The 50 Best Nintendo Games Right Now (Wii U / 3DS)

Best Nintendo Games List – #18 Child of Light

Developer: Ubisoft Montreal

Publisher: Ubisoft

Platform: Nintendo Wii U

Release Date: April 29, 2014

Turn-based RPGs get a bad rap these days, so it is great to see products like Child of Light fundamentally shift the focus towards the “role playing” of the RPG genre and achieve modest success. Using the UbiArts engine, Child of Light sees Aurora wake up in a strange land. Tasked with recovering the Light of Lemuria, she is granted a firefly companion, Igniculus, to guide her throughout this mystic land.

The game’s dialogue is almost completely set in rhyme, pairing the innocence of our protagonist with the charm of Child of Light’s story. The gameplay itself is simple to learn, but requires an apt mind to master. Spells can be interrupted by enemy attacks, meaning you must strategize to match your combat needs. Powers, passive stats, and other improvements can be upgraded upon leveling up, and those upgrade systems are deeper than at first glance.

Moreso than anything, Child of Light is just gosh darn beautiful. With a moving, sometimes even haunting, orchestral soundtrack, it complements the landscape well. It brings meaning, whimsy and reverence to the world in which you journey, making Child of Light a surprise hit RPG from a studio known more for its grandiose productions.

Next: #17 Yoshi's Woolly World