As characters level up, you can unlock and upgrade their abilities, special attacks, etc. Some of this manifests in the actual gameplay. This creates a family dynamic that proves to be Children of Morta’s defining characteristic.
As you progress in the game, additional family members and allies will join in the adventure, like Kevin (a sneaky, knife-wielding rogue) and Lucy (a fireball-shooting mage), resulting in a diverse group of characters from which to pick. Meanwhile, Uncle Ben can craft new devices and level up the Bergsons’ abilities while Grandma Margaret’s powerful magic grants them various bonuses. For example, family patriarch John is a stalwart warrior with sword and shield while his daughter Linda is a deadly archer and his son Mark a skilled martial artist. Each member of the family has special abilities that prove indispensable in battling the corruption. It’s up to the Bergsons to investigate this corruption and defeat the ancient evil at its source.įortunately, the Bergsons are no pushovers. But a vile corruption now spills forth from the holy mountain, contaminating the surrounding lands and filling them with abominations and twisted monstrosities. Every member of the Bergson family has their own unique skills and abilitiesįor generations, the Bergsons have watched over Mount Morta, a sacred duty given to them by the goddess Rea Dana.
It doesn’t have to, not with its rich narrative, fantastical world-building, and most importantly, a colorful cast of characters in the Bergson family. To its credit, though, Children of Morta doesn’t rely on mere nostalgia to draw you in. If you’re of a certain age, it might even be tempting to forget that you’re playing on a modern game system in the year of our Lord 2022, and instead, are making your way through the game’s many dungeons on your trusty ol’ Sega Genesis or Super Nintendo. There’s definitely a nostalgic aspect to Children of Morta thanks to its pixellated design and old school-feeling gameplay. Put simply, Children of Morta is a thoroughly delightful game with an engaging storyline and gorgeous design. In other words, I’ve looking forward to playing Dead Mage’s roguelike dungeon-crawler for a long time - and it did not disappoint. That was back in 2015, but Children of Morta wasn’t released until the fall of 2019, and it wasn’t until earlier this year that I finally got around to actually playing it. It’s been a few years since I first wrote about Children of Morta here on Opus, and how it was part of a retro-leaning trend that evoked the glories of past video games with pixel-heavy art and design.