Discover the unbreakable bond between boy and yeti as you traverse a land both beautiful and treacherous, making new allies (and enemies) on a journey of family, friendship, and magic. I played Song of Nunu at Gamescom 2023 and fell in love with this charming story of Nunu and his yeti.
Time to unwind
Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story was my last appointment of a very busy Gamescom day and it couldn’t have come on a better moment. After playing a lot of high-paced games it was a welcomed change to play a more relaxing game. The main selling point of Song of Nunu is its story-driven single-player adventure where the bond between Nunu and the Yeti is the central point. The team promised a touching and even emotional story that could end in tears, perhaps even tears of joy. Showcasing the strength of a story isn’t easy in a demo so instead of trying to grasp the full thing, the demo focused on the gameplay instead. As you would expect, it’s all about Nunu and the yeti and how well they work together in order to reach new locations.
What I liked most about this is the fact that the yeti really is a creature of its own. This isn’t a brainless CPU that just does what you tell it to do, or worse, gets in your way while you’re trying to escort it out. No, the team put a lot of love and details into the yeti and made sure it came with its own characteristics. While playing the game, the yeti sometimes wanders off to create gorgeous graffiti, play will the fallen leaves or just takes a little rest while Nunu solves the puzzle. It’s a wholesome experience and in no time, I felt connected to the yeti, I could even hug him whenever I wanted to. The hug button serves no other purpose than hugging but it’s exactly what more games need. It’s amazing to see how well the bond between two creatures got translated during a twenty minute demo, this truly showcases the level of skill of the team. They know they are working on an important franchise and stay true to its world but deliver a new unique touching story.
Puzzle solving
The story and bond are crucial but what about the actual game? Well, it’s a combination of platforming and puzzle solving. Nunu has his own skills such as throwing snowballs and playing on a magical flute to unlock new paths. Yeti on the other hand is extremely powerful and can easily climb rough terrain. The combination of Nunu’s magic and the yeti’s strength forms the main gameplay mechanic. Again, this isn’t a game that should leave you frustrated after playing so it’s all very forgiving. It’s a game that can be enjoyed by younger and more experienced gamers since it really finds the balance of story and gameplay. The puzzles and platforming segments are things that we’ve seen in other games before but with a Nunu and even League of Legends twist to it to keep things fresh. It really played well and I enjoyed my time with it, even when it wasn’t challenging at all. It’s one of those game that show why not every new game should have an enormous open world filled with quests. Sometimes, less is indeed more.
Early conclusion:
Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story is launching in a couple of months and might become that relaxing game we all wanted to play in between the heavy hitters. I can’t wait to see where the story goes and I’m ready to be surprised.
