14 DAY TRIAL // Developed by Dead Mage, Children of Morta is one of the indie gems that we discovered last month when the PC version was released. And since we've already played the hell out of that version, we strongly suggest reading our in-depth Children of Morta review in case you plan to buy in on PC.
If you're a console gamer, I'm happy to inform you that Children of Morta is now available for purchase on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One for just $21.99/€21,99. I've been playing the PS4 version to see how it performs in comparison with the PC release, and whether or not I should recommend it.
But first, let's clarify what exactly is Children of Morta. Dead Mage's game is a unique mix of action-adventure RPG, rogue-lite, and hack and slash genres. You'll be playing as one of the Bergsons, an unusual clan that's been entrusted with sacred duty: guarding Mount Morta.
As Mount Morta is slowly overcome by corruption, you'll step into the shoes of various members of the Bergson family and search for the roots of the evil. Each character unlocks as the story progresses, but you'll end up having six at your disposal: John – a powerful warrior who fights with sword and shield, Linda – a precise archer, Kevin – a silent rogue equipped with deadly daggers, Lucy – a bold fire mage, Mark – a serene martial arts fighter, and Joey – a brute who smashes enemies with his huge sledgehammer.
As they gain experience, each character can be upgraded with various abilities that make them more powerful. Most of the fights are done in dungeons, which are procedurally generated, so their layout is different each run. Also, each dungeon has two to four levels and includes a unique boss fight at the end. Of course, you can run a dungeon multiple times to get extra XP and money or finish some of the side quests.
The only issue I had with the PS4 version is that loading times are much longer than they're on PC. Obviously, this isn't a game-breaking problem, but coming from the PC, it was a bit annoying at first.
Graphics-wise, I didn't notice any differences – Children of Morta looks just as good. In fact, the art style and voice acting are some of the best aspects of the game. A combination of hand-painted pixel art and frame-by-frame animations paired with lightning techniques make Children of Morta a gorgeous game, regardless of whether you play on PC or console.
My impressions about Children of Morta remains the same even after playing the console version: it's one of the best roguelite titles I played in a long time. That being said, I can't recommend it enough to those who love the genre. It's easy to pick up and the story, even though it's a bit on the generic side, will keep you hooked, along with the addictive gameplay, till the end.
