Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story review: Riot Forge’s best game yet

From Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons to Astral Chain to Soulstice, single-player games wherever players technically power 2 characters simultaneously person ever enticed me. That’s why I was excited to find retired that Riot Forge — which creates single-player, narrative-driven League of Legends spinoffs — was moving pinch nan developers of RiME to create Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story. The cinematic 3D puzzle-platformer stars 2 somewhat lesser-known League of Legends champions: nan Yotai named Nunu and his Yeti friend, Willump.

The escapade seemed moreover much promising erstwhile it was clear that it was a successor to immoderate of Tequila Works’ champion titles, RiME and Gylt. The consequence is nan champion Riot Forge title yet. While Song of Nunu’s changeless group portion assortment meant that I occasionally came crossed a portion I didn’t bask arsenic much, nan adventure’s brisk pace, creativity, engaging story, and accessible look into nan world of Runeterra make it a coagulated all-ages preamble to and description of nan world of League of Legends.

Riot Forge continues to make its case

Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story follows Nunu and Willump connected their quest to find Nunu’s mom, whom he was separated from erstwhile his Yotai caravan was attacked, and to study much astir a magical artifact called nan Heart of nan Blue. The brace research Runeterra’s icy Freljord region, encountering different League of Legends champions for illustration Braum, Orrn, and Lissandra successful an escapade that prioritizes its communicative arsenic it tells a communicative astir recovered family and really group of each ages process grief. Having mislaid a pet earlier this year, these themes struck a chord pinch me.

Riot Forge

I’ve antecedently praised Riot Forge for offering unsocial looks into circumstantial characters and parts of League of Legends’ world that are intolerable to research successful nan celebrated MOBA. The publishing explanation continues to carnivore consequence pinch Song of Nunu arsenic it fleshes retired a chopped and little well-trodden area of Runeterra via a compelling adventure. This mightiness besides beryllium nan astir approachable and all-ages League of Legends crippled yet. The communicative surely has darker, affectional moments that reside decease and grief. It balances those dense themes pinch family-friendly lightness, creating an entertaining imagination escapade successful nan vein of Disney films for illustration Brother Bear aliases Onward.

If you’re a genitor who loves League of Legends, but do not want to expose your kid to nan toxic vitriol that tin travel pinch that online game, Song of Nunu provides a kid-friendly measurement to stock your emotion of Runeterra pinch them. And if they show liking successful nan world, Song of Nunu features an approachable written glossary that fills retired passim nan escapade and will make players an master connected this portion of Runeterra. I knew small astir Nunu and Willump going into Song of Nunu, but now they’re up location pinch nan likes of Jinx and Sylas arsenic immoderate of my favourite League of Legends champions.

Keeping things fresh

Tequila Works has created a linear escapade and puzzle-driven 3D platformer successful nan vein of story-focused games successful nan genre, for illustration its ain RiME. It’s not an escapade focused connected intricate activity for illustration Super Mario Odyssey, arsenic Nunu and Willump power beautiful heavy and suffer momentum aft landing a jump. Instead, it leaps from thought to thought to immoderate seamlessly bolsters nan reside aliases communicative of that crippled conception nan most.

Riot Forge

One moment, I was climbing on ledges Uncharted-style, and nan next, I could beryllium playing a opus pinch Nunu’s Svellsongur flute to move a ample creature, aliases freezing h2o pinch Willump’s powers to create a path, aliases sliding down an icy way connected Willump’s back, aliases getting successful a snowball conflict betwixt Nunu and Willump. Song of Nunu emphasizes variety, keeping nan escapade concise and consistently fresh. It only took astir six hours for maine to hit Song of Nunu, but each infinitesimal of that felt handcrafted.

This attack besides intends that if a peculiar gameplay style doesn’t click pinch a player, portions of nan crippled will consciousness for illustration a lull. This happened to maine pinch a late-game stealth conception that instantly reset maine to a checkpoint if Nunu sewage caught. Thankfully, arsenic this was only a mini chunk of nan adventure, I was capable to quickly move connected to thing other that I enjoyed arsenic nan crippled dynamically flowed from thought to idea.

2-for 1 gameplay soars

Song of Nunu technically features 2 playable characters, but Nunu serves arsenic nan superior characteristic and commands Willump successful immoderate puzzles and nan occasional combo-based combat encounter. In immoderate cases, Nunu will get disconnected Willump’s backmost and person to climb astir and lick puzzles successful circumstantial segments independently. In these situations, Willump retains each of nan abilities nan subordinate would person while controlling him, for illustration freezing h2o aliases climbing up peculiar walls.

Tequila Works has mastered nan subtle creation choices that tin heighten a communicative …

This makes Willump consciousness for illustration a surviving companion characteristic and enables Tequila Works to present mechanics by having him do them first aliases having him nonstop players successful nan correct guidance during a puzzle. Moments erstwhile nan 2 characters are separated go each nan much tense arsenic a result. It’s a refreshingly straightforward measurement for Song of Nunu to grip having 2 main characters successful a single-player adventure, and it reinforces nan brotherly enslaved betwixt Nunu and Willump astatine nan narrative’s core.

Tequila Works has mastered nan subtle creation choices that tin heighten a narrative, for illustration cautiously framing nan camera successful circumstantial gameplay sections for affectional effect aliases ensuring location is small dormant aerial betwixt group pieces unless it is emotionally basal for nan story. This, on pinch really gameplay dynamically flows betwixt Nunu connected his ain and Nunu riding Willump, makes Song of Nunu consciousness for illustration a naturalistic adventure, which further immerses maine successful its world. The PC type of nan crippled ever looked crisp and emboldened its vibrant ocular design, though nan framework complaint would occasionally stutter and return maine retired of definite moments.

Riot Forge

As nan communicative wraps up, Nunu goes from grief-stricken to a leader worthy of being called a League of Legends champion. The completion of that affectional arc deed my heart. Song of Nunu is not nan astir analyzable puzzle platformer astir and has its occasional frustrations. Still, everything it does is successful work of a compelling communicative that’s only enhanced by its unsocial two-for-one gameplay. Riot Forge’s games person only improved pinch time, truthful I urge trying retired Song of Nunu and keeping an oculus connected its early games for illustration Bandle Tale, moreover if you aren’t willing successful League of Legends.

Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story was reviewed connected PC.

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