I don’t usually provide AAA studios with visibility: They do well enough on their own and don’t need more free advertising. However, when small teams get off the beaten tracks creatively, I think they deserve acknowledgment—even when they’re operating from within big companies.
Child of Light was created by a small team at Ubisoft Montréal trying to make a non-aggressive, enchanting role-playing game inspired by the works of Edmund Dulac, Studio Ghibli, and Yoshitaka Amano.
Dealing with the larger themes of responsibility and personal growth, among others, Child of Light is more than a “little girl game” (as described by other devs at Ubisoft during development) and puts forward a non-stereotypical, non-sexualized female protagonist.
Eva-Léa LN is the co-founder, secretary, and animator at the Montreal-based worker-owned studio Lucid Tales.
In Child of Light, you play as Aurora, a young fairytale princess who finds herself in the mysterious kingdom of Lemuria.
There’s just one little thing: Aurora is dead.
Alongside Igniculus, a magical ball of light with a biting wit, Aurora tries to find the light in the world of Lemuria, which should allow her to cross the mirror that connects Lemuria to the real world and where she hopes to reunite with her grieving father.
To achieve her quest, Aurora will have to fight hordes of evil creatures in a game system that mixes turn-based combat and platforming, as well as a good dose of exploration and puzzles.
The gameplay might be very entertaining, but it’s through its presentation that Child of Light truly shines. Visually, Child of Light looks like a storybook come to life full of watercolour illustrations. It’s a beautiful world populated by unique characters, such as a living mountain and a village of capitalist rats stuck in a literal rat race.
And what about the striking soundtrack, composed by Quebec star Coeur de Pirate. The talented artist wrote a soundtrack made of melodic piano tunes, both haunting and soothing.
Dive into Child of Light, a gorgeous title that stands apart in Ubisoft’s lineup.
