Battle For Atlas is the best children's game of 2018

The holidays are coming, and what better gift could you offer your child (or yourself) than a game that really allows you to invent what you can imagine?

Starlink: Battle For Atlas (also known as the Star Fox game that you have been waiting for) is a spaceship game that allows you to connect modular toys to a controller mount so that they can appear in the game. real time.

Starlink will be launched physically ($ 75) and digitally ($ 60) on October 16 for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. The physical edition is also relatively affordable, considering that it's only $ 15 more than the price of a full set.

The Switch Edition gives you the full game as well as the exclusive Star Fox bonus mission, the Arwing spacecraft, the Fox McCloud pilot, the Mason Rana pilot, the flamethrower, the anti-freeze dam, the (digital) destroyer, the Zenith ship (digital), the controller and a Starlink poster.

Now, why could this be the best kids game to launch all year? Let's dive right in.

Endless creativity

Of course, the main selling point for kids is the gameplay mechanism of Starlink's toy life.

You start by hooking up a pilot, then the hull of a ship, up to three wings on each side and finally two weapons. Each driver has his own personality with a unique dialogue in the game that kids can connect to (obviously, the only driver they should connect to is Fox McCloud, is not it?). In addition to this, each hull, wing and weapon has its own properties reflected by different statistics. This creative process guarantees the freedom of individuality, so that the creation of a child is a byproduct of his personality.

Of course, the game will not let you out with everything. I did not really like it when I stuck four wings on either side of a spaceship. I was so heavy that I could not move an inch.

The toys themselves and their ports are also quite durable. They suffered as I traveled with them in a waterproof bag, pushing me into the subway and dropping me to the ground several times. The best part is that if the pieces break, you can still access them via the digital edition. However, parts will only be available for a week, so you may need to buy the DLC for this part.

Caricature Charm

Starlink's story is simple to follow, and although she's downright cheesy, she embodies a cartoon charm throughout her dialogue and artistic style.

The game begins with the Starlink crew exploring the Atlas star system on their ship, the Equinox, when suddenly they are attacked and the captain is kidnapped. If you buy the Switch version, you will see the Star Fox crew presented during the attack, and they are well written, much like their counterparts in the official titles. You can even hear Peppy asking you to "roll over", which has made me nostalgic.

If the artistic design is far from Ubisoft's habitual approach to offbeat realism, as with Assassin's Creed or Division, she's playing for the game. Starlink's characters have a sleek design and environments are beautiful. Yes, the Switch version had to reduce some pixels, but overall, everything seems incredibly alive.

Between art and history, the presentation can easily enchain a child in a world of wonder. I know it helped me when I started playing Star Fox missions and saw Wolf for the first time.

It's time for an adventure

Something you should never worry about Starlink is stuck on a specific part of the game, mainly because you can not do much wrong.

The gameplay is simple. The steering is very fluid, there are no complicated combos and it's incredibly indulgent if you die. You can reappear where you died as long as you have a ship to replace it, and you can repair all your ships in an outpost for 500 electrum, which is very cheap.

Although there is a campaign, the game does not stop if you do not do the missions. Atlas is full of many secondary missions and exploration opportunities. You can discover and analyze wildlife and farm equipment for sale at the appropriate outposts. If you see villains attacking merchants, you can defend themselves and get rewards. You can even travel to the most dangerous environments for which you are not prepared.

Dark Souls for children

If you have an older child who wants more challenge or just want a ride, Starlink does not hesitate to increase the difficulty level when asked.

You can choose between Easy, Medium, Hard or Very Difficult, and how to tackle the toughest challenges can be complex. As mentioned earlier, each party provides its own statistics to your ship, including speed, maneuverability, defense, energy and weight. You can also vary these statistics with mods, which can be adapted to the hull of the ship or the weapons themselves.

Speaking of weapons, you can strategically draw on specific elements to create a devastating combo. For example, I shot with a vortex gun, which created a black hole, but when I pulled a barrage of ice inside, it turned into a an ice vortex and therefore amplified my damage.

If that was not enough, each driver has a very unique ability. For example, Fox can congratulate the Star Fox crew and a random member breaks into the fight and temporarily participates in the fight. In addition to that, all pilots have traditional RPG skill trees to which you can award points when you upgrade to the next level. Pilots also become familiar with the ships or weapons they use. Thus, when the level increases, you access more slot machines.

Two children? No problem

You will not even have to hear your kids arguing over who can play because Starlink offers full-screen split-screen cooperation for two players. You do not need another controller support because the second drive can read the digital edition. If they desperately want the mount, she will only sell 20 dollars separately.

However, there are some limitations to cooperation, aside from the lack of online capacity. For example, you can only go up to 4 units of your partner before it warns you to stay nearby. At 10 units, the second player will be teleported to the first. In the space, it will go up to 2500. Although both circumstances give a suitable length, this should not be a problem as long as they are not misplaced.

Bottom line

Starlink: Battle For Atlas is certainly not a perfect game, but for kids, it's an incredibly impressive feat. It provides a simple way to deliver toys in the play area and to spark some creativity in the user.

Not to mention that his cooperation abilities allow another family member to join the party. And if you want the Switch owner to fill your life with any game, it could just as well contain one with Star Fox (well, at least until Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available). ).

Credit: Ubisoft