It’s Mother’s Day this Sunday — don’t panic, you still have time to buy a card or make a brunch reservation. And if you’re reading this late, at the very least, don’t forget to give mom a call!
In this article, we celebrate the best women in gaming, the ones that look after us, the ones that make sure we do the right thing, and the ones that sometimes have to make the biggest sacrifices.
Cooking Mama
Everyone wants a mom like Cooking Mama. Not only can she cook hundreds of delicious dishes, she’s also always ready to pat you on the back and pick you up when you fail with an encouraging “Don’t worry, Mama will fix it!”
And does anything make you feel more warm and fuzzy inside than hearing “Even better than Mama!”?
Ana Amari (Overwatch)
Ana may be the biological mother of Pharah, but she’s the spiritual mom for the entire Overwatch team. Always ready to support her daughter and her friends, Ana will take care of your boo-boos, give you the “boost” you need, and put any sword-slashing enemy cyborg ninjas down for a nap.
And like any good mom, she’s always ready to hand out candy, beach balls, and proudly show you the 3D hologram image of Pharah she carries around everywhere.
Credit: Nintendo
Hinawa (Mother 3)
It should come as no surprise that the Mother series (also known as EarthBound) is full of lovely mothers, but Hinawa from Mother 3 may just be the best of them. She’s described by many characters as smart and kind, and she loves making omelettes for her twin sons, Claus and Lucas.
And while many of the moms on this list have made sacrifices for their children, Hinawa is the only one to have met her untimely end at the hands of a giant mecha dinosaur, holding it back to let her children escape. Even after her death, Hinawa’s spirit continues to look out for her kids, appearing to them in dream sequences and visions to offer motherly advice.
Faye (God of War 2018)
While Faye is unseen in God of War, her influence stretches across the entire story. We learn that Faye taught her son, Atreus, kindness and compassion, and instructed him on all the gods and inhabitants of the Nine Realms and its different languages.
She was also an excellent warrior, teaching him archery, and making him his signature Talon Bow. Knowing what would lay ahead of them, she even undertook the same journey to Jotünheimm (by herself!) that her son and husband would later take, leaving markings behind to help guide them after her death.
The Boss (Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater)
The most hardcore mom on our list, The Boss gave birth to son Revolver Ocelot right on the battlefield in the middle of the D-Day invasion of Normandy. Known as the “Mother of Special Forces” she served as a mentor and mother figure to the Cobra Unit and to Snake throughout Metal Gear Solid 3, always looking out for him, and helping him out whenever she could, all while fulfilling her own dangerous role as a triple agent for the US government.
Ultimately, she had to sacrifice her life for the good of her country and the mission, destroying her own reputation in the process and officially going down in history as a traitor and war criminal. But when Snake visits her unnamed grave at the end of the game, we discover her epitaph touchingly reads, “In memory of a patriot who saved the world”.
READ MORE: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate celebrates mothers with an in-game event
