Children Of Morta
WHEN IT COMES TO DUNGEON-CRAWLERS, IT’S BEST TO KEEP IT IN THE FAMILY ADAM BRYANT
PUBLISHER 11 BIT STUDIOS / DEVELOPER DEAD MAGE STUDIOS / RELEASE DATE OUT NOW / COST £18.49/$21.99
protecting the land and its people
from any and all dangers. As setups
for stories go, it’s a pretty standard
affair but it’s in the individual stories
of each Bergson where the narrative
truly shines.
Deep beneath the Bergson family
home lies the Sanctuary where you
gain access to, and are tasked with
crawling through, several dungeons.
The aim is to gather three spirits that
will grant the family passage to Mount
Morta and put an end to the Corruption
once and for all.
There are six members of the
Bergson family to choose from as you
pass through these dungeons, each
with a unique play style and set of
special abilities. Initially you will only
have access to the father, John, and
his daughter, Linda, with the others
being unlocked as you progress
through the story.Family matters
Each Bergson is fun to play as, and
you’ll soon discover a favourite, but
don’t get too attached. The moreWithout a doubt,
the first thing that
will draw you into
this roguelike
action RPG is the
beautifully intricate
pixel art and expressive animations.
So much care and attention has been
put into imbuing everything from
the characters to the environments
with an abundance of personality.
At several points throughout the
game, we found ourselves stopping
just to admire what was being shown
on-screen. The second thing that
will draw you in is the story, which
despite being set in a fantasy world
full of monsters and magic, contains
a heartfelt tale of love, loss, sacrifice
and, most importantly, familial bonds.
An ancient evil flows from Mount
Morta, plunging the land of Rea into
darkness, bringing with it death, decay
and dangerous creatures. Standing
against this so-called Corruption are
the Bergsons, a close-knit family of
heroes that for generations have been
the sworn guardians of Mount Morta,
you use a particular character the
more they’re affected by ‘Corruption
Fatigue’, the effect of which is
reduced maximum health. You can still
continue to play as them for a time,
but the Fatigue will get worse, making
it harder to stay alive. Playing as a
different character and letting the
other one rest will eventually remove
the negative effect. This is a welcome
way of encouraging you to experiment
with different Bergsons.
Although there is a fascinating
and touching story to be found that
contains a few twists and turns you
might not see coming, the gameplay
sadly loses its appeal fairly quickly.
Although the controls are great, each
crawl you make through the dungeons
plays out in exactly the same way.
You hack and slash your way through
procedurally generated deathtraps,
dispatching similar enemy types
until you confront a boss at the end.
Should you die, you’re sent back to
your home to repeat the process all
over again. Most action RPGs and
dungeon-crawlers have the benefitshort
cutWHAT IS IT?
A roguelike
hack-and-slash
adventure about a
family trying to save
the world.
WHAT’S IT LIKE?
A pixel art version of
Diablo, without the
randomised loot.
WHO’S IT FOR?
Fans of roguelikes
looking for more story.078 THE OFFICIAL XBOX MAGAZINE