May brings lots of wonderful things; sunshine, warm weather, seasonal allergies, and of course, Mother’s Day. While the day may have come and gone as June begins, that doesn’t mean we ever stop celebrating our moms, and that includes the moms in our favorite games. From AIs to literal goddesses, we’re opting to shine a light on some of the best moms we know of in games, all of which may be considered unorthodox choices. But then again, aren’t those some of the best choices? So join us as we tip our caps to some of the best pixel moms around – and watch out for spoilers for all games mentioned!
Freya – God of War
While this may come off as a controversial choice, hear me out first. Yes, Freya made some bad choices. She placed a spell on her son to try and protect him from ever being harmed, but it ended up preventing him from being able to feel anything; including pain, pleasure, warmth, cold, etc. This caused Baldur to fester in a century of anger and resentfulness, ultimately culminating in his attempt to try and kill Freya even after the spell was broken. Freya’s choice to place such an awful spell on her son was wrong, but it came from a place of unconditional love and a desire to protect him. She didn’t even begrudge him when he tried to kill her, offering her life if it meant granting him peace. And while she was furious with Kratos for killing Baldur before he could kill her, she atoned for her mistakes and even took on the role of being a mother figure for Atreus. Her love for Atreus was certainly a factor in her inability to kill Kratos, since she never wanted to attack or cause harm to Atreus while he was in her way. Freya isn’t perfect, not by a long shot. But she cares, and she learns from her mistakes. That’s the dream mom.
GAIA – Horizon Forbidden West
GAIA might not be human (or even technically alive), but she is a mom through and through. Created by the brilliant scientist Elisabet Sobeck, GAIA was the governing AI of the Zero Dawn project, which was implemented to restore the earth following the events of Ted Faro’s robot plague. She was so committed to her mission and had such affection for her creator, she literally self destructed to prevent the rogue subordinate function HADES from being able to take control of Zero Dawn and destroy life once again. Later, when Aloy manages to restore GAIA with a backup, GAIA provides comforting guidance, support, and knowledge throughout the story. She becomes a mentor not just for Aloy, but to all the allies that join her in their base of operations. For Aloy, GAIA is the closest thing she’s ever had to a mother figure, and GAIA is committed to seeing the group’s success. She also has the best mom voice; calm, soothing, and encouraging. Seriously, she could read me the phone book and I’d be thrilled.
Nyx – Hades
Nyx isn’t a stepmom. She is the mom that stepped up. While our protagonist Zagreus goes through endless attempts to try and escape the underworld in search of his biological mother, he is constantly stopped and put down by his father Hades. And while Nyx, Hades’ current wife and Zag’s stepmother has limited power to help him, she does so unapologetically and without hesitation. It’s clear throughout the game that Nyx cares very deeply for Zag and makes every attempt to help him, and that Zag is very fond of Nyx. She isn’t fleshed out much beyond her support role in the game, but this is a mom who deserves respect for seeing abuse and acting to do the right thing.
Naru – Ori and the Blind Forest
Again, we sing the praises of the mom who stepped up. After discovering the lost forest spirit Ori during a storm, Naru takes him in and raises him as her own. While there is never any dialogue between them, it’s Naru’s actions that set her apart. She teaches Ori how to survive in the forest of Nibel, how to forage for food, how to build shelter, and provides him with stable support and love. When the forest begins to die and food becomes scarce, Naru gives what little food she can find to Ori, which eventually causes her to die of starvation.
Thankfully, towards the end of Ori’s quest to restore the forest, Naru is revived by Gumo, the last of his kind, whom Ori rescued previously. With Naru’s help, Ori is able to save the forest and restore balance. Now that’s some high key mom energy.
Toriel – Undertale
What kind of person would I be if I didn’t shout out everyone’s favorite Goat Mom? Toriel is the wholesome and wonderful mother figure in the Underground, the ex-wife of Asgore, the king of the Underground who is hell bent on killing humans following the death of his son by humans. Toriel’s immediate kindness and desire to help the player is amazing considering the grief she has endured with the loss of her own child. She is committed to protecting the player, even going so far as to teach the player how to protect themselves without killing or doing any harm to the monsters of the Underground. If choosing the pacifist playthrough, you can even choose to be fully adopted by Toriel at the end of the game, bringing a full circle moment to the player and to Toriel, who finally gets to be a mom again (I promise I’m not going to cry). Goat Mom is the best, and we are all better for being her children.
