When Child of Light was released in 2014, it was well-received by major outlets and players alike. The game was praised for its gorgeous aesthetic, incredible soundtrack, and a unique and challenging combat system. However, some of the game’s criticisms included a lack of character customization, simplistic skill trees, jarring rhyming dialogue, and easy battles. But despite these criticisms, one important point remains: we need more games like Child of Light.
In a Polygon interview with the game’s creative director, Patrick Plourde, he explained that the game came about because he wanted to play something with his son. The character of Igniculus, therefore, was meant to be played by a second player. Since this was a game created with a child and a parent in mind, it easily explains the simple skill trees, the fairy-tale story, and the ease of the combat system.
Nowadays, we expect a lot from our games. We relish in challenging combat, and we enjoy painstakingly selecting the right skill to buff in a skill tree that expands multiple screens. We appreciate characters who are powerful, strong leaders who get impossible jobs done or the unexpected hero who faces insurmountable odds. And we love an arsenal of weapons at our disposal because sometimes we feel like a warhammer, and other times we feel like a sniper rifle.
Child Of Light – Trailer Watch on YouTube
But there is something to be said about a simple system and a good story with mature themes that can spark a discussion between friends or a parent and their child. We don’t always need an overly complicated skill system or an overwhelming selection of items that we can equip or stats to agonize over. Sometimes, what we need is a beautiful fairy tale game that hits upon themes of loss, helplessness, hope, and triumph. Games that speak to us and give us characters with whom we can connect. These games also allow us to bring others in to share the experience with us in a non-combative setting.