Watcha Playin’? Attack the Light

Attack the Light is an RPG for mobile by Grumpyface based on Steven Universe. It’s not related directly to the main story of the show, instead focusing on a side story where Steven has accidentally released some ancient light monsters into the world and now he and the gems have to dungeon crawl to stop them.

I originally downloaded this game after I caught up on all the Steven Universe that was out in May. It felt like there was a vacuum in my life with no new episodes, so I jumped at the chance to have more. Getting to play a Steven Universe video game seemed amazing. Now in the wake of the newest bombshell episodes, I felt the urge to pick it up again.

Overall, it’s a solid casual RPG. The mechanics are fun and fit well with the fiction of the show. Steven is a support character because of his shield and bubble abilities, Garnet’s gloves make her a heavy hitter, Amethyst’s whip  does group damage, and Pearl’s spear  is ranged. All the combat is performed through tapping, and each move takes star points (think action points). As you level up, you can upgrade moves to have a lower star point cost, or gain a higher capacity for star points. The skill and stat management is simple, but well done, and since the game is paid, it doesn’t rely on any freemium mechanics.

It’s a little silly and over the top, but that’s to be expected in a game that’s targeted at kids. The art is also simplified to work in a mobile game, but I think it’s cute. Despite its simplicity, I really appreciate its commitment to the lore and world of Steven Universe, even though it’s only a side story.