A Closer Look At Child of Light, Ubisoft's Lovely New JRPG

Kotaku - If you're anything like me—If you have a beating heart and like video games—you probably watched the debut trailer for Child of Light and thought, "I want to play this."

[ABeastNamedTariq]

:0 This looks fantastic!

[Snookies12]

It's certainly interesting looking... I'll have to keep an eye on it.

[HelpfulGamer]

Japanese Role Playing Game

[e-p-ayeaH]

very interesting.

[Moncole]

The game isn't a jrpg because its not made in Japan. Sure its inspired by jrpg games from the 90s but that doesn't make it a jrpg.

[Darkfire369]

I think over the years, jrpg has come to be known as a genre for many people. By jrpg here, I think it means exactly what you're saying: inspired by jrpg games.

[DragonKnight]

Agreed. The author said a game doesn't have to be made in Japan to be a JRPG so long as it has a JRPG feel, but that's B.S. because JRPG literally stands for Japanese Role Playing Game.

Nevertheless, I WANT THIS GAME!

[Hicken]

That would make the Souls games JRPGs, but they're definitely not. They share none of the traits of any other JRPGs(that I know of, at least, and I daresay I know of a lot), but have lots in common with WRPGs. Therefore, they're in the latter genre, and not the former.

If this game is styled like a JRPG, it doesn't matter where it's from, because it plays like a JRPG.

[DragonKnight]

Dude, like I said, JRPG literally means Japanese Role Playing Game. This was made by Ubisoft Montreal. So it's not a JRPG. It has a JRPG theme, but in the technical sense it's not a JRPG. As for Demon's/Dark Souls same rule applies only reversed.

Besides, most JRPGs started out taking inspiration from D&D anyway, so if we were to get really technical based on styles alone we could find that all RPGs originate from the Middle East or whatever.

[XB1_PS4]

Same thing as people in Europe playing American Football?

[Hicken]

Perhaps, in the past, the "j" stood only for "Japanese." But even then, there were fundamental differences between how they played, and how RPGs made in the West played.

Now it is its own genre, with various traits and features. If Child of Light has all the features and makings of a JRPG, why is it NOT included? Dark Souls and Demon souls do not have those features that are common to all JRPGs, but rather fit more in line with titles like Skyrim and Dragon's Age. Why, then, should they NOT be in the same genre?

[DragonKnight]

XB1_PS4: "Same thing as people in Europe playing American Football?"

What are you getting at? Football is different from Futbol.

Hicken: "Perhaps, in the past, the "j" stood only for "Japanese." But even then, there were fundamental differences between how they played, and how RPGs made in the West played."

If it doesn't stand for Japanese, then what does it stand for?" Sorry, but it still only stands for Japanese. A Japanese made RPG. Not a Japanese themed RPG, not a Japanese-like RPG, a Japanese made RPG. And there are still differences between how JRPGs and WRPGs are made and played today.

Let's look at Skyrim and Demon's/Dark Souls.

Skyrim was made to be an open world game, heavily dependent on story, average combat at best, with a focus on letting people do whatever they wanted whenever they wanted with little to no consequences as a result. It prioritized "radiant A.I.", and scenery above other aspects of the design.

Conversely, Demon's/Dark Souls were made to be pseudo-open world. That is, although you were free to move about worlds (Demon's Souls) or areas however you wished, there was always something preventing you from going too far. Story wasn't a focus at all, the character was which is a hearkening back to silent protagonists of JRPGs past. Combat was precise and deep. Difficulty was focused and purposeful. There couldn't be 2 more different games.

Your argument stems on the themes of open world and medieval style settings and the lack of turn based combat, but these aren't inherent to any cultural style. What makes a WRPG or JRPG different from each other isn't a difference in the openness of the world or the method of combat alone.

If one looks, one can see the Japanese in Demon's/Dark Souls.

"If Child of Light has all the features and makings of a JRPG, why is it NOT included?"

Because it's not Japanese. JRPG stands for Japanese Role Playing Game. It is the literal translation of that anagram.

"Dark Souls and Demon souls do not have those features that are common to all JRPGs, but rather fit more in line with titles like Skyrim and Dragon's Age. Why, then, should they NOT be in the same genre?"

Oh really? Let's see about that.

Silent Protagonist? Check. (Suikoden series, Dragon Quest, Pokemon, the list is endless)

Above average difficulty? Check. (Final Fantasy series in its earlier years, Dragon Quest, etc..)

The necessity to grind for an insane amount of souls in order to get to stupidly high levels? Check. (Dragon Quest, Star Ocean, etc..)

Ridiculously low drop rates for upgrade materials or unique weapons? Check. (Final Fantasy 4's Pink Tail vs. Pure Sharpstone)

The main character being the only one that can save the world from certain doom? Check. (Nearly every JRPG and anime in existence)

I mean, I can keep on going and the only thing I can see that you could counter with is a lack of turn based combat (which has been seeing less and less use for years now outside of Japan in their own games), and an anime theme filled with whacky characters.

Hell, Child of Light doesn't even have those qualities when you think about it. It's a 2D side-scrolling game with Grandia like combat but has no discernible Japanese style. Is the argument that a game is a JRPG based on combat?

Anyway, it's not a JRPG. It's not made by any Japanese developer, it does not use any Japanese style or themes, and if the case is being made that it's a JRPG because it has turned based combat, then that's the weakest argument there is.

[Death]

I agree with Hicken on this. Wiki explains the differances pretty well. The Terms WRPG and JRPG are used to differentiate two distinct styles of RPG's. While JRPG gets it's name from Japanese style RPG's, that doesn't mean they have to come directly from Japan. If an RPG is made in the west that uses the same style as one from the east, it is termed a JRPG. Same holds true if a game like Morrowind came from the east, it would not be a JRPG.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

[DragonKnight]

@Death: So you're trusting a wiki now? So the decades of JRPG literally standing for Japanese Role Playing Game mean nothing in the face of a user edited wiki page right?

Even Kotaku can only say that Child of Light's combat is the only aspect of the whole game reminiscent of a JRPG. So that means someone has to admit that they believe that the only thing that makes a JRPG a JRPG is turn based combat. That's pathetic and ridiculous as any gamer worth that title can name several JRPGs that aren't turn-based games.

JRPG is a Japanese Role Playing game. Not a Japanese-like Role Playing Game. Hell Ubisoft already made one. It's called Enchanted Arms. Look it up.

**EDIT** Good job hunting my recent comment posts.

[Death]

Japanese or console style RPG. I'm sorry you do not agree with the actual meaning of the term. While you are correct with the literal interpretation of the acronym, the actual meaning is not the same. Is a Korean developed RPG still a JRPG or does it not classify since Korea is not Japan?

Do I trust a wiki? I believe in this case the wiki is correct.

[DragonKnight]

"Japanese or console style RPG."

Console style RPG? Lol, keep inventing stuff to support your non-argument.

"I'm sorry you do not agree with the actual meaning of the term."

The actual meaning of the term is Japanese Role Playing Game. Where do you think the Japanese comes from hmmm?

"While you are correct with the literal interpretation of the acronym, the actual meaning is not the same."

Yes, it is. See, the term JRPG was created to literally mean Japanese Role Playing Game, but individuals without the authority to do so made the attempt to change the meaning to be any role playing game with the slightest hint of a Japanese Role Playing game's themes. This is an oxymoron already. We can see this is the case with Child of Light. Even Kotaku had to create a reason to call this a JRPG and the only thing they came up with was "turn-based combat."

From this we see how flimsy calling a game a JRPG is when you attempt to do so because some part of it "feels like" a JRPG. It isn't backed up by actual fact. For the umpteenth time, a JRPG is a Japanese Role Playing Game. That is, a Role Playing Game made by Japanese developers or in Japan.

"Is a Korean developed RPG still a JRPG or does it not classify since Korea is not Japan?"

You obviously haven't heard of KRPGs. It's a common term.

"Do I trust a wiki? I believe in this case the wiki is correct."

You only believe it's correct because you've tried to use it to support your non-argument. You don't have a case here. Child of Light isn't a JRPG just because it has turn-based combat. This is the same issue that arose with Mass Effect trying to pass itself off as an RPG at all and it's not.

Child of Light is a 2D side scrolling RPG with turn-based combat. It's not a JRPG.

[Death]

Before the terms WRPG and JRPG existed, we had PC RPG's and console RPG's. The consoles at that time were largely Japanese based. As console gaming grew, so did the variety of developers making games for it. The terms changed to Western RPG's and Japanese RPG's to show the differences in playstyle.

"In the early 2000s, however, as the platform differences began to blur, computer RPGs and console RPGs were eventually classified as Western role-playing games (or WRPGs) and Japanese role-playing games (or JRPGs), respectively.[49]"

It's from the wiki. They site sources.

I'm pretty sure the wiki nails this if you want to take the time and read it. I am not the author. Maybe you can take the time to site your sources and correct the wiki. Your insight into the industry should prove invaluable.

KRPG and ERPG are not common terms. They are used to describe an RPG's origins, not their style of play.

Mass Effect not an RPG? http://blog.bioware.com/201...

Perhaps you should have notified the VGA's over at Spike.

http://www.gamestop.com/xbo...
Maybe spearhead a class action against Gamestop for misrepresentation?

Or you could understand there is a sub-category of RPG's called Action RPG's. It's a term used to describe the games style of play. Like MMORPG. Those are RPG's too.

[DragonKnight]

You're grasping at straws now. You're trying to make a distinction between an RPG based on its style of gameplay when there are hundreds of examples that refute that, this also makes your argument an oxymoron. A game can't be a JRPG and at the same time not a JRPG because of gameplay style.

You say that a JRPG is turn-based combat, but Star Ocean and Kingdom Hearts for example aren't turn-based combat and yet are JRPGs.

You say that KRPG and ERPG isn't a common term and is only used to distinguish style of gameplay and not origin yet I just proved to you how wrong it is to assume that gameplay makes the distinction. A JRPG is a Japanese Role Playing Game. A KRPG is a Korean Role Playing Game. Get used to it because that's what it is. Child of Light isn't a JRPG just because it's ONE feature that "feels" like a JRPG is turn-based combat.

Mass Effect isn't an RPG just because it has leveling and Bioware's conversation system. You can feel free to go to extremes in your sarcastic responses because you have no real argument all you want to, but everyone knows that Mass Effect is a shooter with RPG elements. That, however, is neither here nor there and off topic of what is being discussed.

Kotaku posted this article, and they knew people would look at the game and say "what makes this a JRPG?" Why would that question arise? Because everyone knows a JRPG is a Japanese Role Playing Game. Not a Japanese-Like Role Playing Game, not a Japanese-Styled Role Playing Game, a Japanese Role Playing Game. Hell, Child of Light doesn't even share common JRPG themes or style at all. Kotaku knew this and had to address it and the only answer they could come up with was turn-based combat.

See, you're trying to split the issue, trying to make genres indicative of their gameplay instead of what they actually are. And even in doing so, that would prove that games where the gameplay is primarily shooter based aren't RPGs at all, making games like Mass Effect, Borderlands, etc not RPGs because their gameplay has nothing to do with established RPG standards.

You have nothing. Quit while you're way behind.

[Death]

Pretend for a moment that I am not taking your word for it just because you say it is so. The Wiki that I linked for you sites sources and authors supporting their claim that JRPG and WRPG are not simply locales as you claim but represent a style of play common to these locales. Believe me when I say I am not debating this with you, you are refusing something that is commonly known and documented with sources. I am providing you with the information and the links to read it for yourself. You are refusing to look, refusing to back up your claims with anything substantial and keep saying I am "grasping at straws" instead of supporting your claim with anything relevant.

As for Mass Effect and Boarderlands not being "RPG's", that is true to a degree. Clearly in your opinion they do not adhere to what you feel makes an RPG and they surely are not traditional RPG's. They are considered hybrids due to the fact they combine RPG and shooter/action elements together.

Not too sure what I am behind on or why you feel the need to tell me to quit. What exactly is it you are winning? Is this a denial contest? I though we were having a friendly discussion on the different categories and sub-categories of RPG's.

[DragonKnight]

You make the same claim every time, saying I don't back up what I say. You said the same thing when I refuted your Live comments, you said the same thing while denying to be a troll in the RAM article where you brought up something that wasn't even in the article and I schooled you there, and now you want to bring it up here, citing journalists claiming that JRPGs are a gameplay style despite the fact that I proved to you they aren't simply turn-based games with real world examples. No, you don't want to take my word for it despite real world examples and instead choose to take the word of a user edited site that links to journalist opinions.

So according to your logic then, a game like Star Ocean 3 or 4, or Kingdom Hearts aren't JRPGs because they don't have turned based combat. TEH LOJIK!

Seriously Death, you're terrible at debating anyone. Your entire style is simply to try and be as sarcastic as possible in the hopes that a person will get bored of listening to you and let your erroneous claims pass. That ain't me though. I may be using my last bubble, but just like you've never successfully been able to come up with the reason why you pay for Live (that is to say, what you are paying for Live) that's worth the cost, you have flip flopped around trying to prove that Child of Light is a JRPG based solely on its gameplay when absolutely nothing about it, save and except the turn-based combat, is anything like a JRPG at all. And when confronted with real proof of JRPGs that have no turn-based combat, you avoid discussing them altogether because it dismantles the idea that JRPGs are only called such because of a specific design style.

Face it. You have nothing. I don't care if you don't want to take my opinion of it, I dismantled your argument with actual games that are JRPGs in far more ways than Child of Light AND come out of Japan AND don't have turn-based combat.

"As for Mass Effect and Boarderlands not being "RPG's", that is true to a degree. Clearly in your opinion they do not adhere to what you feel makes an RPG and they surely are not traditional RPG's. They are considered hybrids due to the fact they combine RPG and shooter/action elements together."

And yet you sarcastically posted what you thought was evidence that Mass Effect was an RPG. Yeah, ok then. Next.

"Not too sure what I am behind on or why you feel the need to tell me to quit. What exactly is it you are winning? Is this a denial contest? I though we were having a friendly discussion on the different categories and sub-categories of RPG's."

If this were a contest of anything, and it's not, I wouldn't be winning. I would have already won when you decided to ignore actual games in favour of journalistic opinion. What you're behind on is legitimate evidence. I can see your process now. You go to google and type in "role playing game" and the wiki page shows up and you think you had something. Too bad actual games refute you. Oh well, I'm at my last bubble so I don't have to care about your inevitably wrong retort so have fun thinking a JRPG isn't a Japanese Role Playing Game despite the fact that... it literally is.

[Death]

I never said JRPG's were distinct due to their turn based combat.

A big distinction between JRPG's and WRPG's is the linear nature of JRPG's. They are more story driven. WRPG's are not linear at all. The way characters level is completely different too. In JRPG's you gain stats when the character levels. WRPG's you typically pick skills to level.

Bioware calls the game they created an RPG.
http://masseffect.bioware.c...

IGN "This is a top-notch RPG with a deep combat system that's an excellent blend of action and role-paying" http://www.ign.com/articles...

Gamespot "All told, Mass Effect is a great game with moments of brilliance and a number of small but significant obstacles that hold it back from reaching its true potential. But in the end, if you like RPGs and want to spend some time in an absorbing sci-world populated with a bunch of unique inhabitants, you'll definitely have plenty of fun with this one." http://www.gamespot.com/mas...

Dragon Knight "Mass Effect isn't an RPG just because it has leveling and Bioware's conversation system. You can feel free to go to extremes in your sarcastic responses because you have no real argument all you want to"

Bioware, IGN, and Gamespot among countless others call it an RPG. I call it a hybrid RPG since it is a combination of a shooter and RPG, but either way, it's labeled an RPG by the games creator and various professional media outlets.

I've presented you with sources on the origin of the JRPG/WRPG terms along with sources for additional sub-categories of RPG's such as Mass Effect and Boarderlands. You can use this information to educate yourself and make informed statements or you can continue to "win" the debate.

[XboxFun]

@Dragon

I love that Death provides links of actual topics to his debates and all you do is continue to insult him and call him a troll while providing absolutely no proof of your own.

Classic Dragon style.

So if a northern Irish, Frenchman in California makes Gagaku style of music then it's not considered a Japanese type of music because it's maker wasn't Japanese?

See Dragon what everyone is trying to tell you and what you refuse to understand is the meaning of JRPG has transcended it's literal meaning.

When I tell someone that a game being developed by (Example) Naughty Dog will be a role-playing game with heavy JRPG elements, that person (if he's a gamer) will know exactly what I'm talking about.

[Welcome2Die]

"So if a northern Irish, Frenchman in California makes Gagaku style of music then it's not considered a Japanese type of music because it's maker wasn't Japanese?"

Kobe beef made in the US(or anywhere else for that matter) is labeled Kobe STYLE beef, same principle with this, its a JRPG STYLE, not an actual JRPG.

[AsimLeonheart]

It is BEAUTIFUL!! Man tears came to me eyes as I watched the trailer. The music was just so beautiful. I cant believe a game like this is coming in this age of shooters. I have fallen in love with this game!! I am listening to the music right now on the official site.

[DragonKnight]

Can you believe this game is from Ubisoft? It looks so fantastic. I want this game already and I only saw a few minutes of gameplay.

**EDIT** Where is the official site?

**EDIT 2** Thanks AsimLeonheart.

[AsimLeonheart]

It is www.childoflight-game.com

It is really unbelievable especially when I heard it was made by the team behind Far Cry 3!

[Moncole]

Maybe if you didn't buy only AAA games and game on consoles than you would see many games are not shooters like indie games or Nintendo games.

[AsimLeonheart]

I agree but there arent many good turn based RPGs this gen especially one with such a beautiful soundtrack. I do buy other games as well like Limbo, Rayman, Super Mario 3D Land and Journey.

[king_george]

Crazy how they can go from something like far cry to this :o
Loving that cool art style too.

[tulholdren]

Hope it goes well I love me some JRPG action

[starchild]

Ubisoft has made so many great games this generation--the Assassin's Creed games, Far Cry 3, Prince of Persia, Splinter Cell Blacklist and Rayman Legends to name a couple that come to mind.

And Watch Dogs, AC4 and Child of Light all look amazing as well.

[godofboobees]

Inspiration from grandia.......*tears*

[Hicken]

As soon as I saw that action meter in battle, I knew it. Man, does this game look charming. I'd really love to play it.

[Lou Ferrigno]

Awe man I miss the Grandia series :'( tears indeed

[wishingW3L]

remember guys, if you make a taco in Hawaii then it is a Hawaiian taco. If you make pasta in Mexico then it is a Mexican pasta according to some people. lol

Anyway, I'm gonna go buy some Puertorrican sushi right now... But anyway, the term started as a way to differentiate them from the western ones because if you haven't noticed it yet you can see very clearly that JRPG's and WRPG's are so different from one another that you know...

Gamespot's forums must be on fire right now cus I remember there was a really heated debate a couple of months ago about the fact that the J in JRPGs is for Japan and if it's not from Japan then it's can't be a JRPG no matter what. It all started because of Demon's/Dark Souls.

[Enemy]

Ubisoft are like reborn or something. There isn't a single game they've shown us lately that doesn't look incredible.