Just over ten years ago, I posted one of my first reviews to Steam. It was on a game called Child of Light. I'll post the link at the bottom so as not to break up the flow more than I usually do. I believe I posted it here, but I can't find it, so maybe I didn't. Or I'm confusing it with another. Recently, my boss bought me a new computer. Go play Crowns if Power! Wanting to relive and begin some new games I couldn't hope to experience with my last (two) rigs, I booted up an oldie.
Child of Light was a magical experience ten years ago. Its visuals, soundtrack, world, and gameplay all felt like a fever dream of everything I want in an RPG. I know I enjoyed the game, but it was a fever dream because I don't remember anything about it. Who are these characters I have written down in my giant Google spreadsheet? Why don't I have any villains on it? I've been listening to this Cœur de pirate album for ten years, but I don't have any mental images to get lost in when I snuggle with my stuffed animal/waifu, Lucy, outside. I need to fix that. I also want to look back at myself from ten years ago.
When I still had hope...
The first thing I notice is that I understand why I barely graduated from college. I love commas! Why didn't I use them? And those run on sentences... You know it wasn't written by a clanker, at least. But I'm not here to mock me. I do that every other day! What did I get right, change my mind on, or wish I had better knowledge of?
My first paragraph is a joke, walking the line between how bad Ubisoft is and telling people the game is too good to pass up anyway. Some things never change. I still begin with a joke, and Ubisoft just keeps getting worse...
The second paragraph is where the review begins. It's one long sentence saying that the game is similar to something from the PS2, except the main character isn't a brooding teen. In fact, she might be the weakest character in the game! Grammar aside, this is true. Aurora is such an amazing character, but her stats leave a lot to be desired. She's towards the bottom in every stat, with her only saving grace being her Light magic spells. Stuffing her full of Stardust, a consumable stat booster, helps to even her out, but maybe the min/maxers would place them on other characters. I go on to "accidentally the whole thing" setting up the plot. I mention Aurora's father, The Duke, and his depression. The story begins with Aurora dying, followed by a massive rainstorm threatening to flood their kingdom. She seeks the Sun, Moon, and Stars, saves two realms, and I'm vague about some twists. It's a decent overview of the story. I end the paragraph with a fun note about Austria's history with dukedoms. By the way, I didn't bring up Stardust once ten years ago.
I then talk about the combat. I kept this concise, so good job. I make frequent references to the timeline, mentioning the goal is to interrupt your opponent before they interrupt you, sending you back to the beginning. There are ways to constantly manipulate battle participants' roles in the timeline. I even bring up the ability to switch characters on the fly. I did get it wrong that it sends new characters to the back of the line, though. I didn't experience that my second time through. I probably should have compared it to Final Fantasy X in that fashion. I also hadn't played Grandia yet, but that would have been the best connection to make.
I continue that point by talking about the "multiplayer" aspects and the firefly Igniculus. Igy can slow down enemies and heal in battle. He also gets easier access to the restorative flower pollen. I dared player two to have fun, but I somehow forgot Igy can open several types of treasure chests. I no sold him, which was just pathetic of me.
I then poorly talked about character skill trees. I inferred some can get magical or physical skills, but that isn't true. Every tree is based around a character's "class" of sorts; what they do best and bring to the table. It would be better to have said each tree enhances a character's skills. Aurora, for example, gets a physical route, a path to boost her quick Light spell, and another to up her super Light spell. Óengus gets a branch to up his attack, his defense, or a magic spell called Quake. Robert gets attack boosts, skill boosts, and his antidote buffs. So maybe I was right, but I worded it poorly. Finn, though, only gets magic boosts. The other characters do have physical/magical splits, too. Good job, me. And better job, game devs.
I'm halfway through, and I finally talk about the "platforming." The ability to fly makes running and jumping antiquated, but the amount of hidden things is amazing. The verticality of Lemuria adds so much to the game and it's visuals, while adding some much needed whimsy. There's a word I wish I had used back then. The collectables are fun to find, even if I misspelled "as."
I then gush about the graphics. "A prodigy's watercolor dream" is still an apt way to describe it. Character sprites, portraits, and the world are all stunning. There's texture in those watercolors, mind you, so it isn't flat like Valkyria Chronicles (THIS JS CALLED FORSHADOWING), and Yoshitaka Amano can eat his heart out. I go on to say how the visuals work with Aurora's age and naivety before pinning for more games to look like it. You can tell my eyes have gotten worse because I made no mention of how hard it is to read some of the word bubbles over Aurora and Igy's heads during gameplay. They're fine during visual novel cutscenes, but being legally blind kinda sucks here.
I saved the music for last. I suggest everyone listen to the soundtrack, even if you want to play the game, before questionablely describing what I heard. It's probably the same way I'd do so now! I even posted links to the soundtrack(s), bringing up tracks not on Spotify. Even now, I still think Cœur de pirate, or Beatrice Martin, wrote one of the greatest soundtracks the industry has ever seen. I did not place it in my top ten, though, because I am a fool, a coward, and, most obviously, an idiot. I'd probably throw it at seven, between Final Fantasy VII and Bastion.
Lastly, I bring up the alleged downsides of it being a linear game. This is true, but I failed to mention how short it is. I finished my second playthrough in just under thirteen hours. I want more Child of Light and Aurora antics, and I'm kinda sad it's already over. But I'm not sure how to add to it. Answers on where the circus is and what's in the houses of all those locked doors. Those feel like side quests, though. There's no more main content to do. But it's okay to end a story when it's over. And, maybe this time, I'll keep the memory of this game in my head.
I throw more unnecessary shade at Ubisoft and those boycotting the game because of Child of Light's connection to it, but my closing thoughts are still poignant. "If you're an artist of any style, you're going find [sic] plenty to love in Child of Light. If you're a gamer of any style, you're going to find plenty to love." I said that ten years ago, and it's still the best way to describe CoL. Just, ya know, get a better editor...
That was the past, so let's talk about the now.
I can't believe I forgot about Child of Light. Everything about it is amazing, and I want more of it. The art style is stunning, in the way backgrounds showcase a massive world filled with both fear and whimsy. The music tells a tale of sorrow and triumph on its own. And the story, with all of its heavy segments about a young girl seeking her father and missing her mother, but through it all, saving a world she doesn't belong in just because it's what's best. I don't think the secondary cast holds up to Aurora, but they're all fun and lovable. In a world of rhyme, our white mage is the only one who can't. A sad jester, a thirteen-year-old man with a beard, a horny capitalist mouse, a knight with a checkered past, and a fish girl who's the last of her kind help this strange girl who can fly get home. To say nothing of the firefly who shuns his own people to see her journey through. I felt like crying several times in these thirteen hours.
The bosses can be painfully frustrating, and they definitely don't carry their weight in the plot, but the presentation and gameplay are more than adequate for anyone to enjoy Child of Light.
48/50. It's been a long time since I've played anything this good.
And here's my first review, which I'll give a D- too. https://steamcommunity.com/id/Deadaghram/recommended/256290/
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