfully finish a dungeon you are rewarded with special weapons such as a lightning sword. These come in handy when fighting monsters on the map and it's a lot of fun to see what each magical weapon can do. You can also farm in Forager if you wish, growing crops and raising animals like chickens. The nice thing is you don't have to focus on one thing at a time. The game encourages you constantly being on the move foraging, crafting, building, and seeing what adventure awaits you. 

Exploring a dungeon. Adventure!

Another fun thing you can do in Forager is customize your character. You can swap in different masks and costumes. Two of my personal favorites were the Cthulhu head and the Hollow Knight costume. As you progress in the game and open up different islands, this also unlocks more costumes and masks for you to swap in and out as you wish. You can also customize your backpack depending on which style you have unlocked. 

Choosing the Hollow Knight costume. 

Speaking of the backpack, you will need this for the items you forage and craft. All that gathering does add up and you will find yourself running out of space very quickly. The good news is that you can upgrade your backpack on your loom as long as you have the appropriate materials. This gives you more inventory slots. It's fairly easy to organize the items in your backpack. You can also build vaults which will automatically store items if your backpack is full. The only drawback is the vaults only have six slots, so building multiple vaults as needed is a good idea. 

Storing all the things in the backpack. 

There is a fun nod to Stardew in Forager with the museum on one of the islands. You can gather items for bundles and donate them to the museum. For example, you can gather ore and gems and donate them to the museum to complete the mining bundle. There are some items you won't be able to find until you buy more land or explore specific dungeons, but there's no rush. You can take your time doing all the things and there is an auto save function which allows you to keep playing and having a good time. 

Donating bundles to the museum. 

Forager is a great game for chilling out. It is a grinding game, but it's not a stressful one. You can play as much or as little as you like. The choice is entirely yours. For me, I spent hours foraging, crafting, and adventuring and I loved every minute of it. The cute designs of the characters and the world of Forager have a wonderful sense of whimsy that makes it a delight to play. It's a nice relaxing game that adds the right mix of grinding, exploration, and adventure. Now, I'm going to explore more islands and get my crafting on. Thanks for reading, see you at the next adventure! 

* Forager is available to play on the following platforms: PC, Playstation 4, and Nintendo Switch

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