So, to all of you 'Child of Light' fans, I need you to know that I truly did enjoy the game...right up until the end. I loved the idea they had for the game. The concept, itself, wasn't new (Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time being one of the firsts); however, it was amazing how they took that idea and changed it. I also loved the complete and utter TWIST they put on the story of Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) itself. That was a BEAUTIFUL twist. I also loved that it was a side scrolling game, I haven't played a side scrolling game in...well..a very long time.
So...if I am so in love with this game, and praising it..then why am I so torn to write about it? Well, because I am extremely disappointed in it as well. First, let us talk about the ending (SPOILER ALERT: AVOID IF GAME IS NOT PLAYED THROUGH). So the ending to me, where Aurora's WICKED STEP-MOTHER ends up being the final boss that you have to beat, turned into a flop. I'm not sure if it is because I some how accidentally power leveled...but the final boss was EASIER to beat than the second major boss. There are three major bosses in the game, then there are the temple bosses that you have to beat, and then the mini bosses. The first major boss I faced was actually pretty difficult, I actually had a few of my characters die in that round. Second major boss was a BITCH to fight, there was a moment where I thought I was gonna get the “This is the end of your journey” message or “Game Over” or “You Lost” SOMETHING. Surprisingly, this did not occur. But it was pretty nail biting for me. The final boss should have been just has hard, if not harder, in my opinion. Instead, I was able to beat in in less time that it took me to beat the second boss.
SERIOUSLY!? How do you give me a final boss that is EASIER to beat than the SECOND BOSS!!!??? WTF. I can get over that though...the story line has been pretty epic up until this point so I can give them a little leeway on the whole 'final boss flop'. However, after I beat the final boss...the story just...the end game ruined the entire experience for me. NO joke either. The Step-mother's last words were, “I just wanted a place to call home, a place to call my own.” Like...really? All of this fighting and epic game play and battle...just so I can hear your sobby cry about how my mother banished your mother which started a witch fight...and then Aurora's dad died as well! That was just...ya know what, I'm not even getting into that. That is a whole other vent session for later, hey! Don't worry though, her mother is ALIVE! Yeah...for a moment I felt like I was watching another “How to train your Dragon 2” moment. So the game ends, you beat the queen, and save your people by bringing them to the new land, since your old land had been destroyed via a flood (also caused by the queen). Whooray!...so...what happens now?
I just can't help how I feel about this game. I was having so much fun playing it! It was even driving my husband crazy with my addiction to the game! But the ending of it left me so damn angry I was spitting curse words and disappointments for DAYS! It felt as if they had put so much effort into this game, to make it beautiful, and the story line excellent, and the twist was amazing...and either gave up at the end or ran into writers block and so just threw that in there because, lets face it, writers block or not, you have a deadline to meet. I am honestly not sure what else I can say about this game without being to harsh about it. But I can say that the excellent 10 out of 10 that I was going to get it dropped dramatically to a 5 out of 10 after I came to the end. For anybody who reads this, I hope you take it for what it is, a review of a personal play through. For those who have yet to actually play it, I DO recommend it, it is an adorable game and has beautiful water color like graphics that's very pleasing to the eyes, AND like I said, Up until the end, the story like was kick ass. However, if you choose to play it, keep in mind that the ending is weak. I give this warning in hopes to spare SOMEONE the pain I suffered from the weak ending. I love my games like I love my books, strong from start to finish. I cannot stand reading a book or playing a game that gets weaker and weaker throughout the game play/chapter read or the ending just feels like a writer's block moment. I need epic from start to finish, period; and unfortunately, Child of Light did not provide that for me.
Written by Nikki Lewis
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