When someone mentions the JRPG genre, there is a certain image which is conjured. An image of spiky-haired heroes, anime-quality voice-overs, 40+ hour playthroughs, complex inventory screens, and large worlds where you can spend hours leveling up before taking on the next dungeon. It is odd to use the term JRPG to describe Ubisoft’s latest release, Child of Light, because the game ignores so much of what fuels the genre. The game boasts multiple worlds, side quests, a party of companions, and turn-based combat, staples of what one would expect from a game of this kind, but the compact package it is delivered in works both for and against the game. There are many things I enjoy about Child of Light, Creative Director Patrick Plourde and Writer Jeffrey Yohalem – the team behind Ubisoft’s 2012 hit, Far Cry 3 – have created a wonderful world and a memorable story which carries more substance than many of it’s 40+ hour brethren, but even with comparably short playtime, Child of Light’s mechanics get a bit stale.
Written in verse, Child of Light tells the story of Aurora, a little girl who dies and passes into the world of Lumeria. After meeting a glowing ball of light she refers to as a firefly, named Igniculus, Aurora goes on adventure to return home, hoping to save Lemuria from Umbra, the evil Queen of the Night. While trying to get home and battle the evil Queen, Aurora comes across a series of companions who join her party and aid her in battle. Having an entire game written as an epic poem yields mixed results. The danger of writing in a such a style is the content can sometimes feel forced. Yohalem nimbly avoids this pitfall and there are plenty of moments where the writing is organically creative. For instance, one character who never ends her lines in a rhyme is constantly corrected by everyone, altering her final words to keep poem afloat. These touches are nice, but meter of the poem feels off-kilter at times. While Yohalem definitely proves his skill with words, it is hard to hear the rhythm of the poem, a problem exacerbated by the lack of voice acting.
Regardless of the writing style, Child of Light’s story is thoroughly enjoyable. Watching Aurora’s journey, both internal and external, is a treat. Aurora is a strong, young girl, filled with determination and blinded by her ambitions. The story has a couple nice twists and turns with an ending which took me by surprise while still leaving me fulfilled. Child of Light’s biggest problem is, while its length is appropriate for the story being told, it has too many characters for its own good. With a campaign 10-12 hours long, the game has 8 characters who are enlisted into your service, giving little time for the game to explore these character individually. In the end, while these characters each fulfill a personal goal, they don’t grow in any noticeable way.
In between battling evils, Child of Light uses a overworld screen which looks like it would be at home in a puzzle-platforming game. Early in the game you get the ability to fly, so the platformer part is short lived, but the game creatively comes up with little sections to test your flying skills. At one point a boss traps you in a room with poisonous gas and you must search for the way out through a series of doors and levers while the gas slowly ate away at your life. Another section impeds your progress with a hard wind, blowing you backwards and forcing you to navigate your way through a winding cave, hiding from the winds so you won’t be blown back to the start of the section. None of this is very challenging, which is unfortunate, because while the concept is fun it only feels half-baked. There’s legitimate meat to union of platformer and JRPG, but Ubisoft Montreal shies away from the idea. Leaving it as more a quirk to the gameplay, rather than an explored concept.
Flying around these overworlds is still fun. There are dozens of chests to open and secrets to find. Each section of the world has its own town or temple to add to its flavor. Also while in the overworld, you can use Igniculus to collect little orbs, filling up his light meter. Collecting these orbs in the right order gives you the ability to regain some health or magic points lost in the previous battle. While you don’t regen health or magic automatically after battles – unless you level up – this provides a nice way to recharge your batteries before heading into the next fight. You can also use Igniculus to stun enemies with his light, allowing you get behind them for a surprise attack.
Once you actually jump into combat Child of Light feels most like a JRPG. Two of your party battle up to three enemies in turn based combat. A meter at the bottom of the screen shows the order of attack, which is different based upon the speed of each combatant. This order of attack can be manipulated with abilities, speeding up a friend or slowing down a foe. Other standard JRPG tropes apply to combat, weapons can be powered with elements which are effective against certain enemies. For instance, a sword with a fire upgrade is good to use against an earth enemy. While the combat feels the traditional, it also feels the most boring. Child of Light doesn’t offer any challenge and while the combat is interesting at first, it never varies and becomes stale. By the end of the game you learn all the weaknesses and are simply cycling in the correct characters to exploit them.
The narrative package of Child of Light is considerably strong. The art style is interesting and gorgeous, varying from location to location in order to keep you visually engaged. The world is well-crafted, the limited playtime prevents investment in Lemuria but the locales are never dull. Child of Light doesn’t have the time to explore its characters or its world thoroughly, but it tells a nice story of young girl coming-of-age. When the game differs from the well-worn path of the JRPG, it is at its best. The poetic dialogue, the simple story, the way you traverse the overworld, it all feels unique to a genre which is known for being set in its ways. While the combat itself is initially interesting, it fails to deviate in any way to keep it fun and entertaining. Child of Light is a JRPG for those who have grown tired of the mammoth worlds, stock characters, and intimidating commitments normally associated with these kinds of games. The game shakes off a lot of tropes, unfortunately it can’t shake them all off.
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