Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.

For Your Consideration: Children of Zodiarcs

Children of Zodiarcs is an interesting game that tells the story of young heroes that boasts diversity, character, and difficulty.
This article is over 6 years old and may contain outdated information

Now that we’re halfway through 2018, I have to admit I’ve become pretty frustrated with the diversity and representation options within games. I found myself disinterested in games for a few months. So instead of staying disappointed, I decided to actively search for more inclusive games. Games that were inclusive in terms of plot, characters, and so forth.

Recommended Videos

Then came across the strategy JRPG Children of Zodiarcs. Developed by Cardboard Utopia, it was released for PC and the PlayStation 4 in 2017. What drew me to the game now in 2018 are its heroes and its story.

From what I can tell the main character is Nahmi, a young thief. She and her friends find themselves fighting against nobles and other injustices. Immediately, you’ll notice Nahmi is a black woman. By the numbers, we still hardly have any games featuring people of color, let alone women of color. So this really stood out to me.

So you can imagine my surprise to see her. Now, I had reservations in terms of the plot and her character. However the more I’m play the game, the more I see she’s a very well written character. She’s fueled by righteous vengeance against her oppressors. At the same time, she recognizes this isn’t how she wants to live. Those brief moment of introspection really shine through the plot for Children of Zodiarcs. Nahmi is more of a person than just a hero. Her characterization is just a part of what the plot has to offer.

Now I’ve played my share of strategy games but I’ll have to admit, this game is quite challenging. The difficulty does scale on a natural curve. Yet, you can find yourself overwhelmed if you aren’t careful.

The title combines a few ideas to make a unique set of gameplay elements. You move on the field and attack what’s within range like all other games. Now it gets more difficult due to dice rolls. All actions require a dice roll. Want to deal a certain amount of damage? heal? You have to roll the die.

As a respectable nod to table top games, the dice roll is everything. If you get a bad roll you can fail to kill a foe for example. Your results of a roll assigns values to attack, defense, activate abilities and so on.

The game allows you to have ideal dice but ultimately it’s a game of chance. This game of chance adds tension to make battle very engaging, probably more so than other strategy games. There’s more nuances for battle I don’t think I’ve even scratched yet.

I did forget to mention the art/character visuals by Erica Lahaie is very cohesive. The backdrops, art, and character portraits compliment each other. The music composed by studio Vibe Avenue is nothing short of amazing as well, and ties the whole thing together. From intimate moments, to somber monologues, the scoring is very well done. If you’re a fan of JRPGs and strategy games I would definitely recommend Children of Zodiarcs.

Children of Zodiarcs is available on Steam and PlayStation 4 via the PlayStation Store


GameSkinny is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Author
Image of Jeffrey Rousseau
Jeffrey Rousseau
32. Haitian. Writer. Fan of niche arts/media. Health/fitness addict. Maybe fashionista, speedster, jjba fan music aficionado . Product of Miami, FL.