Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story

I went into Song of Nunu expecting a corporate MOBA tie-in and came out the other side with a goofy grin. Tequila Works - the studio behind RiME and Gylt - had a clear creative vision here: build a cinematic puzzle-platformer around the friendship between a boy and his yeti, and trust the story to carry the weight. For the most part, it works. The core loop swaps between two playstyles that complement each other neatly. As Nunu, you squeeze through tight gaps, throw snowballs at environmental puzzles, and play the Svellsongur - a magical flute that lets you hit notes to activate runes, charm creatures, and chain magical effects across the environment. As Willump (when Nunu climbs on his back), you move faster, smash through barriers, freeze waterfalls into platforms, and scale sheer cliff faces. The game decides when you switch, and that handoff feels natural rather than forced. Throw in snowball-fight mini-games, belly-surfing sled runs down massive snowdrifts, and environmental puzzles that lean on both characters' abilities together, and the pacing rarely drags. The runtime sits around 7-8 hours, with completionists pushing toward 9-10. The obvious caveat is depth - or the lack of it. Combat against Lissandra's wolves and ice creatures amounts to light attacks, heavy attacks, a dodge, and some enemy-specific finishers for Willump. It looks good and the finishers stay fresh, but Willump's sluggish movement means multi-enemy scraps can feel clunky, and the difficulty is low enough that none of it will seriously challenge you. The flute puzzles are clever in concept but the note symbols on-screen do not map cleanly to controller buttons, which caused genuine confusion on first encounter. There is also a stealth section late in the game that almost nobody seems to have enjoyed - it interrupts the otherwise strong pacing and feels imported from a different, worse game. PC performance is generally solid though some players have reported frame dips during level loads. What saves Song of Nunu from coasting on charm alone is Tequila Works' camera work and sound design. The studio clearly studied how to frame emotional beats cinematically - there are moments where the camera angle alone does the storytelling, and the musical integration goes beyond background score. Playing Nunu's flute triggers live musical responses in the world, and the soundtrack is genuinely lovely throughout. Champion cameos (Braum, Ornn, Lissandra, Volibear) are handled well enough that non-League players will read them as strong supporting characters rather than fan-service speed bumps. The narrative tackles grief and found family without being mawkish, and the relationship between Nunu and Willump - including a dedicated hug button - has made reviewers and players alike unexpectedly emotional. Song of Nunu is not trying to compete with FromSoftware or even the mid-tier of 3D platformers on mechanical ambition. It knows its audience: players who want a beautiful, breezy, emotionally resonant adventure they can finish in a weekend. For that audience it delivers well above expectations. It is also worth noting that Riot Forge has since been shuttered, making this one of the publisher's final releases - which gives the whole thing a slight bittersweet quality for anyone who followed the Riot Forge experiment.

Alex · Scout Team

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