Sweet Child O’ Mine

I’m proud to be a Montrealer, partially because studios like Ubisoft Montreal put out Assassin’s Creed. But then, seemingly out of nowhere, Ubisoft Montreal puts out a game like this, and so far, it’s been a great experience.

You play as Aurora, a girl who wakes up in a different world (Lemuria) after falling asleep from being sick. There are many more characters, such as Rubella and Robert, but there’s also Igniculus, which plays alongside Aurora. Think of Igniculus as Navi from Ocarina of Time, but actually useful: he’ll help you with puzzles, open boxes, and provides support during combat.

The art style plays a prominent part in my experience so far. Highly detailed, watercolor-esque graphics play really well with the feel of the game. It’s very fantasy-like, a feast for the eyes. The color choice is immaculate: deep, muted colors and an amazing use of dark and light tones.

I can’t help but feel like this is a children’s book, a fairy tale presented as a video game. The storyline uses heavy rhyming, which sometimes feels odd, but overall ends up charming. Regardless, the story has dragged me in and I can’t stop playing.

Coeur de Pirate, a fairly popular singer around Montreal, composes the music. This sets a tone that is fairly somber, which complements the art style. A great score composed mostly of piano and violins.

The gameplay reminds me of Limbo, just with more RPG elements when in combat. Igniculus can slow down enemy attacks, so there is strategy in choosing which enemy to slow down and when to do so. I find this active style of turn-based fighting impressive, as a lot goes on during a fight. Honestly, I’ve never played other games with this kind of mechanic, so this is new to me. The puzzles are simple but still very fun.

Sometimes I found controlling Igniculus with the right thumbstick a bit loose, but I grew used to it. The game also allows you to control Igniculus with the touchpad, which I believe is the better option of the two.

Final Thoughts

I haven’t finished the game; it’s only been 4 hours out of a supposed 12-hour playtime. My point here is that for $15, you can’t go wrong. You get great art, great music, a good story, some interesting gameplay, and a 12-hour playthrough. Most blockbuster games are the same length, aren’t as good, and cost $60-70. It’s easy to recommend this to anyone because it excels at every aspect in a game and isn’t too long like most RPGs.

It’s also clear that the people behind this game took the time to think this game out in full. Cheers to the staff who worked on this title.

Here’s a song I enjoyed from Child of Light: