Dear child,

Tuck yourself in and listen to what I have to say.
It is for those too, who have doubts with Uplay.

When I first heard that a third party program needs to be installed,
I thought 'It's too much a bother to be buying this at all'.
But I was in love with the game as I was with Odin Sphere,
so I researched and researched until all doubts were clear.

It seems that Uplay has improved over the years,
as told by a friend whom I very love so dear.
After registering I instantly unravelled
that once I ticked 'auto login' it is never a hassle.
Switch Uplay to offline mode so it won’t meddle.

As confused as I was along the way,
thorough research finally made me pay
and playing this game now makes my day.

Child of Light is like a delightful bedtime story.
You play as a little girl, very cute and dandy,
though her arms are a little bit wobbly
to be carrying a sword both sharp and pointy.

What I really appreciate is the effort that they took
to make each and every sentence look so good.
The beautiful world of Lemuria will captivate your eyes,
with beautifully matched music as you zip through the sky.

Bottom line be told,
This game is made of gold.
I did not regret buying it a single bit,
and I’m writing this so that your path may be lit.

Godspeed.

I would give this game a try
And I will list my reasons why
First, the pretty hand drawn art
Is captivating from the very start
It feels like a fairy tale, I could see
It being made into a film by Walt Disney
It is a turn based role-playing game
That follows a girl, Aurora by name
After her apparent death, she is spirited away
To the land of Lemuria, and there she shall stay
Unless she can defeat the Queen of the night
And restore all of the kingdom’s lost light.
A simple tale, but it’s told with flair
And there’s a mechanically sound game under there
Combat is turn based, but rather than wait
For the action to happen, you can activate
A firefly who has an effect that slows
And you can interrupt the attacks of your foes.
The game is short, but worth your time
And like this review, it’s written in rhyme!

Essence
If you want to play something that has amazing style, is über-cute without being childish in the wrong way, is a light platformer combined, very light puzzler, with a light rpg element with simple yet still interesting enough turn based combat in the style of Final Fantasy and many other games, then this is exactly what you have been waiting for. Especially for the low original price they're selling this gem on release - must be the best spent money pixel-for-pixel in it's genre.

Child of Light is perhaps one of the best entry points I have encountered for many aspects of computer gaming, all wrapped up in an exclusive sheet of paper with close to perfect execution.

Session
Me and an unexperienced friend that does not play computergames, 30 years old, played CoL for 6h straight. While being an avid gamer/developer myself I enjoy introducing other people to new experiences in the world of games, hence I controlled the wisp while he/she controlled the protagonist in a local co-op using gamepads on a 55". We played the win-version from Steam.


GOOD

Visuals
CoL's style is a hand crafted treat for the eyes and looks like something taken directly from a printed high quality western fairy tale. While not for everyone the cuteness, fluidity and richly illustrated world will make most people instantly fall in love with what is presented: The aestehtics do not leave much to wish for.

Language
CoL is also written in the style of a rhyming childs book, which is just adorable.

Sound
Voice acting in form of story teller between certain events sound very good and fit right in. Voice acting is however not there for character dialogues, but the game does not suffer from it. Music is high-quality and well integrated with the mood of the scenes.

DLC
Many that seem to know nothing about the game are whining about there being DLC:s released for it already and call it a rip off. Be insured that this is not the case at this current time.

The DLC:s are not win-to-pay or antything that is actually needed or improves the game or it's flaws in any way. Some of the are cosmetics, while others give you basic stuff you are free to very easily find in game through exploration used to buff your stats. Exploration is natural and not tedious or a punishment. I'd even claim that it's the other way around. (Compare it with if Nintendo started to sell mushrooms for super mario games...)

Lastly there is also one DLC that actually adds a quest and an unlockable party member: It is great that this is offered for those deeming it worthy and interesting to have that option. Yes, they could have incorporated all of this for the original price in the initial release of the game, but they didn't, maybe in order to cover for the low price of the game, or maybe because all of it is not needed at all in the game. Needless to say, the argument that x could be included since the start can always be used no matter how much the devs have put in originally. It seems people never get enough and also always complain when somebody offers options which they themselves are supposedly not intersted in.


LESS GOOD

The following points will not matter for the general publich that will play this game: The target group for CoL is not role playing nerds like myself coming from Dungeons & Dragons et.c. With that written, this might still be of interest for those of us that are experienced gamers as we will surely notice:

Easy
CoL is easy for experienced platyers if played on the casual difficulty setting: You can relax while playing and still enjoy it, but won't get any feel of urgency until you are at least more than eight hours into the storyline. There is however an option to change the difficulty to expert. For non-gamers the casual settings is perfect though.

Manual
The manual is minimalistic, takes 3 minutes to read, and explains only the very basics that you would figure out yourself within a maximum of an hour of gameplay anyhow. It does not explain the more technical aspects of the game, like for example questions in the style of:

"What is the size limits of a party?"
"How is xp divided between party members if they (don't) participate in combat?"
"How else is xp earned?"
"What's the limitation in quality of what can be crafted?"

My guess is developers don't care with manuals since the assume, quite correctly, that most people will never even open them and that the need of them is somewhat negated by in-game tutorials. While true to some extent, manuals are still something that I believe that we as gamers should demand when purchasing a game.

Map
The quality of the in game map does not match the aesthetics or overall design of the rest of the game, nor is it's function sufficient even if the game isn't a maze or grandiose scope. It lacks local maps, zoom, and pretty much everythin you'd expect except fasttravel.

Co-op: Local only
Why, oh why, is this not playble via the net when it's released 2014? Granted it wouldn't be used as a uniqe selling point, but still: If co-op is put in it should also offer the mode via the net even if playing with a person next to you is usually a nicer experience, should one be so lucky to have a gaming partner with the time and desire.

Co-op: Passivity
The second player controlling the wisp has a clearly defined support role: He/she can heal, slow enemies, reach spaces easier, and is also indestructible. Issue is that the wisp seems to originally be an extended function of the main character. It works excellent when being playing it as single player and adds to the game, but when another player is expected to control the wisp he/she will in most cases feel somewhat limited and passive in relation to player 1 that controls the princess. Hence I do not recommend any gamer to actually play as the wisp.

On the other hand, this could also be a good thing if one wants to introduce a person to the world of games - letting them play a limited role will not overwhelm them, and can maybe lead to more curiosity and the urge to control the main character instead eventually.

Party size
When in turn based combat mode you never control more than 2 characters (ok, 3 including the semi-passive wisp..) from your party even in cases where your party size exceeds that number. There is also a similar limitation to the amount of enemies you may encounter at the same time. Part of this is solvable by the function that allows you to call in and swap out one party member for another during any point in the combat (will count as an action though), so there is still ways to adapt and save party members.

I'm not sure this has to be something bad even though I am sure many will percieve it that way. Personally I don't think "more of the same" and quantities of anything improves a game. In part the limited hero pool in combat even encourages the wiser use of tactics.


U-play
Yups, you need to have it installed. Steam is not enough. Only thing good with this is that you will actually unlock extra fluff and game content in UPlay for the game by just playing it and completing quests.

Beautiful art with a hand painted look
like it was taken right from a children's book.

Fantastic music sets the tone
while our princess tries to regain her throne.

And while the story might be simple
its as cute as a childs dimple.

The battle system is quite well done
making every fight a lot of fun.

Attack, magic and even defense!
Using tactics just makes sense.

Though if you dislike my rhyming tone
then I would leave this game alone.

This is a beautiful and fantastic game, but I cannot recommend due to Uplay.


Dear Ubisoft,

I see that you read these reviews because you have responded to a few. I want you guys to look at something. This game has 93% positive reviews, 420 reviews are negative.

I read through at least 100 negative reviews and I couldn't find one complaining about something other than Uplay.

Do you not realize that if this game was offered without Uplay, the user reviews would be at least in the 98% if not higher?? This game would be listed along side games such as Portal, and Half-Life 2 when someone searched by user reviews!

If you guys are doing so well as a company that you don't need that extra advertising, well that's fine. But if you want to continue to grow as a company, you should realize that your poorly made user interface is the bane of several (otherwise) popular games, and that people don't like it. They don't dislike it because its bad (although it is) but because THEY ALREADY HAVE ONE. THIS IS ON STEAM. THE LEADING DIGITAL VIDEO GAME DISTRIBUTOR. ARE YOU HIGH?? DO YOUR CEO'S SIT IN THEIR IVORY TOWERS DESIGNING NEW WAYS TO DESTROY THE TOM CLANCY FRANCHISE AND HOW THEY CAN MAKE THE UPLAY INTERFACE LESS INTUITIVE? OR DO THEY EVER LOOK AT THEIR CUSTOMERS AND REALIZE THE CUSTOMERS ARE BEGINNING TO SHUN THEM??

end rant.

Signed,

An Ex-Ubisoft Fan.

+ Simple, intuitive controls (I used an XBOX 360 controller)
+ Narrator has a lovely voice and does a fantastic job with her lines
+ Stunning hand-painted visuals
+ All dialogue rhymes; very clever way to tell a story
+ There are some subtle attempts at comedy (some better than others); my favorite being a certain character that cannot rhyme, and other characters become frustrated and correct her wording to better fall into the rhyming structure
+ Beautiful, melodic and heartfelt soundtrack that really pulls you into the game's atmosphere
+ The addition of your firefly friend makes combat feel interactive in more than the usual sense, and adds depth to your encounters
+ Interruption mechanic makes timing very important; this does well to add another refreshing layer of challenge to encounters
+ It cannot be said enough that the story is both charming and engaging
+ Cut-scenes and injections of dialogue serve to complemet the pace of the game, rather than break it up unevenly

- This title requires uPlay
- This title requires uPlay
- This title requires uPlay
- 'Puzzles' are scarce, and are alarmingly easy; they may as well have not been included in the final product


Community Group
Curator Page
Serious Steam Reviews subReddit

:edit: I've finished the game so I can flesh out this review a bit.

The first great thing about this game is the artistic aspect.It was pretty obvious how amazing this was going to be even before this game came out and Ubisoft definitely lived up to my expectations. The artwork is very beautiful and very pleasing to the eye. You don't want to rush through but take time to enjoy the visual aspect of the game. The aesthetic side also extends into every part of the game, from the way the main character moves to the beautiful orchestral music. I definitely plan on getting the OST if/when they release it.

:EDIT: Someone in the comments just told me where to find the OST. Apparently, the music was done by the Montreal artist Cœur de pirate and you can digitally download it from her site for a little over 8 USD here: http://musique.coeurdepirate.com/album/child-of-light

The story is another amazing part of the game. I've read a few reviews that try to knock it because "its just a fairytale". While this is obviously true, it doesn't detract from the game in the slightest. Ubisoft does a brilliant job of telling a story that, yes, in its simplest, most watered-down form, is just your typical fairytale. There are no real plot-twists, or at least, there are none they try to hide from you. It does have the "evil stepmother" trope and magic and princesses and all the things fairy tales do have. The game, however, fleshes out the story so thoroughly and beautifully that the result is more than satisfactory. The characters are all developed as far as could be expected for the format of the game, and poetic telling of the story just adds to the overall effect. The only other game that is really similar is Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, another fairy tale beautifully told. In the end, the story is as satisfying as the artwork.

The only thing I was worried about going into the game was the combat. I am not a fan of JRPGs or turn-based combat but I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the combat immensely. If I played it again, however, I would have played on the hard difficulty since the combat is rather easy and I only found it challenging once or twice. I never lost a fight and I only had a few characters die during a battle and that was only towards the end of the game during boss fights. If you dislike JRPG combat, don't let that stop you from enjoying the game...putting it on normal difficulty will allow you to enjoy the story without worrying about the combat. But if you like JRPG's or just want a challenge, definitely play on hard. You'll have to make more use of all the powers your characters have, especially their defensive and buff abilities. In addition, on a harder difficulty you will have to make more use of the gem system in the game, which provide passive abilities for each one of your characters.

Overall, this game was well worth playing. It took longer than expected (10 hours) and was a beautiful and relaxing experience. It rivals Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons for the most beautiful indie game (yes, I know its Ubisoft, not technically indie) as well as my favorite indie game. It also shows what big gaming studios can produce when they try and hopefully points to a better future for gaming.



And to anyone who decided not to get this game because of UPlay or because of "first day DLC". The only DLC in my opinion worth getting is the $2.99 one that unlocks the Golum character. His powers are unique and helpful so he is worth getting. Everything else is aesthetic or unnecessary, including all the little DLC's that give you gems...you find so many of them in-game, they're unnecessary. The experience of the game is complete even without the Golum so they didn't chop out a huge part of the game and then sell it to you as extra. Don't let it stop you from getting the game. And if you don't want to play it because of Uplay, I don't know what to say to you. You're just losing out on an amazing game because you don't want to deal with a piece of software that works pretty much smoothly and really causes no problems at all. At least, I've never had a single problem with them and I enjoy the rewards you can earn as you progress through whatever game you're playing.

"The Princess of Lemuria"

Child of Light is a RPG produced by Ubisoft Montreál, released in April of 2014. In this game you embark in a journey, playing as Aurora, a young princess whose soul is brought to the Kingdom of Lemuria. On this journey, you will have to recover the three sources of light and defeat the Black Queen in order to restore the Kingdom of Lemuria.

Gameplay

In terms of gameplay it is a good game but nothing impressive. The combat mechanics are pretty simple. However, you need to think you actions well in order to act in the best and fastest way as possible. At the start you will be a "lone wolf", but with time you will find many interesting and strong allies which will help you, by forming a party of 2 characters during the battles. You also have a firefly as an ally, which you control with the mouse. A pretty interesting mechanic but it becomes pretty repetitive during the combats. Out of combat it is an simple 2D platform game, with some puzzles, traps and tons of hidden loot. Sadly, in terms of combat, the game becomes extremely repetitive in the second half of the game because at some point, excluding boss battles, you will repeat the same tactics over and over again since the variety of enemies is pretty low. It gets so repetitive that at some point, you will start avoiding your enemies instead of attacking them to earn experience. You also have a perk system, as expected in a RPG, which is also pretty simple, yet intuitive. There is also a gem system called Oculi, that gives you the chance to upgrade certain stats of your characters.

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=523396349
Story

The story in this game is told in an extremely simple way, yet that is part of the beauty of it. It is a very sad story with some unexpected plot twists, supported by excellent characters and good dialogues, except the fact that they always rhyme, something that really grinded my gears, especially during the second half of the game because the rhymes start to feel too forced. Apart from that, it is an excellent tale of the journey made by the protagonist Aurora, in her attempt to save the Kingdom of Lemuria.

Visuals

Visually this is an epic game. The game art is absolutely astonishing, it really gives life to this wonderful fantasy world. Everything as an immaculate aspect, it is hard not to like the artistic work made in this game. Another highlight is the fact that this game as the "feeling" that all was hand crafted, as if the game was drawn on a canvas. Really spectacular in this category.

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=529131381
Longevity

I completed the game in about 9 hours, completing the main quest and almost all secondary quests (except one if I am not mistaken). It is not much for an RPG, yet this is one unique experience, with an indie feeling and reduced price. There is hundreds of loot and many other collectibles spread all over the world, so if you intend to complete the game at 100%, you should take around 12 hours.

Music and Sounds

But for me, the biggest strength in this game is the soundtrack. Absolutely amazing! The soundtrack combined with the art style of this game earn the price of admission by itself. It is hard to not be immersed in this awesome world with this wonderful combo of visuals and sounds. Simply astonishing.

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=533051511

Pros:

• Wonderful visuals
  
• Intuitive combat system
  
• Stellar soundtrack
  
• Bang for your buck
  
• Heartwarming story

Cons:

• Combat becomes very repetitive

My personal score: 9.0/10

This game is a pure gem. Simple, yet amazing. Highly recommended to any RPG fans, as to 2D platform games fans. With a very affordable price, there are no reasons for you to not enjoy this unique experience.

----------------------------
Análise em Português no site eyeoctane.org / Portuguese Review in eyeoctane.org :
http://www.eyeoctane.org/analise-child-of-light/

I've been playing games for more than 20 years, with many fond and cherished memories, but I can definitely say the most magical moment of my gaming life was when I played Child of Light with my 6 year old daughter.

Basically all negative comments are related to Ubisoft and while they are definitively a pain in the ass, the game itself is marvelous in art style, gameplay and soundtrack.