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Child of Light

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The UbiArt Framework has to date been a gem underutilized by video game developer Ubisoft. While there have been whispers of a potential Prince of Persia instalment in development for the engine, the only other games released using it since 2011 have been Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends – two fantastic side-scrolling platforms that even today stand high in my list of top games in the genre. Then we have Child of Light which has just been published digitally by the company. Produced by a small team of seasoned developers at Ubisoft Montreal who are often known for big open-world titles such as Assassin’s Creed and Watch_Dogs, Child of Light is distinctly different from almost everything the studio has offered before… a JRPG.

The main draw to this game is clearly the visuals which are highly reminiscent of but nevertheless completely opposite to what Ubisoft Montpellier have previously presented to fans through the UbiArt Engine. While both series share the vivid world designs and evident attention to detail from start to finish, Child of Light focused on delivering a more duller yet sophisticated world whereas the Rayman games focused on delivering more bright and quirky visual experiences. Neither is better than the other, but Ubisoft Montreal have really impressed me in managing to meet the standards of not only what has been produced before by Ubisoft but the visual standards one would expect of any side-scrolling RPG (Eg. Dragon’s Crown).

While there is no voice acting in Child of Light asides from a few assorted cutscenes, the aesthetic experience is complemented by a strong soundtrack that suits the theme of the game perfectly.

Child of Light centres around a young girl named Aurora who in the real world is found dead. However she awakens in the fantastical kingdom of Lemuria and must find her away home with the assistance of the firefly Igniculus and various other characters she meets on the way. Her quest is not so simple, as she and her new allies are pitted up against the Queen of the Night who has plunged the world into darkness by stealing the sun, the moon and the stars. There is nothing particularly noteworthy about the storyline, but it is enjoyable for what they were trying to present and always managed to push the gameplay along without anything becoming overly tedious or dull. While it was evidently forced at times, the rhyming dialogue was quite fun to read through, carrying across a similar charm point we haven’t seen since Gruntilda in Banjo-Kazooie.

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Child of Light makes use of an Active-Time Battle System with time pausing for the player to select attacks. As can be seen above, turn order is dictated by a bar at the bottom of the screen which progressively goes from the blue “WAIT” zone into the red “CAST” zone. One a combatant’s portrait reaches the CAST zone, you can select an attack and then wait to cast it – with certain attacks taking longer than others to perform. Any characters getting hit by another in the CAST zone will be interrupted and required to wait for another opportunity to attack. This therefore leaves you to consider if it would be better to attack the strongest enemy, an enemy that is casting a spell or if one of your party members should defend and attack earlier.

This is where the firefly comes into play. Similar to the control scheme present in 2013 adventure game Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, you control Aurora with the left control stick and Igniculus with the other. Not only can he fly around the field and pick up various healing balls around the field, but can also temporarily flash light on a single enemy and significantly slow down their attack. The core RPG mechanics themselves are pretty simple albeit well implemented, not offering too much of a challenge or an expansive skill set (Like a Final Fantasy game). However it is features such as the secondary control of a firefly and the constant need to time attacks that truly allowed Child of Light to shine and take its place among noteworthy RPG’s.

Just a warning to those hoping to use the PlayStation 4’s share capabilities (This may or may not hold true for the Xbox One version). All footage / screencaps are watermarked with the Ubisoft logo as the ones in this post were, while video recordings feature no sound. Better get your headset / microphone ready or you might have some very bored viewers when streaming.

Taking into consideration that Child of Light only sets a gamer back $19.95 AUD, there is plenty to like and very little to dislike about this charming downloadable game. While short, the game provides a solid RPG battle system, an enjoyable storyline and of course the vivid and detailed environments that have become synonymous with the UbiArt Engine which has begun to venture out into alternate genres. It may not be the game for everyone, but I personally enjoyed every minute of it…. even if half of that time involved admiring the visuals.

A PlayStation 4 copy of Child of Light was provided by Ubisoft Australia for the purpose of this review.

Sam
Sam
Founder of The Otaku's Study. I have been exploring this labyrinth of fandom these last fifteen years, and still nowhere close to the exit yet. Probably searching for a long time to come.

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