Game Review: God of Light Remastered

By Al

Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch

God of Light is a puzzle game that originally saw success on mobile devices before receiving a full remaster a few years back for PC and XBox. That remastered version is now making its way to the Nintendo Switch, and we're going to be taking a look at it today. One might think that a mobile game, remastered or not, isn't worth examining at length, but perhaps God of Light will be the exception to that rule. Whatever the case may be, let's shine a light on what, if anything, makes God of Light stand out in a crowded genre.

God of Light opens with all of the light vanishing from the Universe. I say "all" of the light, but one spark shines on in defiance of this disaster. Enter Shiney, a cute ball of light who's doing his best in a world of darkness. It's your job to help Shiney bring light back to the universe, one planet at a time. These planets are divided up into 25 areas, and it's these areas that make up the stages of the game. It's not a simple task of just revealing the light Shiney has cooped up within him, as it's the Sources of Life that need to be revived. Reviving them has to be done by shining light on them, and that light has to be reflected onto it by way of a series of mirrors. The light can also make its way to the Sources by being passing through prisms and other tools that will slowly be introduced over the course of the game. Though the story is a rather simple set-up, it is rather deep considering what one usually gets in puzzle games. Also, it's best to not forget that God of Light started life as a mobile game. It really isn't the deepest of experiences, but it also probably wasn't really meant to be. At its heart, it's an entertaining piece of software that can be picked up and played within brief intervals. I don't say this to discredit the game in any way, but to maintain a frame of reference as we continue our examination.

Like a lot of mobile puzzle games, God of Light has a very simple premise that is build and expanded upon as the game progresses. Your only goal is to light the get light to the Sources of Life, and maybe pass that light through the three gems that each stage also contains for an added bonus. If you're ever having trouble within a puzzle you can call on a light sprite that will show you an outline of the level's solution. These hints are limited, but you can get more of them by lighting up sprites that are scattered throughout the stages themselves. Speaking of the stages, there are 150 of them, and they are all one-screen puzzles. This does not mean that they are simple by any means, but don't expect anything like a boss battle, or even a "super" puzzle that finishes off a planet. Once again, you simply have to light up the Sources of Life within each stage and move onto the next. Once you've done that, you're given a score depending on if you lit up all of the gems, and an amount based on how long it took you to complete the puzzle. This score doesn't really matter as far as I can tell, so don't worry too much about it. The gems and sprites you collect are displayed on the main screen though, so maybe it's best to go for all of those if you can. With the basics out the way, let's talk about how you'll be moving around the light that Shiney so graciously gives off.

Most of the light reflection in God of Light will be done by way of a series of mirrors. These can be stationary, rotatable, movable along a track, or even able to teleport from one location to another. You first have to light up a mirror to be able to use it, so each level will often have sub goals where you're first looking for the tools that will eventually bring the light to the Source of Life. Besides mirrors you'll use black holes, prisms, and more to move or diffuse the light. While each of the game's worlds have a slight semblance of a theme to them, the new gameplay elements are introduced somewhat randomly over time. These tools may sound a bit complicated, and they indeed can be at first, but since each of the game's levels is occupy only a small area, you'll quickly get the hang of using each and every tool at your disposal. That's important too, as later stages will include a mixture of everything you've used over the course of the game. You can always use the sprite of course for hints, but it's worth noting that these hints only show you the solution of the puzzle itself, and they don't necessarily show you how to unlock the mirrors or tools you'll need to get there. You'll also want to grab all the gems you can, but thankfully these are often placed within the pathway of another mirror, so they're often hard to miss. Once you've lit up the Source of Life, usually by creating a crazy web of light in the process, you can end the stage. It really is a basic gameplay system, but I found the puzzles to be entertaining, difficult, fun, and calming all at the same time. Since each level moves you into the next, you'll most likely find yourself lighting up all the worlds in no time at all.

I must admit that the visuals in God of Light are all rather simple. Remastered or not, they show their mobile game roots. That said, I do think that the lighting effects are pretty impressive. I guess that makes sense when you think about it, but seeing hints of a mirror in the shadows, or a shine sprite casually lighting up a dim outline of the solution, all look amazing. I wish all games could have a shadow/light system as deep as this one does, but I guess I can at least be glad it's in a game that focuses on light. I especially loved the details within the overworld maps themselves, and seeing them come to life once you beat all their levels was always a sight to behold. There's really nothing groundbreaking here I guess, but it definitely works perfectly for this game in particular.

Music is probably the best aspect of the game, and that's in no small part due to the fact that they got UNKLE to do the music. For those that don't know, UNKLE is an electronic hip hop artist that is known in circles far outside of the video game scene. I was actually surprised to see that they were involved in God of Light, though I guess that explained why I was thinking that the music really stood out in particular. God of Light features very chill, laidback, almost ambient music. I like to compare music of this type to the "lo-fi hip hop beats" type meme music, and that actually kind of makes sense here considering that an actual hip hop artist worked on it. It's the kind of music that I regularly listen to when I'm working on some sort of writing project, such as game reviews, and I mean that in the best way possible. The music is calm, it's soothing, and it creates an atmosphere for the game that brings it far above its simple visuals and mechanics. I can't praise it enough, and I'm definitely going to be looking up the soundtrack once I'm done here.

The only real issue I have with God of Light has to do with its controls. I'm not sure if this was easier to control on mobile devices or not, but the way you rotate Shiney and the mirrors can be agonizingly slow at times. It's also hard to precisely hit to beam at the exact angle you want sometimes. Seeing as the entire game relies on reflecting a single beam across many spread out sources, not being able to accurately angle said beam in the first place can be a bit of an issue. Don't get me wrong, the system works if you're willing to nudge the shoulder buttons, or analog stick, ever so slightly, but it rarely felt as smooth as I would've liked it to be. This would probably be an issue if the game had some sort of timed mechanic, but seeing as time only affects scores, you can technically take as long as you want on any of the game's stages. Thankfully the issues I had with the controls only actually existed when it came to rotating Shiney or the mirrors, as everything else controls quite tightly. A small point to make, but since I raved about the game a bit already I figured I should make it.

I know God of Light is a rather simple remade mobile puzzle game, but I was amazed to see that it only costs $4.99. Considering you get 150 levels across six worlds, that price feels like a steal. There isn't a lot of reason to play the game once you complete all those puzzles, and it will probably only take you 5-10 hours to do so depending on skill level, but does that really matter when the game has such a low price tag? I don't want to rave too much about the price, as I know some people don't always like to factor that in when it comes to giving reviews, but it's difficulty to be too hard on a game that isn't even asking all that much from you. Honestly, the near perfect scores I'm sure I'm going to give this game are more for how what it managed to achieve with its smaller scope rather than comparing it AAA releases I may be far harder on.

If you're a fan of puzzle games, especially ones that are slightly physics based and require more than a bit of planning to complete, then this is a game you're going to want to pick up. It's honestly great and I think that it could even serve as an entry point for those who don't necessarily play a lot of puzzle game. God of Light is a chill experience filled with charm that I'm sure will draw in other gamers just as it did me. It won't break the bank either if you pick it up and ultimately decide that I'm wrong. Grab it on the Switch now, and help Shiney bring light to the universe!

Check Out God of Light Remastered on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/god-of-light-remastered-switch/

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Story: A (Though not really important!)
Gameplay: A
Graphics: A
Music/Sound: A
Value: A+

Overall: A

Pros:
+ A unique puzzle game that slowly introduces new gameplay mechanics over its 150 levels,
+ While the graphics aren't exactly cutting edge, the lighting effects are top notch.
+ Offers the right mix of challenge and calm puzzle-solving vibes.
+ Features an amazing soundtrack from electronic music artist UNKLE.
+ Shiney is a damn cute mascot character!
+ It only costs $4.99!

Cons:
- The controls slow down the game considerably, and can be a bit clunky at times.
- Though it can be seen as a bonus for those looking for a chill experience, the game is rather slow at times.
- There's very little reason to keep playing it once you've completed all the stages.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

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