Child of Light

[Havok83]

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2013/09/10/child-of-light-hands-on/


With a small build, dainty crown, and a sword too big too wield, Aurora is an unlikely heroine for an adventure. And yet how perfect a character, and champion, for Ubisoft’s upcoming JRPG tribute, Child of Light. This dazzling array of fantasy aims to open the gates to the world of JRPGs for all gamers, welcoming both long-time enthusiasts and complete newcomers. It’s disarmingly beautiful, lacquered in charm, complexly elegant, and even a little haunting. It’s scheduled for launch sometime in 2014, on PS3 and PS4.



Aurora, our star of the show, is a petite fairy of a girl, and daughter to a duke from Austria. She finds herself in a mysterious land called Lemuria, enjoying the company of an agile little flame named Igniculus. Her adventures to defeat the Black Queen will take her through a host of mystic environs in search of answers and, more importantly, home.
Child of Light is built with the same engine that powers Ubisoft’s recent Rayman games: the dazzling UbiArt Framework. This means Child of light is built with layer upon layer of breathtaking, HD artwork. The characters and scenery move and leap like a painting made real. The designers looked to many things for inspiration for this visual spectacle, including the elaborate lighting and set pieces of classical opera.

As Aurora navigates the world with Igniculus alongside her, she’ll face a variety of puzzles and meet a whole cast of interesting characters. In true JRPG fashion, the story plays out with dialogue between our little hero and her companions. In Child of Light’s case, however, all the dialogue is written in rhyme, leading to some genuinely adorable exchanges.
When Aurora enters battle, we’re treated to an exhilarating fly through of the arena before the camera settles on our hero and her adversaries. Battles operate in a turn-based system, with a cast meter dicting the turn order of each character on screen. The meter is divided into two sections: a longer, blue “wait” section, then a short, red “cast” section at the end. Each character is represented by a small icon that slides along the meter as they ready themselves.

The key to battling in Child of Light is to time your attacks properly. Attacking an enemy that’s in the red cast section will interrupt its attack, sending it all the way back to the beginning of the meter. When Aurora and her friends have their turn, time stands still, and an elegant menu opens with a host of different options, like attacking, casting spells, using items, and other familiar JRPG goodies.



Complementing this turn system is a relationship of elements that encourage players to select the right elemental spells for the right enemies, scrambling ever towards that extra damage bonus earned when you cast one elemental spell against a foul creature aligned with the opposite element.

Aurora needn’t face the dangers of combat alone, however. Igniculus can offer assistance in the form of slowing enemies down as they charge up on attack, adding a touch of strategy to the timing game.

Igniculus, in fact, can serve as the vessel for a second player, providing both battle and explorative support during Aurora’s adventure. This cooperative mode works incredibly well in its early stages, even with the second player taking a passive role. This will enable significant others, siblings, or just a casual observer, to enjoy the fun without the need for him or her to have extensive knowledge of the action. Though knowledge always helps! A well-played Igniculus can often make the difference between victory and defeat.




There’s much more of Child of Light still waiting in secret. But what Ubisoft chose to reveal has showcased Child of Light’s remarkable personality and tremendous potential. Aurora and Igniculus make a lovely pair, and Aurora herself seems more than capable of winning our admiration with her few-sizes-too-big sword and courageous spirit.

[GeneticMutation]

Here's a preview of what Ubisoft envision for this game:

Child of Light Preview

[wooble89]

I'm intrigued by this one. Actually thinking about buying it on release...balance out my nerves now that Daylight is out around the same time.

[ReverendSlim]

Digging the art style on this. Looks amazing!

[R3P0]

Originally Posted by ReverendSlim

Digging the art style on this. Looks amazing!

And you can buy it as well as its coming to XBOne same day =0)

[ariakon]

I have to admit, I'm a huge fan of pretty, artsy games. So, yeah, I'll be getting this to go along with Daylight.

[Rothwilder Blu]

Count me in on this one

[Ursvol]

Count me in as well. This game looks fantastic

[Elandyll]

I admit I was going to splurge on this (it looks fantastic), but this makes me really confused:

http://www.psnstores.com/2014/03/chi...-is-cross-buy/

UPDATE - Ubisoft US PR has gotten back to me to say that Child of Light will be a PSN-only title in North America. Furthermore, it will NOT be a Cross-Buy title.

Editor’s Note: The cross-buy information was provided to us in an email from Ubisoft UK PR. This could be a regional decision.

In Europe, the retail version (Deluxe) of Child of Life comes bundled with a poster designed by Yoshitaka Amano, a 24-page art book, an Igniculus key ring, a bonus quest, a new character, and a pack of in-game collectibles... AND it will be cross buy between the PS3 and the PS4 versions.

But in the US the game will be PSN only, and no Cross Buy.

Weird (I gues my purchase will wait for the eventual PS4 I'll be getting .. some time).

[dyne]

Originally Posted by Elandyll

I admit I was going to splurge on this (it looks fantastic), but this makes me really confused:

http://www.psnstores.com/2014/03/chi...-is-cross-buy/



In Europe, the retail version (Deluxe) of Child of Life comes bundled with a poster designed by Yoshitaka Amano, a 24-page art book, an Igniculus key ring, a bonus quest, a new character, and a pack of in-game collectibles... AND it will be cross buy between the PS3 and the PS4 versions.

But in the US the game will be PSN only, and no Cross Buy.

Weird (I gues my purchase will wait for the eventual PS4 I'll be getting .. some time).

If this is true they can suck my ass pipe.

[GeneticMutation]

Europe FTW

[Show spoiler]

[Derb]

Originally Posted by dyne

If this is true they can suck my ass pipe.

Lol

Yes it is true.

Child of Light will be available in Europe with fancy trinkets included with the physical copy.

Anyone have a street date for Europe? Is it same day as NA? Thanks!

[varmintx]

It sucks, but what do you expect? It's not like they can assume this type of game is going to be a massive seller here.

On another note, this is awesome.

[madlost1]

Originally Posted by Derb

Lol

Yes it is true.

Child of Light will be available in Europe with fancy trinkets included with the physical copy.

Anyone have a street date for Europe? Is it same day as NA? Thanks!

Street date for Europe is April 30th according to Amazon UK. And it's not technically a physical version. Yes it comes in a box with some extras but it's just a download voucher stuck in the box no disc.

[Derb]

Originally Posted by madlost1

Street date for Europe is April 30th according to Amazon UK. And it's not technically a physical version. Yes it comes in a box with some extras but it's just a download voucher stuck in the box no disc.

Cheers!

Yeah, forgot about the download code.

[R3P0]

Originally Posted by Elandyll

I admit I was going to splurge on this (it looks fantastic), but this makes me really confused:

http://www.psnstores.com/2014/03/chi...-is-cross-buy/



In Europe, the retail version (Deluxe) of Child of Life comes bundled with a poster designed by Yoshitaka Amano, a 24-page art book, an Igniculus key ring, a bonus quest, a new character, and a pack of in-game collectibles... AND it will be cross buy between the PS3 and the PS4 versions.

But in the US the game will be PSN only, and no Cross Buy.

Weird (I gues my purchase will wait for the eventual PS4 I'll be getting .. some time).

WTF PSN only!!! Well as much as I wanted this game guess I just saved 60 dollars

[Derb]

Originally Posted by R3P0

WTF PSN only!!! Well as much as I wanted this game guess I just saved 60 dollars

The game is $15

[Psybits]

Originally Posted by madlost1

Street date for Europe is April 30th according to Amazon UK. And it's not technically a physical version. Yes it comes in a box with some extras but it's just a download voucher stuck in the box no disc.

I wonder if the code will work for the US PSN store?

[GeneticMutation]

DigitalSpy 4 star review of Child of Light:

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/gaming/r...airy-tale.html

Originally Posted by DigitalSpy

CoL.jpg

While it may sound like a bit of marketing fluff, Child of Light - a role-playing adventure from the team behind Assassin's Creed and Far Cry 3 - really can best be described as an interactive fairy tale.

It tells the story of Aurora, the daughter of an Austrian Duke who falls ill and finds herself dreaming of a magical land called Lemuria.

Like any good fairy tale, there is a hazy blending of what is magical and what is real, with both elements in service of the story's themes. Child of Light draws from the classics for its theme, as the coming of age story for a princess whose mother has passed away and whose father remarried.

However, there is also a subversion of those fairy tale tropes as Aurora's growth is more intrinsically inspired, without any princes, charming or otherwise, in sight. The fairy tale aesthetic in Child of Light runs deep, from its hand-painted storybook visuals to the voiced narration that shows up at pivotal moments with the soothing tone of a mother reading her child a bedtime story.

Perhaps one of the most interesting quirks in Child of Light is its dialogue, which is presented entirely through poems. Specifically, the dialogue is a series of quatrain ballads and rhyming couplets, drawing on the rich tradition of ballad poetry for conveying folk and fairy tales.

Writing an entire 10+ hour game in verse is a tremendous undertaking, and the writers deserve immense praise for the dialogue being as successful as it is.

However, when attempting something so bold as writing an entire game in verse, it needs to be impeccable or every mistake will stand out all the more.

On that note, the metre isn't always quite right for a ballad, which isn't just a concern for poetry sticklers since these inconsistent lines tend to have a jarring effect on the dialogue's rhythm that draws attention to itself.

These incongruous lines are by far the exception though, and for most of Child of Light the character banter is a delight to watch as the conversations build each new poem. Child of Light isn't just an adventure game though, and despite its aesthetics resembling a bedtime story, it also has deeply strategic combat inspired by classic Japanese role-playing games that you wouldn't want to play while half-asleep in bed.

Combat revolves around the timing of your attacks every bit as much as the strength of your characters.

Both your party and your foes will scroll along a timing bar at the bottom of the screen, with your own characters and the enemies scrolling at different speeds to determine the turn order.

And when it is your character's turn in battle, each attack and spell will have a different charge time before it can be unleashed. Attacks that take longer to charge are generally more powerful, but getting hit mid-charge will interrupt your turn and send that character backward on the timing bar.

It is a combat system that has its origins in the classic Grandia series, a series often revered for its puzzle-like tactics for cancelling enemy attacks and gaining the upper hand. Child of Light maintains that satisfying strategic edge bringing tension to every encounter, perhaps more tension than its inspiration even since it drops the number of characters you can use in combat down to just two at a time.

With only two characters in battle against groups of two or three, Child of Light finds interesting ways to compensate for what could have put players at a disadvantage.

Players can swap out characters at any time during battle from a cast that becomes quite extensive by the game's finale.

There is no penalty for swapping characters mid-battle, so players are encouraged to experiment with different combinations and discover new strategies through their character pairings.

Players can still be outnumbered even with the flexible character swapping though, so Child of Light gives players access to Igniculus, a firefly which players can move around freely during combat to either slow down enemies or heal allies with a bright blast of light. Igniculus has a limited amount of energy, which can be refilled by flying it over glowing plants on the battlefield, so it becomes an interesting tactical trade-off between hindering your opponent or healing your allies.

As a bonus, if you have a second controller then another player can control Igniculus separately. Drawing again on the fairy tale aesthetic, this light co-operative option would be ideal for sharing the game's story with someone in a way that mimics the interaction between audience and an oral storyteller.

Admittedly, Igniculus isn't the most interesting role to play on its own, but the firefly comes into play outside of combat too, as a way to find secret treasures, light Aurora's way through dark caves and stun enemies before combat for a slight advantage. Child of Light gets off to a very quick start, with Aurora and her companions levelling up after nearly every battle in the first few hours.

And while accelerated character progression would normally indicate developers trying to compensate for a shorter adventure, Child of Light simply extends the character skill trees as the adventure goes on rather than truncate the narrative.

Saving the best for last, Child of Light is an absolutely gorgeous game to behold.

The UbiArt Framework that powered Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends is put to excellent use, allowing for hand-painted watercolour landscapes to make the world of Lumeria feel like an interactive canvas. There is such a great attention to detail in the visual design, right down to Aurora and characters from the 'real' world modelled in 3D while Lemuria's natives are 2D characters in order to subtly reinforce the rift between worlds.

The visuals are supported by a beautiful soundtrack that both builds with the energy of combat and mellows with the awed exploration of Lemuria's fantasy world. Child of Light is very confident in its artistic vision, and for good reason.

Its few missteps, like the occasionally awkward lines of dialogue, come about as a result of its ambition and dedication to creating an interactive fairy tale rounded out with an intricate and satisfying combat system.

It is a blending of genre and style that is an unexpected treat, and already one of the year's role-playing game highlights.

star4.png

[Terjyn]

I for one am really enjoying this.

The Poetry thing is a bit cheesy at times, but really that's not entirely unexpected when you have to make an actual game around it.

One warning though: Sometimes saving just doesn't work. Make sure you see the little auto-save icon before you play for a long period of time. If you don't exit out and come back and it generally fixes itself.