“Children of Morta” was a game I first played back in 2019, and now, six years later, I’ve returned to finish the story and collect all 100% of the Steam achievements. This is a pixel art roguelike RPG that really stands out for its storytelling and art design. But the question is: after all these years, is it still worth playing?
Stick around as we dive into my 2025 review of Children of Morta!
Main Story vs. Family Trials
When Children of Morta first launched, there was just one mode: the Main Story. But now, six years in, we’ve got Family Trials to shake things up.
The Main Story is where you get the full emotional impact—learning about the sacrifices the family has made, how they overcome trials, and witnessing the close-knit bond between them. I absolutely loved how alive their home feels, especially with the random interactions between family members, and yes, even the pets. It gives the whole game this heartwarming vibe you don’t often get in pixel games.
As you level up, you unlock skills for each family member, and you can spend in-game currency to unlock permanent family-wide buffs. Over time, that means your family gets stronger, making it easier to tackle tougher challenges.
By about level 20, or earlier if you’re a roguelike veteran, you’ve probably finished the Main Story. But that doesn’t mean the fun ends. You can continue to level up the family or dive into New Game Plus, where the game introduces new ways to play with upgraded stats, skill points, and fresh character builds.
And while each dungeon in the Main Story takes about 10 to 30 minutes to complete, there’s a total of 8 dungeons and one final boss fight you can only face once, so there’s a lot to explore.
Family Trials – More Than Just a Grind
Then there’s Family Trials. This mode is much more hardcore and not for the faint of heart. No character buffs carry over from the Main Story, so you’re starting fresh with each run. And if you have the Ancient Spirits DLC, you get to play as 8 characters instead of 7.
In this mode, you’re working through 13 randomized dungeons with the goal of surviving the full set. Each time you level up in Family Trials, you pick from one of three random buffs to strengthen your character. Currencies earned can be used to upgrade ancient relics, making your charactor stronger within those set of trials.
But, here’s the kicker: if you make it through all 13 trials, you might be in for a 60-minute (or longer) run with no way to save progress mid-game. That can feel pretty intense if you’re playing solo, and I’ve heard that even co-op can be brutal.
Family Unity – All For One
One of the coolest things about Children of Morta is that it encourages you to play every member of the family, rather than sticking to one favorite. If you focus on just one character for too long, they might get corrupted and start accumulating debuffs. This forces you to rotate and level up everyone, and by doing so, you unlock family-wide buffs that make your entire team stronger.
It might be a bit annoying at first—especially with melee characters, which feel underpowered early on. But by the endgame, you’ll appreciate how each character plays differently. Some are stealthy, others are tanky, and there are those who shine at ranged combat. Trust me, the character design really shines in the later stages.
What Could Be Better
Now, let’s talk about what could’ve worked better.
The Main Story, while solid, gets repetitive. With only 8 dungeons, you’re often grinding the same few over and over. This can feel tedious, especially when the most efficient way to level up is by repeating the same highest level dungeon. Sure, you get stronger, unlock cool skills, and collect achievements, but the grinding can wear you down.
It would’ve been great if they had mixed in some Family Trials-style content with the Main Story. Imagine tackling random dungeons alongside the main plot, facing down bosses you’ve already defeated, and making your way through procedurally generated challenges. It would have made the whole experience more dynamic.
As for Family Trials, it can be punishing. Without any meaningful perks that carry over from trial to trial, the difficulty can feel like a brick wall. Once you hit that wall, it can be hard to get back into it.
What I would’ve loved is a more sandbox approach. Let players decide how hard they want to make things, with a more gradual difficulty curve. Better yet, how about a weekly leaderboard to keep things fresh and add some rewards that could benefit the Main Story?
In Conclusion
In the end, Children of Morta has certainly matured over the past six years. The story, the pixel art, and the controller support are top-tier. Combat is tight, and the game remains a joy to play—though the grind in the Main Story and the brutal difficulty of Family Trials might not be for everyone.
So, after six years, is Children of Morta worth playing in 2025? Absolutely. But just know what you’re getting into before you dive in.