Child of Light – Review
Nowadays we’re so used to the standard formula of more realistical graphics that we often forget to think about the more ‘simple’ things. Things like fairytales are often seem to be a thing of the past, or just don’t cut it for us anymore. Child of Light might bring up that child inside you and take you on an adventure some fairytales could only dream about. (Oh, the poet in me surfaced for this one.)
Story
You, princess Aurora,
Little you may be,
heir of the throne of Austria,
evil you did not see.One day you are laid to rest,
a strange new world opens up,
at first, it seems like a jest,
all of this was just the buildup.Whilst you were asleep,
troubles did not let down,
for your father would weep,
this would make you frown.With the story that you were told,
light would lead the way,
events would unfold,
and monsters you would slay.Lemuria fabled it may be,
environments like story books,
a lot for the eye to see,
sadly it’s filled with crooks.Caverns so cold,
mountains so steep,
filled with gold,
for you to keep.Soar high in the sky,
friends will join the parade,
together you will fly,
to end this evil charade.
You, the little princes Aurora, a happy child with a loving father, which happens to be the king of Austria, seem to fall asleep one day. Little did you know that what originally seemed like a dream, would eventually turn out to be another world linked closely to the world we know from medieval times.
This strange new world already heard of you, the little princess, and goes by the name of Lemuria. Lemuria seems like a beautiful place to live in, yet something seems amiss. All the areas are filled with creatures that don’t befit such a beautiful place. Evil is at work and it goes by the name of Queen Umbra, the one who stole the sun, the moon and the stars.
Only you, Aurora, can bring these items back to restore balance, peace and prosperity to this magical wasteland. Of course you will not be able to do it alone. You will find a small firefly, named Igniculus, that will aid you on your quest. He will ward of enemies, as well as light up your way through dark passages as well as roads to new allies.
The story in Child of Light will be brought to you in a very Shakespeare-esque fashion. Most of the conversations will be fun, yet fairly simple rhymes which make the entire story portion of the game mix in with all the other elements so well, the fairytale atmosphere is all over the place.
Graphics
Child of Light is one of those games that opts for a totally different graphical theme than what we’re used to nowadays, and with success. You’ll see the beautiful world of Lemuria unfold as you go and you’ll constantly be under the impression you’re watching the pictures of one of those old story books.
You’ll notice that Aurora is the only character (not completely correct, but you’ll find out on your own) that seems to be 3D rendered, to emphasize the fact she is special. Other characters, as well as enemies seem to be hand drawn characters, to keep the fairytale feeling alive.
The dialogues between characters are also amusingly animated as if they come right out of a story book. The pictures show a decent amount of emotion, be it in the cutscenes or the actual conversations.
Sound
Hand in hand with the fairytale environments goes the classical soundtrack. Whilst roaming through the world of Lemuria, you’ll be able to enjoy enchanting music, which makes the entire experience even more authentic. It is clear that the designers hoped to touch the feelings of those who played the game.
The story portions, that are voiced over, are brought to you by a warm and soothing voice that guides you through several portions of the game. Sadly, these voiced scenes were only rare in the game.
Gameplay
Child of Light is a fairly typical old school RPG game, with a few puzzles and new elements incorporated in it. In the ‘overworld’ you’ll run around as Aurora, until you find the small firefly Igniculus. Both can be controller separately, yet at the same time. Aurora will be needed to run through the different areas that you’ll come across in Lemuria, whilst Igniculus will use his radiant light to light up the way or blind enemies.
During the game you’ll come across several other characters, which will join your crusade to reclaim the sun, the moon and the stars. These characters will join you in combat, each with their own set of skills. There is a great diversity to be found between all of these characters and most of them are as useful as the other one.
Each character will have his own skill page, with several skill trees to choose from. Each of these skill trees will consist of active skills, as well as passive skills.
During combat you can choose two characters that will battle your opponents. Combat will happen in turns, which are clearly visible in the ‘turns bar’ at the bottom of the screen. You’ll clearly see a distinct difference between the waiting phase as well as the attacking phase. When one successfully attacks an enemy when he is in his attack phase, you will interrupt him and set him back in the turns bar. You can also slow your enemies with the help of Igniculus’ blinding light. Just like in the overworld you can make him shine light upon your foes, but this will cost energy. This energy can be recovered by collecting wishes (from the plants).
Puzzles in Child of Light are often fairly simple, but fun to solve. Most of the time they will require the assistance of Igniculus or you’ll simply have to drag en push certain objects to keep certain switches from deactivating.
The game offers a few side quests, which are fun to complete, seeing they allow you to further explore the world of Lemuria. The world itself is free to roam around in, allowing you to track back to complete a few quests you might have missed or to collect certain objects, treasures or power ups you’d might need to vanquish your foes more easily.
During your exploration, you’ll come across crystals that are called Occuli. These Occuli can be used to enhance your items. Be it to add certain elemental damage to an item, elemental resist or other bonuses such as less chance to interrupt, extra HP and so on. You’ll be able to upgrade these Occuli by combining them with the same kind of Occuli or with different colors. Experimenting is the key.
Conclusion
Child of Light is a visual masterpiece with enchanting music to support it. Whilst the gameplay mechanics are not that complex, they will surely do the trick to keep you interested from the beginning until the end of the game. A very successful case of going back to the roots of a genre.
Child of Light - Review,
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