Let's find out together, in this complete review, if and how much it is worth buying Little Noah: Scion of Paradise, a 2D action with strong roguelike elements that has high-sounding names behind it
When we find ourselves faced with low-budget titles, but with a high spiritual and artistic value for the videogame world, we remember where our passion for the medium actually comes from. In fact, the writer has noticed that, over the last ten years of his career as a gamer, the greatest surprise and involvement have been found not in AAA productions, which are also highly anticipated, but in titles that can be defined as "minor". We always come to mention the immense Gris, but if we want to go more on the mainstream we find the Supergiant Games masterpiece Hades or the two Cat Quests, or even better the tiny Unpacking. And, more recently, with Little Noah.
Little Noah: Scion of Paradise is a 2D action-platformer with a strong emphasis on roguelike elements created by the guys at Cygames. The first thing that came to mind when looking at the trailers and character models was obviously: but is it Bravely Default? And the answer is of course: no. However, it has high-sounding names behind it such as Akihito Yoshida, composer for Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy XII, and Hitoshi Sakimoto, graphic designer of the two aforementioned titles, as well as of the Nier series and, indeed, of that of Bravely. And here is the reason why. Instead, in the course of this review, we will explain why we have Little Noah: Scion of Paradise on the list of indie titles that everyone should play. And fall in love.
Alchemist?
The homonymous protagonist is a sort of alchemist, not classically definable with this name because everything is very filtered by a Japanese veil as thick as sandpaper. In short, no Alchemy with a capital A, but we're fine with that considering also that the co-star is a cat. Cats are really all the rage lately. Noah and Zipper, in short, set off on a journey in search of the little furry's lost memories, which seem to be dramatically intertwined with the protagonist's past, mysterious and evolving over the several hours you will spend in the company of the two.
The narrative, as always in the case of titles of the genre, is not linear and is narrated both by defeating the various bosses and mid-bosses for the first time, and by finding, in the various settings and with random pop-ups, the pages of the Witch's Diary, which will reveal details, curiosities and anecdotes about Zipper. Let us tell you: Little Noah certainly does not shine under the narrative point of view, the pretext is valid only to push the player to continue, with some small twist (telephone calls) scattered here and there and the awareness that all this is being done exclusively. for personal satisfaction.
Lillipuziano | Recensione Little Noah: Scion of Paradise
In Little Noah: Scion of Paradise it is not Noah who attacks, but his Lilliputs. The little one is in fact able to tame and summon these creatures, which are the main source of damage throughout the game. There are about forty of them, not very many, but all well characterized both in terms of aesthetics and "lore". In fact, they are perfectly inserted in the game world, each with its own background. They are differentiated both on the basis of the element (fire, ice, wind) and on the basis of rarity, which ranges from one to three stars and determines their brute strength.
Noah will be able to place, in his attack line-up, five different Lilliputs for performing normal attacks, and two for the two special abilities. To become really powerful it is necessary to know how to correctly position small creatures, to ensure that the flow of attacks is not too delayed or is not interrupted by skills that are too slow. In the end, however, in the more advanced levels it will be enough to collect as many three-star Lilliputs and fix them as best as possible (or have it done directly to the game) to be really powerful. To power up the Lilliputs it will be enough to find multiple copies of the same creature, while Noah has different and interesting ways to become stronger and stronger.
Endless roads… | Recensione Little Noah: Scion of Paradise
Among crystals that increase the power of melee attacks, ranged and those related to combos, accessories of various kinds that modify HP, Power, Drop Rate, resistance to certain elements or alterations of status, the chances of breaking the game are really high. Especially if we think that, during the exploration and in particular the defeat of bosses and mid-bosses and with the transformation of accessories and Lilliput at each death, Noah will get Mana, an in-game currency that we can spend in the hub central game to fix our ship that was destroyed and therefore indirectly enhance even the small protagonist.
In each world there will be one decent variety of rooms: from the classic ones, which can be completed by defeating the enemies present, we could run into the rooms where the game offers us a challenge, such as that of knocking down all the opposing creatures without being touched or in a certain amount of time. You can then go through a treasure room, reachable either by spending a key or passing a more or less intricate maze of traps, as well as in the shops where you can spend the accumulated coins (and which we will lose when Noah dies, unlike the Mana).
To make you strong! | Recensione Little Noah: Scion of Paradise
There are many other small details that can be explored and improved and that, in the end, make Little Noah a little roguelike with endless possibilities for fun. Of course, the variety of Lilliputs it is rather poor and we have almost always reached the end of our games with the same line-up. The same applies, of course, also to the enemies (copies of the Lilliputs themselves) and of the Bosses, literally always the same, but which vary in element at each of our steps. In short: "Quality over Quantity"? Surely the guys of Cygames have tried and they have also succeeded, from many points of view.
Although in fact it is not so varied, the gameplay of Little Noah: Scion of Paradise turns out to be at least intriguing and engaging, as well as plumbed by a 'excellent difficulty curve which allows newbies to the genre to approach it calmly, and veterans to find a marked challenge, especially in the final stages. There is no shortage of bullet hell elements, which require even more attention, and button-smashing won't be as useful in more advanced settings. Of course, the constant increase of the basic parameters as well as the power of the Lilliputs it will make your crossings easier and more rewarding, but they will not always result in a landslide victory anyway.
Low budget, high yield | Little Noah Review: Scion of Paradise
From an artistic point of view, well, we don't really know what else to add besides the one already mentioned at the beginning. The high-sounding names behind such a small production (we remind you that the cost of the title is 14.99 €) are there, as well as intrinsic quality. For our review we tried Little Noah: Scion of Paradise on Nintendo Switch, a platform where the title shines with pure splendor and color both in portable mode and in dock, with very detailed and different models of the characters and the various Lilliputs.
We did not notice any technical problems of any kind, with the exception of a few small drops in performance in the more complex and full of enemies rooms. However, we do not feel like complaining, considering the great visual impact of each setting, all rich in details, colors, shades and a skilful play of light. The excellent artistic direction is accompanied by an exceptional soundtrack, for a title of such a small caliber, and overall playing it was really enjoyable in every visual and sound aspect.
Zip zip zip!
In conclusion, we end this Little Noah: Scion of Paradise review by hanging up at the beginning. If we were to recommend an amazing, low-cost, and hours of fun title, Cygames' title would certainly be at the top of the list for this 2024. It is certainly not a vast and content-packed video game, but the value for money is. seriously excellent, the gameplay is damn captivating and from an artistic point of view we have guarantee signatures. "Quality over Quantity” it seems to us the most apt summary for Little Noah and, frankly, at the end of the day it's not a bad prospect at all. Good job!
Little Noah: Scion of Paradise is currently available on PC, PS4 and Nintendo Switch. Let us know if you have played it below in the comments, we will continue to keep you updated with all the news, guides and reviews on videogame and tech! And if you are interested in game keys at affordable prices, we recommend that you take a look at the InstantGaming catalog!
8 Quality over QuantityPoints in favor
- Artistically excellent
- Engaging and intriguing gameplay
- Fun from every point of view
- Perfect quality / price ratio
Points against
- Much lower content than other exponents of the genre
