Steven Universe: Attack the Light!

Steven Universe: Attack the Light! is a tactical role-playing video game developed by Grumpyface Studios and published by Cartoon Network. The game, based on the animated TV series Steven Universe and featuring a story written by series creator Rebecca Sugar, was released for iOS and Android mobile devices on April 2, 2015.

Story

As Steven Universe is enjoying a mobile RPG, the Crystal Gems; Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl, return from a mission with a prism-shaped artifact that, in the hands of a powerful Gem, allows its user to wield an army of light. When Steven touches the prism, it suddenly glows and spreads prism monsters all across the world. Steven and the Crystal Gems travel across the world in order to fight against the light monsters and return them to the prism. Upon encountering the final prism monster, all the captured prism monsters combine into one and attacks. However, after managing to communicate with it, Steven realises that he was the Prism's master the entire time and tells the prism monsters to stop fighting and instead be whatever they want to be.

Gameplay

Attack the Light is a simplified role-playing game in which Steven and the Crystal Gems travel across multiple maps over five color-themed worlds. Players move across the map by swiping the touchscreen and can interact with chests, mechanisms, and hidden areas to obtain items that can either be used in battle or open up other areas. Some areas may be inaccessible until players solve a puzzle or obtain the necessary item from another level.

During battles, in which the protagonists and the enemy take turns to attack, the Crystal Gems take offensive positions and fight against the enemy while Steven provides support, able to use healing and defensive abilities and access items. Most of the actions characters can perform require Star Points, of which there are a limited supply during each turn, though players can use items to increase their Star Points or choose to save them for their next turn.

Similar to games such as the Paper Mario series, many of the actions performed feature gesture based controls. Simple well-timed taps of the screen can be used to deal extra damage during standard attacks, or reduce damage taken from enemy attacks. Other abilities, which can be unlocked as each character levels up with experience, feature unique mechanics such as aiming a shot or repeatedly swiping the screen.

If a Gem loses all of her Harmony (health), they will revert to Gem state until revived with an item or the battle ends, with the game ending if all three Gems are defeated. Players can find badges to equip to the Gems, giving them stat boosts, as well as earn currency that can be used to purchase additional items.^[1]

Reception

Attack the Light was assessed as "superb" by Destructoid, whose reviewer wrote that combat was very well implemented, providing complexity but not confusion, and that the game's strongest quality was its personality, thanks to drawing on the TV series's voice actors.^[1] Kotaku was also positive about the game, praising its unexpected complexity and depth as well as how it manages to capture the spirit of the TV series.^[2]

References