Dungeon Crawling to the Top.
The indie game scene oozes creativity. With darlings such as Celeste and Super Hot fresh in our memory, we are reminded of the creativity and artistry that forms an experience we can grow to love. Children of Morta by developer Dead Mage is a shining example of this principal. A positively dreamy pixel art aesthetic houses a love letter to anyone with a love for retro gaming and a powerhouse of a dungeon crawler.
Family values…
Children of Morta starts by introducing you to the Bergson family. With patriarch John at the head of the clan, you must lead the family to their ancient destiny without fear. The gameplay of Children of Morta is simple, but in no way lacking in function or depth. John gains levels, which give him skill points to spend on various perks across his skill tree. Similar to titles such as Borderlands or Diablo 2, the more points you spend the more perks and feats you unlock. This also goes for the rest of the Bergson clan, as more will become playable as you progress through the game. These are not easily obtained, however, as the monsters that await you in the sprawling dungeons ahead are formidable.
The dungeons never contain the same layout twice, much like in Diablo or Torchlight. This roguelike element allows the learning process to be an exciting one, as dying does not give any penalties other than restarting the level itself. In open spaces or tight quarters, you will learn to keep a cool head with your Bergson of choice. Whether it be deftly maneuvering for positions or facing the enemy head-on, you will need to be quick with a dodge and always aiming the mouse in prime position. One must be ready to click at a moments notice to get any precious damage in where they can. Along with other skills that take up ctrl, shift and even some skills that require two simultaneous button presses you also gain power-ups. Dropped off of enemies or found in shrines, some power ups act alone and orbit you while others require a tap of the Q or key to activate. It pays to get familiar with them to know what a specific one does or if it has limited use.
Beautiful Death Notes…
The storyline is one that evolves into its own and feels very personal. A recurring facet of character death is how the game chooses to leverage it into immersive storyline moments. Many deaths are followed with cutscenes which detail happenings between missions. These cutscenes are fantastically woven side-narratives that deal with the personal family life of the Bergsons. Some are cut into multiple parts, to be told across multiple attempts at dungeoneering. This is an incredibly immersive device that allows you to easily form bonds with the characters and adds weight to the overarching narrative. It also makes death a bit more palatable, as some of these stories will have you hungry for what happens next.
The graphics and sound design are just as immersive as its narrative designs. The beautiful pixel art is vibrant and full of personality, making enemies and items pop amongst the fluid backgrounds and fast-paced action. The monsters move quickly with distinctive actions, but are never dull enough to be mistaken for part of the background. With a ton of different enemy and boss types, along with elite level enemies that offer boss-like abilities out in the wild, the action is always fresh and never dull. This sound design props this up even more. Whether it’s pots, air or monsters, the weight of Johns sword can be heard with every swing. This also goes for the whistle of arrows or landing of punches the other Bergsons are armed with, as each sound is recognizable and satisfying in the heat of combat. These along with many throwbacks to retro gaming, such as bullet hell style attacks or Mario style obstacles, make this game a fair and fun challenge.
Conclusion
Children of Morta is a fantastic game. From graphics to gameplay, the game will blow away your expectations. The immersive storytelling methods add weight to your quest and make each run seem progressive rather than a flat out defeat. With a variety of characters, skills, power-ups and even local multiplayer, Children of Morta is the complete package. When you get the chance, pick it up.
