Artistic freedom was the credo of this year's Digital Days summit from Ubisoft, showcasing forthcoming games built on the publisher's UbiArt framework. Child of Light was the star title, a role-playing game with gorgeous inkwashed visuals creating a skewed, quasi-fairy tale aesthetic. As Aurora, a girl stolen away by the Queen of the Night, players are aided by a sprite named Igniculus as she battles her way home through a magical kingdom. Deliberately subverting "princess" tropes, the whimsical coming-of-age story is a huge departure for writer Jeffrey Yohalem – best known for Far Cry 3 – but the mix of exploration, Final Fantasy-style combat and pervasive charm should win gamers over come its 2014 release.

Similarly impressive was Valiant Hearts: The Great War, set during the first world war. This adventure game switches focus between four characters on either side of the conflict, linked by their experiences in the trenches and a bond with a military dog. This centennial release is likely to prove emotionally harrowing despite its vaguely comedic, cartoonish imagery.

Elsewhere, Rayman: Fiesta Run provides a welcome follow-up to last year's brilliant Jungle Run, while heavy hitter franchise Assassin's Creed gains an HD console release of PS Vita's Liberation, and the all-new AC: Pirates, spinning the ship-to-ship combat of ACIII into its own iPad game completes an impressive line up.