- A family of warriors in a roguelike realm of magic
- Use each family’s skills on and off the field
- Fight for and explore a world that’s always changing
It was really ’80s TV that was all focused on family values and spending all your time together, but some games like to dip their toes in that pool. If you’re looking for an example, just talk to Dead Mage about Children of Morta. This is a top-down 2D RPG about a world of pixels and a family fighting to keep it from falling apart. You could say that the crisis could learn something from this family about keeping it together in the face of overwhelming destructive force. What we have to figure out is whether this is a family worth helping out.
What is Children of Morta?
The fewer new words that an RPG needs to drill into us so that we understand the basics, the better off we’ll be. Children of Morta tries to keep things pretty simple while still leading us through its personal glossary. In a far-off land of nature and magic, a dark force known as Corruption emerges. The Bergson matriarch uses her magic to determine the size of the threat and summons her family to share her findings. With her kin being a mix of trained warriors and skilled artisans, the Bergson family decides to band together to fight off the Corruption to save the world and hopefully, each other.
Standing with the Children of Morta
You’ve got all the ingredients for a solid fantasy story and adventure with Children of Morta. The idea that the diverse party of characters is all one family establishes a kinship early on and a desire to keep them together. They are all part of one unit as the Bergsons but also define themselves individually whether they’re out in the field or working at home. You get to learn about each of them at your own pace and as you become better, so do they and thus you both earn new options.
The gameplay works similarly to a hack-and-slash experience, if there is more to it than hacking and/or slashing. You’ll be sent to different deadly regions to reach certain points of interest or recover certain objects. Each one has its own theme, enemies, and hazards that change how you play a bit at a time. Though they feel separate from each other, the presence of Corruption structures and entities poses a constant threat and reminds you that each one is all part of the same world. The Bergsons are part of that world that can be hostile at times, but that’s just a part of its nature and its beauty. The fact that the regions use the roguelike mechanics of rearranging upon each visit just goes with the idea of a world constantly changing.
The Bergsons themselves are your connection to this world and how you’re going to fight through it. You’ll start only with a few members, but more will join the fight as you progress. Each Bergson is defined by their physical stats, skills, and the weapon they carry. There’s a member for almost everyone from close-combat, to ranged, to specialists. Part of the fun is playing as each member and seeing which ones fit your gameplay style. They each have different powers and strategies to complement their distinct traits and curiosity will push to to bring more into the battle and figure out what took them so long to join.
Discipline for Children of Morta
Though Children of Morta earns its fair praises, some problems affect its functionality and enjoyment. Since this game is moving to mobile platforms, it has to work with touch controls and that’s not always an efficient relationship. The further you get in the game, the more enemies you’ll find that will start attacking you in swarms. Understandably, you’ll want to attack, defend, or retreat quickly, but the controls aren’t always on top of things. Directional attacking spells doom when you just want to move or aim at a specific enemy without launching an additional attack on touch. It’s just something that you have to get used to but that can be tricky when fast little shin-stabbers are commonplace.
The way that the game handles challenge increases is also a bit of a bumpy ride. To put it simply, some Bergson members are better suited to certain areas. That means if you have a favourite, you’d best become masterful with their skills and grind or scavenge to make them as strong as possible. The challenge spike is most notable during boss fights. You can feel comfortable and confident fighting your way through the area, maybe getting some nice goodies on the way, only for the boss to trap you in a world of hurt, population: You, your hopes, and dreams. At least areas aren’t as extensive and labyrinthian as they could be, so doing research runs is a viable tactic.
Fighting alongside Children of Morta
Children of Morta is a 2D top-down roguelike RPG about the Bergson family fighting to stop a dark force from tearing apart their world. It makes it easy to get invested in the family through the presentation of the world, each family member’s abilities, and the role your actions play in a much greater story. The connection between the gameplay and touch controls isn’t the most stable but you can adapt just like you can adapt to the sudden difficulty spikes through short repeated plays. The family Bergson has a destiny to face and thanks to you, they won’t have to face it alone.