Children of Morta (Xbox One) Review

It started off like any other day for the Bergson family, guardians of Mount Morta, until one day Grandma Margaret noticed something strange. In an otherwise normal forest, the animals started to disappear and those still around were sick. Grandma Margaret had seen this before and she knew she had to prepare her family to fight off the Corruption.

Premise – Children Of Morta

Children of Morta is a 2D ARPG which explains the story of The Bergson family and their task to defeat the Corruption. The Bergson’s task is go deep into the mountain and fight their way through the numerous dungeons, until the Corruption has been defeated. Similar to the Diablo series, each family member has a unique style of fighting.

Each family member has a unique weapon. Some family members prefer close combat while others can attack from a distance. Some have weapons such as a sword and shield while others have the ability to wield magic. Together, it is up to the Bergsons to fluff out the Corruption and save Mount Morta.

So what is so unique about another dungeon crawler? Well friends, so glad you asked. You see, Grandma Margaret knows of a special magical crystal that will save the lives of her family members if they ever fall in battle. So instead of losing Bergson family members to the mobs of trolls, they are magically reincarnated in the basement of the Bergson residence. This is where the rogue-lite aspect comes to play. Family members will have to start the procedural-generated dungeons over, but still maintain their experience and any items found during their run.

Presentation – Children of Morta

The presentation for Children of Morta has an old-retro style for the graphics. This style of graphics fits the game nicely and adds to the fantasy background.

The real magic of this game comes in the way characters and the story progress. As previously noted, whenever the character falls in battle, they are magically “airlifted” out of danger back to the Bergson’ home. However, after each death, there is a little vignette that takes place. This brief look into the Bergsons’ life continues to reveal aspects about the characters and the world of Morta. It is a nice addition to this game and instead of being punished for failing, we are instead treated with additional aspects of the story.

Gameplay

The gameplay for Child of Morta is pretty straight forward. It plays a lot like Diablo, but does not go as deep into the customization and ability building aspects. Each character is unique and there are choices about which abilities to spend points in, but nowhere near the possibilities as some games. To further augment the adventures, there are glyphs and attribute towers that will provide additional weapons, items, and general buffs to the characters.

Final Take

Child of Morta is an amazing game. It is a fun single player game as well as a multiplayer game. How the story is told in little portions had me hungry for more information. As I played more and more hours of the game, I felt a connection to the Bergsons family. They all have their different dynamics, just as any real family, only they have to go and battle the giant corruption. I would strongly recommend this game to anybody and everyone.

A copy of this game was provided for this review.