Welcome to this week’s WeView, where the verdict is entirely up to you. We’ve got Child of Light to discuss today, and you’ll tell us “yay or nay”. I’m going to stop with the rhyme, otherwise this may take a lot of time, not just for me but for you too.
Child of Light is a sidescrolling platformer RPG hybrid, and its story is told in rhyme, hence the last few sentences. It features an extremely unique art style, which uses the UbiArt framework – the same one which the 2D Rayman games are built on – to create a stunning, painted picture with every frame.
Aran reviewed the game, and he wrote the entire thing in rhyme which was quite a feat – it took me long enough to write the first paragraph of this article, and it wasn’t even neat!
“The character designs are unique from Aurora’s flowing dress and red hair, to the blue firefly Igniculus who completes this core pair.” wrote Aran, then discussing the turn-based combat system which could become somewhat of a grind when faced against bosses within the game.
He had nothing but praise for the game, and concluded with:
Child of Light is a joy to behold, with the tale of Aurora and Lemuria very well told. The way the whole experience has been crafted is nothing sort of fantastic, and this could turn out to be a classic. The story, the characters, the battle system, the art, and the music all shine. This is a game that wears its heart on its sleeve while bringing something fresh to the landscape; it’s quite divine.
I suppose the time has come to score Child of Light then, and I give this game nothing less than a…
10/10
He really didn’t give up on that rhyming, did he? Anyway, in amongst the poetry there was a strong review, which was nothing short of glowing. It’s clearly an esteemed game, and we’re really interested to see what you think about the game.
You don’t have to write your thoughts in rhyme, just leave a paragraph or so with your thoughts on the game in the comments below. Don’t forget to add a Buy It, Sale It, Plus It, or Avoid It rating on the end, and get your thoughts in before Sunday afternoon to be in with a chance of being included in next week’s Verdict article.
anthro
I really loved this game, but it’s not without its flaws.
The music and atmosphere are beautiful. The design of the game brought watercolour paintings to mind, and that matches perfectly with the setting and theme, making the whole package really immersive. The playable characters and environments are excellent, varied and a delight to explore.
The battle system is likewise very well thought out, but I found that it could have benefited from some extra attention to the enemies – they do tend to be a little repetitive, and the boss battles are rather simplistic, amounting to determining a weakness and exploiting it until the enemy dies. That’s a common theme in RPGs though, and any seasoned player will be accustomed to it.
The game is also relatively short, which is a shame, but the story is lovely – there’s a real impression that you’re playing a well crafted fairy tale, with a firm plot throughout. Some of the playable characters did seem out of place though, adding little to the story.
Overall, it’s a stunning game, well worth playing and experiencing.
Buy It!
Starman
This is the kind of indie(ish) game I like. A enjoyable story, wonderful art style, exploration and turn based combat that isn’t very common on console games. I thought it was the right length for the price (£12 on launch) and when you finish it you’ll be glad you played it. Only criticism is it could do with enemy health bars in the boss battles as some of them went on too long and seeing some progress would’ve helped.
Buy it.
JR.
I bought Child of Light based on Aran’s brilliant review and didn’t regret my decision one bit. It’s not the kind of game I would normally go for but it was a refreshing break from the games I usually play. I played CoL pretty much non stop over two days and loved every minute. Gameplay is simple yet rewarding, the story is witty and intriguing and it’s one of the most beautiful games I’ve ever played. It’s sad to think I might have overlooked this gem. Buy it.
MrYd
It looks and sounds great. The rhyming thing is cute, but a bit forced in places.
And the battle system is a little bit more complicated than it seems, with some neat ideas in. As someone who likes his RPGs, I like it. Not overly complicated, but a huge improvement over some of the big RPGs that got stupidly dumbed-down in the past few years (that terrible Dragon Age 2? The disastrous 3rd Final Fantasy XIII game?)
Yes, it’s short, but that’s not a problem. Any long would be dragging it out unnecessarily, or require more complications.
So buy it. It’s short and sweet and just lots of fun to play.
BrianC
Brilliant little game, very much jrpg lite. Was like reading a lovely old story. Only qualm was it seemed to end quite suddenly. BUY IT!
Phizzy
I loved this game, but the abrupt ending annoyed me quite a bit. Overall I’d probably say buy it.
minerwilly
Coincidentally its in todays sale and i’d always wanted this so thanks for helping make my mind up .
psychobudgie
If you like original story driven RPGs with fun turn based combat stages and some puzzling and exploring and you are a fan of poetry and art and original fantasy stories then buy it. If you don’t like all of that, what is wrong with you? Aside from that Buy it.
salvodaze
Oh great, just when I was listening to the soundtrack.
This game is a must play for the art and music alone. It’s not a challenging or deep RPG, a lighter one at that, but such a unique little gem with an incredibly good soundtrack by Cœur de Pirate. Buy it, and don’t miss the Jolene reference ;)