Child of Light (PS4)
An old Ubisoft game I've been wanting to play for a long while, Child of Light is an eye-catching RPG with a lot of heart behind it. Following the adventure of Aurora, a princess trapped in a mirror world who must defeat an evil witch and return home. She's accompanied by a diverse cast ranging from a talking mouse, a court jester, and young dwarf to name a few. They were interesting bunch, but sadly were forgettable. Dialogue is told through poems and rhymes, which is unique but can get cringe-worthy at times.
Gameplay is a mix between RPG and platformer. You control Aurora as she explore the mirror world, battling monsters, recruiting friends, and searching for a way home. Battles are turn-based where you'll wait for your turn to attack enemies. Interestingly, you can interrupt enemies' attacks to get your turn ahead of them and vice versa. You can only control two party members, which sucks since you'll have to constantly switch between characters. That said, the gameplay was solid and entertaining despite a lack of challenge.
Visually, Child of Light looks fantastic thanks to its bright, colorful art-style and landscapes. Character models are also pretty charming too. There's no voice acting so the soundtrack is the only thing you'll hear and thankfully, it's good with a few pleasant tracks to enjoy. Child of Light was a nice little game that I enjoyed. It not long by RPG standards, taking over 10-12 hours to beat, so newcomers to the genre should check it out.
Detective Pikachu (3DS)
Released back in 2016 for the 3DS, Detective Pikachu is the mystery game that would later influence the Pokemon movie of the same name. Starring a young kid named Tim, who joins forces with a talking Pikachu, as both are on a quest to find Tim's missing father in Rhyme City. It's a point-and-click adventure where you control Tim as he inspects objects, solves puzzles, and speak to NPCs to gather clues. The gameplay is basic as you'll explore Rhyme City's locales like the theme park, abandoned cave, and news station to search for leads. Tim will handle talking to humans whereas Pikachu can only communicate with Pokemon. There are no battles and instead, you'll be playing through simple QTE segments. It took me around 14 hours to beat and there's little to nothing in replay-value.
The game looks decent with the Pokemon designs being standouts. It could've benefited from a Nintendo Switch port since it suffers lots of jagged edges and low resolution on the 3DS. The voicework was also decent, though Pikachu's VA ended up being the standout for me. I enjoyed playing Detective Pikachu and the chemistry between Tim and Pikachu was great and their banter never felt boring. The gameplay was basic but was serviceable, as players of all ages can easily play it. Fans of the Pokemon series will have a lot of fun with the game.
The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors (PS4)
A 2D beat 'em up from the SNES era, The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors has you playing as android ninjas as they battle the forces of an evil president. You initially choose from three androids: the tank Ninja, agile Kunoichi, and fast Kamaitachi as you fight through the game's seven stages, tearing waves of enemies like soldiers, ninjas, drones, and large mechs down. The boss fights were flashy and provided a decent amount of challenge too. What I didn't enjoy was the lack of a life system and the slow movement speed of the characters that made levels drag on a bit. The retro graphics are excellent considering its a remake of a 30-year-old game and the soundtrack was catchy, with the option of reverting to the original. Overall, The Ninja Saviors was a fun time, packing fast-paced action and lots of replay-value. Fans of beat 'em up should give it a look.
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