Child of Light review
Can videogames ever be art? It's a question that's long been asked without ever being given a definitive answer. Since the 1980s there have been arguments for and against the idea, possibly reaching its pinnacle recently when film critic Roger Ebert claimed videogames could never be considered art as they have rules, points and an objective, while art is there simply to be observed. It's all subjective, but you wonder if Ebert might experience a change of heart if he ever played Child of Light.
A wonderful artistic journey through a fantasy world, Child of Light puts you in the role of Aurora, a young girl from 1985 Austria who contracts an illness which causes her to fall asleep. When she does finally wake up, Aurora discovers she's in a mythical land called Lemuria, where the sun, the moon and the stars have all been stolen by the Black Queen. Your task is to retrieve them; returning things back to normal and reuniting Aurora with her father.
If this all sounds a bit too much like a fairytale, that's because it is. Child of Light plays out like a story kids could have grown up listening to. The narrative is all explained in poetry and there's always some wistful sounding music in the background to accompany your adventure. The artwork and design is simply glorious, and it's not pushing things too far to say in-game screenshots would look lovely in a gallery somewhere.
The biggest surprise might be that this game is coming from Ubisoft Montreal, better known for creating triple-A, first-person shooters. The studio has put in a lot of effort to make something new and it should be commended for breaking away from the norm and delivering a downloadable title that is as lovely to watch as it is to play.
Child of Light is primarily a platformer with several RPG elements thrown in, as Aurora travels across Lemuria and levels up to compete against progressively tougher enemies. Early on she comes across a firely named Igniculus, who can be controlled either by a second player in co-op or by the right stick of your controller. Igniculus comes in very handy in and out of combat, as he can light up dark areas as you explore, or blind enemies during a fight to slow down their attacks. He can also collect Wishes, bright orbs that helpfully restore health and magic points.
There are also several small puzzles you'll have to solve, such as opening doors and avoiding hazards, but for the most part they're very simple and you'll get through most of them without using too much brainpower. It's a relaxing time all until you get into combat, when things start to get slightly more challenging.
That's because there's an Active Time Battle system, meaning your characters and enemies take a certain amount of time to perform their actions. This is indicated by a meter at the bottom of the screen, and attacking an enemy while their avatar is in the red 'casting' zone will see them interrupted, and they'll have to wait longer before completing their move. You can also use Igneslius to blind your opponents, slowing them down even further, and timing it right could see you perform an attack two or even three times before you get hit once. Ignelius only has a limited amount of light, though, and you'll have to collect orbs dotted around the battle screen to charge him up again.
The combat system is an interesting one and lends more to the idea that Child of Light is trying to be more than just a pretty picture, although it perhaps isn't quite as deep as it could be. You have attacks, spells and potions, and there's an elemental system which means using certain spells will deal greater damage to a certain enemy type - water spells being the perfect counter to a fire-based opponent, for example. However it can all seem a bit too simple, and you'll only encounter the real challenges during boss battles. There are also only a certain number of animations during combat, so you'll see enemies reacting to being hit by different moves in much the same way.
Another frustrating aspect is that enemies don't come with a health bar so it's impossible to tell how far away you are from victory. This means you never know whether to use your last health potion or just perform a quick attack, as your adversary might be a small hit away from defeat. It's a move that could be seen to add more drama to fights, but in the end it mostly makes you feel slightly frustrated when they drag on a bit.
You can only have a maximum of two players on your side during battles, and these friends are found as you explore Lemuria, either along the way or doing side-quests. They all have a story and all of their dialogue is also performed in rhyme, which can be amusing or annoying depending on your outlook. Partners can also be swapped out during battles, handy if you think a different partner can help you out more with a certain enemy type.
Winning battles grants you with XP points, and all your characters will gain points whether they took part in the fight or not. Level up and you earn a skill point, with each character possessing a unique skill tree and a large range of upgrade options. There are also things called Oculi stones, which you can collect to add bonuses to weapons or armour. You can craft Oculi stones together to make more powerful boosts, and this all adds an extra layer of depth to an otherwise simple game.
Child of Light will take you on a delightful journey and fill you with a sense of wonder along the way, but it might not have enough going for it to keep you invested for its duration. The rhyming couplets and melodramatic music may start to grate, but when it comes together it really is an example of what can be achieved when a studio is given freedom to explore new territory. As a downloadable title with not much else being released around this time of year, it really is hard not to recommend giving it a go.