Niko and the Sword of Light is an interesting amalgam, trying to balance some good storytelling and a unique fantasy world with the censorship and simplicity of children's programming. To be clear, this is very much a children's program, with on-the-nose dialogue, simple character motivation, and easy-to-understand message themes. Nevertheless, show is able to distinguish itself by being well-paced and engaging.
The animation is also hard to pin down, as sometimes it looks like some low-budget direct-to-video stiff animation, while other times it suddenly jumps into unique, flowing, and exciting action.
The setup is surprisingly similar to Samurai Jack - a 'shape- shifting master of darkness' is challenged by a pure-hearted hero with a magic sword. This show gets points for having a plot, though. The backstory of the villain and of princess Lyra are both fleshed out a little more than Samurai Jack, but that's not saying a whole lot.
All in all, a unique and engaging children's cartoon.
The animation is also hard to pin down, as sometimes it looks like some low-budget direct-to-video stiff animation, while other times it suddenly jumps into unique, flowing, and exciting action.
The setup is surprisingly similar to Samurai Jack - a 'shape- shifting master of darkness' is challenged by a pure-hearted hero with a magic sword. This show gets points for having a plot, though. The backstory of the villain and of princess Lyra are both fleshed out a little more than Samurai Jack, but that's not saying a whole lot.
All in all, a unique and engaging children's cartoon.