Post by Layla Littlenymph on Dec 11, 2015 1:54:49 GMT -5
Child of Light
ESRB: E - Everyone 10 and older
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft
Release Date: April 24, 2014
System Requirements: Posted in *Notes at end of review, below.
Story Trailer - Child of Light [NORTH AMERICA]
The Duke's daughter Aurora is dead...and yet, she lives. Join Aurora across the mysterious kingdom of Lemuria on her quest to return home. Helped by Igniculus the firefly, Finn the Capilli, and many more, she must defeat the Queen of the Night, who has stolen the sun, the moon, and the stars.
If storybook style games are not your thing, you would be doing yourself a disservice by not giving Child of Light a closer look. This game is far more than the simple point and click that many games in this genre offer. If storybook style games ARE something you happen to enjoy... prepare to be blown away. Although the story itself is a bit linear, you will find it holds a surprise or two. The combat is well executed. There is a bit of crafting, collecting and side quests. The ability to construct and enhance a party with interesting, well developed characters lends an air of complexity. And best of all perhaps, the games artwork and music are simply breathtaking. At times it felt as if I was playing within a master crafted water coloring.
Your journey into Child of Light begins when you take on the persona of Aurora, the precocious daughter of the Duke of Austria, in the year of 1895. Aurora falls into a death-like slumber one night to awaken on the mysterious and magical continent of Lemuria. She discovers the land to be under the despotic grip of Umbra, Queen of Darkness. While back in Austria, a bereft Duke mourns his comatose daughter, Aurora finds herself thrust into a daunting mission to bring back the sun and stars which Umbra now holds under her control. At stake is her father, the people of Austria, the varied inhabitants of Lemuria, and Aurora's own destiny.
As you set out to explore Lemuria in hopes of finding a dream path home, you will encounter the Lady of the Forest who will help to arm you with your four greatest assets. A magical sword of unknown properties. A seemingly useless flute. A firefly named Igniculus, who is much more than he may seem at first light. And best of all, the power of flight. Oh, did I forget to mention Aurora can fly? How awesome is that, eh? This one asset alone opens the map to means of exploration not usually encountered in games of any type, and you will most certainly have need to explore.
During the course of your explorations you will encounter many side quests, each of which can enhance your abilities in surprising ways. You will collect "confessions" which help to unfold the story and offer valuable insight. You will collect jewel like occuli which can be crafted and combined to enhance weapons and abilities. Best of all, you will encounter the denizens of Lemuria, many of whom will seek to join you in your quest, and help to overcome the minions of the Dark Queen, sent to impede your progress. Each of these fellow explorers will bring unique personality and abilities of their own to the party. You will find yourself in the company of a Jester that can't seem to rhyme or riddle. A capitalistic, love struck mouse. An untrained gnome-ish spellcaster. A frightening but depressed warrior cat, and perhaps even a lost sibling or two, but that's all I'll say on that. No spoilers for you, my friend.
Game Play:
Child of Light is a standard 2D side scrolling exploration game, with the added dimension of flight. I can not begin to describe what flight, to include the ability to hover in place adds to this game. It is not simply that it removes the "bleh" that sometimes occurs with side scrolling. It serves to open every square inch of the screen to exploration and discovery, which greatly adds to the games total playable area. As for the 2D graphics, the layered artwork in the game is not only beautiful, it adds a sense of depth one would normally expect to encounter in 3D graphics. It is very easy to forget what style of game you are playing as the land of Lemuria draws you in. In addition to exploration and discovery, there are elements of collecting, crafting, character advancement, puzzles and a pretty good combat system. It is designed as a solo game, but can become a two player game with one player controlling Aurora, while the other plays Aurora's companion, igniculus.
Building a party is a major aspect of the game. Every character, including Aurora, will come with an advancement tree specific to that character. As you gain advancement points through accomplishments and combat, those points can be used to expand and or improve upon character abilities. Points can be distributed as you see fit. In addition to advancement points your characters also gain in level. All characters gain level from combat, even if that character did not take part in the combat at hand. You have complete freedom in which characters you advance, as well as which branch of their advancement tree you wish to focus on.
Child of Light can be played at various levels of difficulty. It is suggested that you play through at the lowest difficulty level the first run through for the sake of experiencing the story, and increasing the level for a more challenging replay. Even at it's lowest setting you will find it challenging at points, especially near the end game, but not so difficult that younger players will find it near impossible to complete. Despite the linear aspect of the game that does not allow for alternate endings, I find the game to have a moderate degree of replay value. On minimal difficulty, you should be able to play through the entire game in 10 to 15 hours; Longer if you explore every corner and accumulate every collectible.
Crafting and Collecting:
Crafting in Child of Light is deceptively simple. The only item that is crafted are gem-like items called occuli. You can use occuli as they are, join them to obtain more powerful occuli, or combine them to create new occuli. Occuli are used for the sole purpose of enhancing gear and weapons.
The primary collection items are confessions. To avoid being a spoiler, I will leave it to you to discover the merits of collections for yourself, but be sure to keep an eye out for confession pages. See that piece of paper fluttering in the breeze? Yeah... you might want that...
Combat:
When entering combat, the action shifts to a combat zone. Up to two allies and three foes can engage at any given time. It is smooth and somewhat fast paced. Fortunately for you, party members can be switched out on the fly, allowing you full use of your entire party. You can even save a fallen character by switching them for a fresh party member.
The combat itself is a classic turn based RPG style that incorporates an action time bar. Each character has a specific set of abilities and the ability to switch them out allows for a variety of cooperative combo attacks. Bosses have various attributes as well so combo attacks can be used to exploit weaknesses or counter strengths. The time bar is the most important element of the combat sequence, and many abilities and attacks can manipulate it by hastening the time bar itself, or disrupting an enemy before he can attack.
Unlike many games I have played with this style of combat, selecting the defend option can often be a sound tactical choice that can save you from being interrupted. The defend option is especially useful when one of your combative characters possess buffing, supportive, healing and hastening spells.
Each party member has their own unique skill tree which can be developed along multiple paths to gain new abilities or improve upon existing ones. It should be noted that each character specializes to some degree. Some characters have powerful physical attacks. Others possess elemental attacks and counters. Some are fast attackers, useful in keeping foes disrupted, while yet others excel in a support role. The majority of skill points are best spent on passives to raise HP and defense while using the remaining points to gain and upgrade specific skills. All party members gain experience whether used in combat or not, which allows the entire party to advance as a whole.
Game Hints:
* Igniculus is indispensable. If you find yourself stumped by a puzzle, it is Igniculus that often "lights the way" (hint... hint...).
* Igniculus can gather motes that refurbish energy, light the way through dark passages and even offers helpful advice from time to time, but his most powerful ability is using his light to stun and disrupt enemies. Bear in mind that defeating enemies awards character advancement points, so do not overuse his stun to avoid common enemies. Save it for when it can be used to greatest effect.
* Many NPC's will offer to join you in your explorations. ALWAYS accept. Each character has something unique to lend your party, and the majority of them open side quests once they become a member of your group.
* While it is important to build Aurora's stats as much as possible, do not ignore your party members stats. That mouse saved my hide on more than one occasion. Just saying...
* Once you discover how to obtain occuli, engage in those activities that grant you a chance to obtain as many as possible. One can never have too many occuli. Experiment with combining different occuli together to unlock new forms of occuli.
* Never judge a character by their cover; Especially that no good, back stabbing... errr... nevermind.
Notes:
Child of Light can be obtained through it's developers gameing service, Ubisoft, and is also available on the Steam Network through a cooperative agreement with Ubisoft. Depending on your disposable income, the (current) price point of $14.99 may seem a bit steep for some considering the games length, but both of the previously mentioned networks have been known to frequently feature it in sales. It is currently available for PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
System Requirements:
MINIMUM:
OS: Windows Vista, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8/8.1 (32/64bit versions)
Processor: Intel Core2Duo E8200 @ 2.6 GHz or AMD Athlon II X2 240 @ 2.8 GHz
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Graphics: nVidia GeForce 8800 GT or AMD Radeon HD2900 XT (512MB VRAM with Shader Model 4.0 or higher)
DirectX: Version 9.0c
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Storage: 3 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX Compatible Sound Card with latest drivers
Additional Notes: Windows-compatible keyboard and mouse required, optional Microsoft XBOX360 controller or compatible.
RECOMMENDED:
OS: Windows Vista, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8/8.1 (32/64bit versions)
Processor: Intel Core2Quad Q8400 @ 2.6 GHz or AMD Athlon II X4 620 @ 2.6 GHz
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: nVidia GeForce GTX260 or AMD Radeon HD4870 (512MB VRAM with Shader Model 4.0 or higher)
Verdict:
Littlemeter: 95.25/100
Child of light has an immersive story line. Interesting characters. Awesome artwork and music. It is not a game designed for the masses with the goal of trying to please everyone, thus it is free to be the best it can be for those that enjoy this type of offering, and believe me, I most certainly did. It incorporates the classic elements of a JRPG in a neat little 10 - 20 hour package that I will be sure to play again and again.
Pros:
* YOU CAN FLY!!!
* Well crafted JRPG-style combat system with extra credit awarded for the ability to swap out party members, and engage in optional dungeons.
* Nice character advancement system with lots of customization.
* Beautiful art.
* Awesome orchestral sound track.
* Interesting and well developed characters and party members.
* Endearing and whimsical dialogue in iambic pentameter lends a fairytale element to the game, and is often quite humorous.
* Did I mention YOU CAN FLY!!! ?
Cons:
* Scripted. Linear storyline and structure do not allow for variable outcomes.
* Side quests often involve too much backtracking through areas already explored.
* Voice acting. Some good voice acting in conjunction with the art and music would have made this game a true thing of beauty.
* A wee bit short for my tastes, and a wee bit expensive for its length. Subject of course to your personal tastes and interpretation.
* The endearing and whimsical rhyming dialogue that I praised earlir can eventually become annoying to some players, and is actually a little awkward at some points. This is one of those things you like or you don't, with little room in the middle.I actually liked it, but the majority of my friends found it to be a little tiresome. Let's just call this point a wash.
Extras:
Child of Light (Original Soundtrack) by Cœur de Pirate
~LL
ESRB: E - Everyone 10 and older
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft
Release Date: April 24, 2014
System Requirements: Posted in *Notes at end of review, below.
Feature Trailer - Child of Light [North America]
Child of Light - a classic RPG with turn-based combat, 200+ skills to unlock, and 600+ crafting combinations.
Child of Light - a classic RPG with turn-based combat, 200+ skills to unlock, and 600+ crafting combinations.
Story Trailer - Child of Light [NORTH AMERICA]
The Duke's daughter Aurora is dead...and yet, she lives. Join Aurora across the mysterious kingdom of Lemuria on her quest to return home. Helped by Igniculus the firefly, Finn the Capilli, and many more, she must defeat the Queen of the Night, who has stolen the sun, the moon, and the stars.
If storybook style games are not your thing, you would be doing yourself a disservice by not giving Child of Light a closer look. This game is far more than the simple point and click that many games in this genre offer. If storybook style games ARE something you happen to enjoy... prepare to be blown away. Although the story itself is a bit linear, you will find it holds a surprise or two. The combat is well executed. There is a bit of crafting, collecting and side quests. The ability to construct and enhance a party with interesting, well developed characters lends an air of complexity. And best of all perhaps, the games artwork and music are simply breathtaking. At times it felt as if I was playing within a master crafted water coloring.
Your journey into Child of Light begins when you take on the persona of Aurora, the precocious daughter of the Duke of Austria, in the year of 1895. Aurora falls into a death-like slumber one night to awaken on the mysterious and magical continent of Lemuria. She discovers the land to be under the despotic grip of Umbra, Queen of Darkness. While back in Austria, a bereft Duke mourns his comatose daughter, Aurora finds herself thrust into a daunting mission to bring back the sun and stars which Umbra now holds under her control. At stake is her father, the people of Austria, the varied inhabitants of Lemuria, and Aurora's own destiny.
As you set out to explore Lemuria in hopes of finding a dream path home, you will encounter the Lady of the Forest who will help to arm you with your four greatest assets. A magical sword of unknown properties. A seemingly useless flute. A firefly named Igniculus, who is much more than he may seem at first light. And best of all, the power of flight. Oh, did I forget to mention Aurora can fly? How awesome is that, eh? This one asset alone opens the map to means of exploration not usually encountered in games of any type, and you will most certainly have need to explore.
During the course of your explorations you will encounter many side quests, each of which can enhance your abilities in surprising ways. You will collect "confessions" which help to unfold the story and offer valuable insight. You will collect jewel like occuli which can be crafted and combined to enhance weapons and abilities. Best of all, you will encounter the denizens of Lemuria, many of whom will seek to join you in your quest, and help to overcome the minions of the Dark Queen, sent to impede your progress. Each of these fellow explorers will bring unique personality and abilities of their own to the party. You will find yourself in the company of a Jester that can't seem to rhyme or riddle. A capitalistic, love struck mouse. An untrained gnome-ish spellcaster. A frightening but depressed warrior cat, and perhaps even a lost sibling or two, but that's all I'll say on that. No spoilers for you, my friend.
Game Play:
Child of Light is a standard 2D side scrolling exploration game, with the added dimension of flight. I can not begin to describe what flight, to include the ability to hover in place adds to this game. It is not simply that it removes the "bleh" that sometimes occurs with side scrolling. It serves to open every square inch of the screen to exploration and discovery, which greatly adds to the games total playable area. As for the 2D graphics, the layered artwork in the game is not only beautiful, it adds a sense of depth one would normally expect to encounter in 3D graphics. It is very easy to forget what style of game you are playing as the land of Lemuria draws you in. In addition to exploration and discovery, there are elements of collecting, crafting, character advancement, puzzles and a pretty good combat system. It is designed as a solo game, but can become a two player game with one player controlling Aurora, while the other plays Aurora's companion, igniculus.
Building a party is a major aspect of the game. Every character, including Aurora, will come with an advancement tree specific to that character. As you gain advancement points through accomplishments and combat, those points can be used to expand and or improve upon character abilities. Points can be distributed as you see fit. In addition to advancement points your characters also gain in level. All characters gain level from combat, even if that character did not take part in the combat at hand. You have complete freedom in which characters you advance, as well as which branch of their advancement tree you wish to focus on.
Child of Light can be played at various levels of difficulty. It is suggested that you play through at the lowest difficulty level the first run through for the sake of experiencing the story, and increasing the level for a more challenging replay. Even at it's lowest setting you will find it challenging at points, especially near the end game, but not so difficult that younger players will find it near impossible to complete. Despite the linear aspect of the game that does not allow for alternate endings, I find the game to have a moderate degree of replay value. On minimal difficulty, you should be able to play through the entire game in 10 to 15 hours; Longer if you explore every corner and accumulate every collectible.
Crafting and Collecting:
Crafting in Child of Light is deceptively simple. The only item that is crafted are gem-like items called occuli. You can use occuli as they are, join them to obtain more powerful occuli, or combine them to create new occuli. Occuli are used for the sole purpose of enhancing gear and weapons.
The primary collection items are confessions. To avoid being a spoiler, I will leave it to you to discover the merits of collections for yourself, but be sure to keep an eye out for confession pages. See that piece of paper fluttering in the breeze? Yeah... you might want that...
Combat:
When entering combat, the action shifts to a combat zone. Up to two allies and three foes can engage at any given time. It is smooth and somewhat fast paced. Fortunately for you, party members can be switched out on the fly, allowing you full use of your entire party. You can even save a fallen character by switching them for a fresh party member.
The combat itself is a classic turn based RPG style that incorporates an action time bar. Each character has a specific set of abilities and the ability to switch them out allows for a variety of cooperative combo attacks. Bosses have various attributes as well so combo attacks can be used to exploit weaknesses or counter strengths. The time bar is the most important element of the combat sequence, and many abilities and attacks can manipulate it by hastening the time bar itself, or disrupting an enemy before he can attack.
Unlike many games I have played with this style of combat, selecting the defend option can often be a sound tactical choice that can save you from being interrupted. The defend option is especially useful when one of your combative characters possess buffing, supportive, healing and hastening spells.
Each party member has their own unique skill tree which can be developed along multiple paths to gain new abilities or improve upon existing ones. It should be noted that each character specializes to some degree. Some characters have powerful physical attacks. Others possess elemental attacks and counters. Some are fast attackers, useful in keeping foes disrupted, while yet others excel in a support role. The majority of skill points are best spent on passives to raise HP and defense while using the remaining points to gain and upgrade specific skills. All party members gain experience whether used in combat or not, which allows the entire party to advance as a whole.
Walkthrough - Child of Light [North America]
Follow Aurora in the Magical world of Lemuria with Brianna Code, lead programmer on Child of Light. She's presenting diffrent aspect of the game such as the gameplay, the world and the skill tree.
Child of Light is a re-imagining of classic fairytales, inviting players on an epic adventure into the magical painted world of Lemuria. Players will uncover mysteries, participate in turn-by-turn combat inspired by classic JRPGs, and explore the mystical kingdom.
Follow Aurora in the Magical world of Lemuria with Brianna Code, lead programmer on Child of Light. She's presenting diffrent aspect of the game such as the gameplay, the world and the skill tree.
Child of Light is a re-imagining of classic fairytales, inviting players on an epic adventure into the magical painted world of Lemuria. Players will uncover mysteries, participate in turn-by-turn combat inspired by classic JRPGs, and explore the mystical kingdom.
Game Hints:
* Igniculus is indispensable. If you find yourself stumped by a puzzle, it is Igniculus that often "lights the way" (hint... hint...).
* Igniculus can gather motes that refurbish energy, light the way through dark passages and even offers helpful advice from time to time, but his most powerful ability is using his light to stun and disrupt enemies. Bear in mind that defeating enemies awards character advancement points, so do not overuse his stun to avoid common enemies. Save it for when it can be used to greatest effect.
* Many NPC's will offer to join you in your explorations. ALWAYS accept. Each character has something unique to lend your party, and the majority of them open side quests once they become a member of your group.
* While it is important to build Aurora's stats as much as possible, do not ignore your party members stats. That mouse saved my hide on more than one occasion. Just saying...
* Once you discover how to obtain occuli, engage in those activities that grant you a chance to obtain as many as possible. One can never have too many occuli. Experiment with combining different occuli together to unlock new forms of occuli.
* Never judge a character by their cover; Especially that no good, back stabbing... errr... nevermind.
Notes:
Child of Light can be obtained through it's developers gameing service, Ubisoft, and is also available on the Steam Network through a cooperative agreement with Ubisoft. Depending on your disposable income, the (current) price point of $14.99 may seem a bit steep for some considering the games length, but both of the previously mentioned networks have been known to frequently feature it in sales. It is currently available for PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
System Requirements:
MINIMUM:
OS: Windows Vista, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8/8.1 (32/64bit versions)
Processor: Intel Core2Duo E8200 @ 2.6 GHz or AMD Athlon II X2 240 @ 2.8 GHz
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Graphics: nVidia GeForce 8800 GT or AMD Radeon HD2900 XT (512MB VRAM with Shader Model 4.0 or higher)
DirectX: Version 9.0c
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Storage: 3 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX Compatible Sound Card with latest drivers
Additional Notes: Windows-compatible keyboard and mouse required, optional Microsoft XBOX360 controller or compatible.
RECOMMENDED:
OS: Windows Vista, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8/8.1 (32/64bit versions)
Processor: Intel Core2Quad Q8400 @ 2.6 GHz or AMD Athlon II X4 620 @ 2.6 GHz
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: nVidia GeForce GTX260 or AMD Radeon HD4870 (512MB VRAM with Shader Model 4.0 or higher)
Verdict:
Littlemeter: 95.25/100
Child of light has an immersive story line. Interesting characters. Awesome artwork and music. It is not a game designed for the masses with the goal of trying to please everyone, thus it is free to be the best it can be for those that enjoy this type of offering, and believe me, I most certainly did. It incorporates the classic elements of a JRPG in a neat little 10 - 20 hour package that I will be sure to play again and again.
Pros:
* YOU CAN FLY!!!
* Well crafted JRPG-style combat system with extra credit awarded for the ability to swap out party members, and engage in optional dungeons.
* Nice character advancement system with lots of customization.
* Beautiful art.
* Awesome orchestral sound track.
* Interesting and well developed characters and party members.
* Endearing and whimsical dialogue in iambic pentameter lends a fairytale element to the game, and is often quite humorous.
* Did I mention YOU CAN FLY!!! ?
Cons:
* Scripted. Linear storyline and structure do not allow for variable outcomes.
* Side quests often involve too much backtracking through areas already explored.
* Voice acting. Some good voice acting in conjunction with the art and music would have made this game a true thing of beauty.
* A wee bit short for my tastes, and a wee bit expensive for its length. Subject of course to your personal tastes and interpretation.
* The endearing and whimsical rhyming dialogue that I praised earlir can eventually become annoying to some players, and is actually a little awkward at some points. This is one of those things you like or you don't, with little room in the middle.I actually liked it, but the majority of my friends found it to be a little tiresome. Let's just call this point a wash.
Extras:
Child of Light (Original Soundtrack) by Cœur de Pirate
~LL