Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story review: A heartwarming friendship

Riot Forge has been producing some delightfully varied League of Legends spinoff stories based on the far corners of the game’s lore, be it Sylas’s mage revolution in The Mageseeker or Ekko’s time-bending adventure with his future self in Convergence. However, Riot Forge’s latest production saw it collaborate with Rime developers Tequila Works to create something a little less edgy and more heartwarming. Song of Nunu takes us to the frosty Freljord where we join Nunu, a lone member of his tribe, and Willump, the last Yeti, on a journey of friendship, family, and legends. It doesn’t always hide the cracks in the ice, but this is still a fun puzzle-platformer that might be the most all-ages friendly Riot Forge game yet.

Heart of the Blue

Song of Nunu takes us to the Freljord corner of League of Legends lore. It’s a land dominated by ice, hardened warriors and heroes forged in the frost, and gods that are as terrifying as they are magnificent. Nunu is a young boy and perhaps sole survivor of a tribe known as the Notai, who weaved magic and songs together to tell stories. Meanwhile, Willump is his best friend, and a four-armed ice Yeti that might also be the last of his kind. When Nunu has dreams of his mother telling him to go search for a powerful artifact known as the Heart of the Blue, he and Willump go off on an adventure through the Freljord in search of answers that will bring them closer to their lost origins and test the strength of their bonds.

Song of Nunu is mostly a puzzle-platformer with a few action elements. You play the game as Nunu, with Willump almost always nearby to lend a hand, but Willump also tosses Nunu onto his shoulder from time to time and then you control the Yeti when muscle and primal magic are required. Through their eyes, we get to see a long and beautiful adventure through the Freljord, seeing ancient tombs and shrines, long-forgotten battlegrounds, and beautiful landscapes of crystalline ice and nature. Tequila Works’ vision of Freljord is gorgeous and makes for a wide variety of obstacles to traverse as Nunu and Willump hunt the Heart of the Blue’s whereabouts.

As with previous Riot Forge games, getting to see League of Legends characters come to life in a new way is a highlight of this game. We get to run into the larger-than-life hero Braum, who lends his shield to the duo for a time, as well as gods such as the lord of the forge, Ornn, and the warrior bear of storms, Volibear. Even characters like Lissandra and the Void creep around the peripheral, adding sinister intrigue to the plot. They’re all great encounters that help make Nunu and Willump’s story all the more exciting, and their journey is punctuated by a beautiful and whimsical orchestral soundtrack.

I wasn’t always crazy about the presentation of Song of Nunu. The game seems to have a problem with good intros and outros to cutscenes. Way too often, a scene will simply fade to black or end in a way where I expected more and there just wasn’t any. I was ushered onto the next thing. The music would occasionally be cut off abruptly in these moments, too. It’s a shame because they really did a good job of building moods and getting me invested. It just didn’t feel like Song of Nunu was good at moving back and forth between cinematics and gameplay. It’s also not an incredibly long game. It tells its story and wraps up in short order at about 6-7 hours if you look for secrets and collectibles.

A formidable duo

Gameplay in Song of Nunu is an interesting deviation from the previous Riot Forge offerings. Very little of this game is about combat or finding enemies. Instead, it’s far more invested in puzzle-solving and traversal as Nunu, Willump, or a combination of the two. When Nunu is on his feet, he can throw snowballs to activate puzzle mechanics (like explosive bulbs attached to vines blocking a climbing spot). He can also get into places Willump can’t thanks to his small size and Willump can throw Nunu up over ledges to access new areas.

Perhaps most importantly, Nunu also has a magic instrument known as the Svellsongur that can play magical music notes found throughout the Freljord’s ruins and activate various effects. It’s a very Ocarina of Time-style approach, but there are constant moments throughout Song of Nunu that require you to use the Svellsongur, sometimes in tandem with platforming activities from Willump. The way in which music is constantly intertwined into the puzzle-platforming made for a dynamic feeling as I used Nunu and Willump's strengths and skills in tandem.

Speaking of Willump, he’s the muscle of the operation. He can carry Nunu and moves much faster. He can also use his mighty paws to break obstacles, fight off enemies, and keep the two safe. One of the features of Willump is that when Nunu isn’t riding him, he just kind of does his thing. However, I was impressed that I hardly ever ran into a spot where Willump was being uncooperative. Tequila Works did a great job of ensuring Willump will follow Nunu and be where he needs to be when you’re solving a puzzle and need his assistance. You even get tons of moments where Nunu and Willump just enjoy each other’s company, such as impromptu snowball fights in which the two absolutely keep score of who’s ahead. It’s heartwarming alongside being impressively functional.

I wasn’t crazy about the combat in Song of Nunu only because, for the most part, it feels tacked on. You’ll end up in areas where frost wolves will attack and you’ll just batter them with Willump’s brutish might and Nunu’s assisting ice magic. It’s not hard, but it’s not all that exciting either. Most enemies can be dispatched in a quick combo before you use a cinematic finisher on them. There are some special encounters that are a bit spicier and fun, but this game is at its best when it’s making you think about how to traverse its strange and magical obstacles, not when you’re swatting away pesky beasts.

Friends in the Freljord

Song of Nunu is a heartwarming offering out of Riot Forge, despite being so frosty. It’s one of the few Riot Forge spinoffs I can recommend to all ages because of the genuinely whimsical friendship between Nunu and Willump, a boy and his legendary beast. I wish the presentation was smoother, and the developers found better ways to transition between gameplay and cutscenes. Moreover, it's not a long adventure. However, it’s still a solid entry in the Riot Forge universe and yet another example of how many interesting flavors League of Legends and the universe of Runeterra have to offer. If you’re looking for something both lighthearted and heartwarming, Song of Nunu will give you something to keep warm on a winter evening.

This review is based on a PC digital copy supplied by the publisher. Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story comes out on November 1, 2023 on PC and Nintendo Switch.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.