Sonny Rivera

Child of Light Review There’s a shortage of good platforming games in the market right now. Quite frankly if I want my platforming fix, I reach out for my copy of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and play to my heart’s content. There is no other game out there that could very well replace it. It is the standard to which all platforming titles are measured…until now. Enter the Child of Light. A new platforming game published by Ubisoft and written by Jeffrey Yohalem.The same genius who wrote Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood and Far Cry 3. It is powered by the UbiArt Framework engine and was designed by Mélissa Cazzaro and Aurélie Débant. The game takes place in the land called Lemuria where the main protagonist Aurora is tasked to bring back the sun, the moon, and the stars which are imprisoned by the Queen of the Night. She is aided by a collection of interesting supporting casts; a jester, a sorcerer, and a trader skilled in archery to name a few. The gameplay is unique as it is a platformer with RPG elements all over it. Aurora levels up over time increasing her stats and unlocks skills that she can use. The active-time battle system is an ode to other established role-playing games. You not only control Aurora but another character as well and you can swap them with waiting characters during the battle sequence. You can use a variety of spells and attack moves to destroy the enemies. It’s in a way similar to Final Fantasy but it’s not. You move like a platformer character should move but you fight the way a Final Fantasy Character should. It’s a clever combination that makes it stand out. The game is stunning with magnificent visuals. The colors are a sight for sore eyes and the graphics are downright superb. The characters, the stages, and the enemies are beautifully drawn. You can spend a day just looking at it. It’s like a piece of art that you interact with. It is a Van Gogh come to life. If the graphics don’t get you, the story will. It’s a gripping and epic story that is both a tearjerker and a fantasy rollercoaster ride. Yohalem manages to catch your attention and then get you curious as to what happens next that you get hooked right at the beginning. There’s also the soundtrack that matches the game's mood, design, and gameplay. It was breathtakingly made. The soundtrack lets you hear the sounds of Lemuria as if you were transported to that mystical place, yourself. Overall, I rate the Child of Light 4.5 out of 5 stars. While the Symphony of the night remains the all-time greatest platformer ever made, this game is a close second or better yet it's equal. Its game-changing mechanics make it a must-have game for 2015. It’s a con within a con devised by a team that stimulates your visual, auditory, and intellectual senses. It takes you to the edge and manages to touch the one emotion that makes a game great – pure bliss.