Ubisoft
have been acknowledged worldwide for the development of major franchises such
as the Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry sagas, among others. In 2014,
they gifted us with a rather different but just as adventurous title by the
name of Child of Light. This review
pertains solely to the Playstation Vita version of the game, developed by
Ubisoft Montreal.
Child of Light hands us over control of a little girl called
Aurora, the daughter of an Austrian duke in 1895. After passing away due to
illness, Aurora suddenly awakens in the mythical world of Lemuria – a world
from which the sun, the moon and the stars have been stolen by the Black Queen.
It is Aurora’s mission to get them back and return to her father’s world.
Throughout
this adventure you will meet a whole cast of peculiar characters, each with
their own backstory and convincing reasons to be present. The smart script
ensures that all of them manage to grip the player’s interest and maintain
their own value within the narrative all the way to the endgame.
The first
thing that will most likely catch players’ eyes is the game’s artistic direction. Child of Light oozes style from every
pixel and the UbiArt Framework game engine, which had previously been used in
the development of both Rayman Origins
and Rayman Legends, helped craft a
uniquely fairy-tale-inspired look.
Character models, enemy and background
design all seem to have been hand-painted with meticulous attention to detail.
The stunning visuals are gladly just as satisfying as the game’s storytelling,
seeing as the narrative is entirely told in rhyme. That’s right, every single
dialogue and voice over features rhyme. It’s a magical thing to see developing
and it’s something that deeply contributes to this title’s overall charm.
Having been
created with the same care and ingenuity as every other aspect in the game, Child of Light’s soundtrack is a sublime
artistical product in and of itself. Composed by Coeur de Pirate, every song
perfectly matches both the different paces and tones set throughout Aurora’s
adventure. Both in moments of soothing exploration and intense battles, you can
rest assured that the proper mood will be set to some fantastic instrumental
notes, driving the player’s feelings towards the action.
Gameplay-wise,
Child of Light features a
smartly-designed turn-based combat system which requires the player to always
be two steps ahead of the competition. Both Aurora and her party as well as
their enemies move forward on the same timeline, only being able to perform the
desired moves in its last few seconds. Chosen actions can range from physical
and magical attacks to the use of potions and antidotes, as well as defensive
techniques.
Given that
the player is often thrown into battle with more than one enemy at a given
time, it quickly proves important to plan ahead and come up with the best
strategies for different encounters. Playing offensively from the start isn’t
always a good idea, just as well as acting too defensively can make you throw
important attacking turns out of play. Each playable character (of which there
are many) has their own repertoire of offensive, defensive and magical actions,
even though consumable items are common across all of them.
Crafting is
also an important aspect of Child of
Light. Coffers and small containers are spread throughout the different
locations you’ll venture in, containing items like potions or precious rocks
which can then be combined in order to craft more valuable stones. These can,
in turn, be applied to Aurora’s party, improving characters’ abilities, giving
their attacks that necessary edge for a specific conflict or even making
them move faster on the timeline.
I was glad
to report very few missteps in Child of
Light. Occasional audio glitches, sudden difficulty spikes concerning
certain boss battles which somewhat hindered story progress and a lack of
variety in skilltree upgrading were really the only minor gripes I had with the
game, though none of them had a big enough effect to diminish the experience.
VERDICT
Child of Light is a beautiful game, literally and
figuratively speaking. This world is dripping with stylish design, it features
a surprisingly deep and emotional storyline beneath the fairy-tale-inspired
feel and manages to pull the player into its immersive universe. Lemuria is a terrifically
pretty place to explore, even more so when you’re going along with some of the
best videogame music flowing into your ears. You’ll feel like this lonely, yet
brave, little girl and it’ll be a joy to slowly but surely overtake every
hardship that is thrown your way, with the help of a great cast. This is an
excellent addition to any collection.
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