Princesses in games have lived up to their damsel-in-distress roles all too well for many years now -those who’ll lift a perfectly manicured finger to fight for their own survival are few and far between, let alone the ones who are actually playable. This is what makes Ubisoft Montreal’s Child of Light a rare gem, as it grabs the princess-in-jeopardy trope by the horns… and flings it out of the ring.

 

As the fifth anniversary (30 April 2019) of the original game approaches, we look back at the launch of the Child of Light: Ultimate Edition for the Nintendo Switch last fall, containing all of the additional content that had been previously released. The Switch announcement was also accompanied by creative director Patrick Plourde teasing a sequel on Twitter, possibly launching later this year. 

 

The platform role-playing video game follows a princess named Aurora, born to a duke in late-19th-century Austria, and whose mother has apparently died. He raises her alone, until he feels lonely and marries another woman. On an ill-fated Great Friday, Aurora unexpectedly catches a cold and dies in her sleep.

 

Our female protagonist awakens on a crumbling altar in the magical land of Lemuria. The beauty of the hand-drawn, fairytale-like backdrop will not escape you; the first stop is Greater Lemuria, shrouded in thick, foreboding forests reminiscent of that in Snow White, and scattered with ancient ruins. It all feels very dreamlike as Aurora flits through the woods, her red hair floating freely behind her with every step she takes as if she were underwater.

 

In the first chapter of the game, Aurora meets a firefly called Igniculus and unsheathes a sword from a statue, painting a picture not dissimilar to that in the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.  

 

Soon after, Aurora learns about the history of Lemuria; how Umbra, the Queen of the Night, stole the sun, stars and moon, as well as a mirror that connected both worlds (Lemuria and her own world,) which is the only way through which Aurora can reunite with her father. The princess is then granted the ability to fly after freeing the Lady of the Forest from Umbra’s imprisonment – and her adventure truly begins here. 

 

The Gameplay 

 

As the story progresses, Aurora meets peculiar characters who require her help in fulfilling particular tasks. They will become her allies in battle either momentarily or for the long haul.

 

In the Switch version, the player gains a companion early in the game: Golem, a character who was apparently disassembled by the Queen and requires Aurora’s help in piecing him back together. With more than one character on her team, the combat system becomes turn-based and allows the player to swap out members mid-battle as they deem fit, similarly to Final Fantasy X.

 

In every battle, there is a horizontal bar across the bottom of the screen that works as a timeline and shows who will attack next. Besides every character having different attack speeds, other factors such as magical effects play a significant role in the timeline. 

 

Even for a turn-based game, the battle system feels slow-tempoed and draggy. Thankfully, the player can access the options menu to change the battle speed and even skip battle intros altogether.

 

All party members gain experience with each battle, helping them to level up and earn skill points, which are then employed in a branching tree to develop new skills.

 

To further improve characters’ battle stats, the player can also craft oculi, gems found from beating enemies or in treasure chests, which can be equipped to enhance each member’s attack, defence or timeline effects. Different combinations of oculi will create new, more powerful types.

 

Unlike the fairy Navi in Ocarina of Time, Igniculus plays a massive role in Aurora’s exploration and battles against enemies.

 

Controlled either with the right stick or by co-op play using a second controller, Igniculus aids the princess with completing puzzles throughout her journey, opening otherwise out-of-reach treasure chests and collecting bonus health and magic points around the map.

 

In battles, his light blinds monsters and slows them down, and he also has the clerical ability of healing party members.

 

The Story

 

Not only did Ubisoft produce a unique combat system and an extremely appealing visual style, but they also did a fantastic job fleshing out Aurora’s character.  

 

Last year, Feminist Frequency’s breakdown of gender roles in E3 games showed that there had been no improvement of games featuring women in leading roles, with only 8 per cent of games shown featuring female protagonists.

 

Although Aurora is a princess, she steers clear of the stereotypical demure, beautiful and innocent role – and quite literally so, as she often shows her distaste for strangers calling her a “princess” and asks them to refer to her by her name only.

 

At the start of the game, our female protagonist is green behind the ears and cautious, wielding a disproportionate sword to her small frame, and bites back with snarky comments when things don’t go her way.

 

Child of Light is essentially a coming-of-age tale about Aurora growing into a gracious young lady and an inspirational fighter for those around her – a fantastic role model for both boys and girls alike.

 

The narration is told entirely in rhyme, adding to the mysterious and fairytale-like feel of the game. Trying to decode all the dialogues can be tedious at times, and makes it less immersive or relatable as it otherwise could have been, but the narration still does an adequate job of capturing every character’s personality.

 

A definite factor that adds to the game’s immersive RPG experience is its soundtrack, written by Canadian musician Beatrice Martin, aka Coeur de Pirate. While most of the music is splendidly fitting for each scene, the stand-out piece is certainly Aurora’s Theme.

 

Aurora’s Theme crops up often throughout Aurora’s journey, a melancholic accompaniment that accentuates the longing and sorrow our protagonist feels from being separated from the life she had once known.

 

A love letter to those who grew up with fairytales, folktales and fables, Child of Light is a whimsical tale that makes you feel like you are being read a bedtime story.

 

Except that the princess saves herself in this one.