Recent reviews by joshskateboarding

Going to give an updated review after 100%, but I figured I'd drop one after 10 hours just for the people who may be stumbling upon the game for the first time. I've been following this game since the launch of the demo, where I put about 30 hours into speedrunning the first level. I had so much fun with the mechanics of the game and had a blast interacting with the community on discord and seeing updates and progress being made. This is a game made by 1 passionate developer who has done virtually everything on his own, which I believe is something to be commended in itself. But enough with the preamble, let me talk about the game.

Lorn's Lure takes place in a Blame! inspired megalophobic planet. Vast concrete towers and old machinery populate the eerily quiet levels. Most of everything seems abandoned, if not thousands of years old. The atmosphere of the game is excellent; calm and meditative, but also foreboding and dark. The main mechanic of the game is climbing with the picks. I would compare it to something like Breath of the Wild where you can climb as high as your stamina will allow. Climbing in the game feels really good; almost any time you see a massive structure, you can probably climb it if you're clever enough with your stamina management. There is a serious sense of verticality that is sorely lacking in most games. The checkpoint system is also pretty good too, so you very rarely will lose any significant amount of progress if you want to try a different route. Do you know that feeling in old video games where you used to go out of bounds and get on top of things you weren't meant to see? This game really gives off those kinds of vibes, in a really cool way. The upgrades you get along the way also really expand your movement and capabilities, but I won't go too much into detail about them for spoilers sake. Just know almost every time you get an upgrade it vastly changes how you can move around and what you can traverse.

This is a really interesting exploration based title with a sense of scale you don't normally see, and I think its a breath of fresh air in an industry full of copycat games. It's also the closest thing to a Blame! video game we're ever going to get. The inspirations are clear but not rip-offs, and there's really no major complaints that I have so far. Very proud of Rubeki for finally releasing his game to the world, and hopefully you will enjoy it too!

UPDATE AFTER 100%:
Wow, running the game on NG+ with all of your new abilities is awesome. It totally changes the feel and potential pathways of the levels making them feel totally new. I had fun looking for crystals and getting scans, but something I found consistently happening was being able to find every single crystal but one that I just could not seem to find without a guide. One major plus of the game - the gargantuan level design - kind of becomes a detriment when you realize you've been looking for hours in the wrong places, but this is a pretty minor gripe for an optional task you can complete for achievement related stuff. Some of the simulation runs are absolutely brutal to complete, and the crystal run achievement was a serious test in my platforming skills, so if you're going in looking for a 100%, be prepared for a challenge.

Overall, I would rate this game an 8 or 9 out of 10, I had a lot of fun with it and am looking forward to any future updates. I always have a massive amount of respect for solo developers so that will definitely influence my rating. You will enjoy your time playing this game, and have a great time exploring the massive megastructure. Thanks to Rubeki for following through on this passion project of his and actually releasing a complete game with no strings attached. I highly recommend it!

Super cute rhythm game with a moe/bishojou artstyle. I've added a lot of songs from this to my everyday playlist. The difficulty options give you a lot of room to take the game at your own pace and since the songs are usually only a minute or so having to try again never feels punishing. I also like the gallery aspect of the game, I wish more developers still put unlockable art in their games.

nothing like hearing your teammates screams coming to an abrupt stop

Surf on the ground like a Rick Dom / Armored Trooper VOTOMS ✓
Jetpacks ✓
Insanely large scale boss fights ✓
Extremely satisfying missile barrage dodges ✓
Black Ops 1 style emblem editor ✓
Fromsoftware levels of customization and combat options ✓
Weathering options on customization?! ✓
MECHS ✓

what more are you looking for?

Great physics engine. Realistic and gritty-feeling traction, but arcade-y-feeling flips and tricks. Great drum and bass soundtrack to hype you up. Similar to titles like Skate or Steep. Very relaxing but also very tense at times. The high speeds in this game feel amazing and drifting down steep snowy cliffs is so much fun. Lots and lots of stuff to do for completionists/achievement hunters. I'd give it a 9/10. Absolutely worth every penny!

Very focused FPS with slow-mo mechanics and tons of overpowered weapons. Fun to grind to 100%

8.5 hrs in on launch day

THE GOOD: Graphics are lovely, game is totally playable solo, but a lot more enjoyable co-op. Took me around 47 mins to beat the first trial solo and maybe 15-20 with other players. Hosting/joining random lobbies is very easy and quick, I never waited more than 15 seconds to find a group of 3 other players to play with. The game incorporates a lot of cool puzzles for co-op play that makes sticking together rewarding. Everyone I played with was super friendly and constantly saving each other, dropping each other items when needed, distracting enemies, and reviving one another. There's a really good 'ping' system to alert other players of enemies and item pickups. Speaking of which, you can now pick up certain objects in your inventory of 4 slots, including healing items, lockpicks, throwable weapons, etc. You still can't kill any baddies in true Outlast fashion, but you can delay them long enough to escape. There's also a new 'backpack' system you bring into the trials with a refreshable consumable, some of them have distraction devices but I think everyone will stick to the healing one as a brick would do about the same as the others. Still lots of graphic violence and weiners everywhere, so I don't think anything got censored. There's a new store feature where you can buy things with the currency you receive from completing trials. I really like being able to change the cosmetics of your character, and the room customization is cool too, but I don't think anyone will ever have a reason to go to your room. After playing almost 9 hours I feel like I barely scratched the surface for what's on offer here so I'd say you're safe dropping the full $30.

THE BAD: Long load times occasionally, got stuck in multiple infinite loading loops and had ALT+TAB out a few times to restart the game. Got booted out of like 2 games due to connection issues which can really suck as some of the Trials can take a LONG time. Lost many good men in some of the Trials I was in and it wasn't to Outlast goons. There's a quick communication's tab where you can say phrases like 'hello' 'danger' 'follow me' etc., but I think a cool store feature would be adding more lines you can swap out as the current options are pretty limiting. I'd love to be able to say things like 'GG (GT?), I'll distract them, run!' etc. I completed numerous Trials tonight but the only one that's marked as checked off is the first, not sure if that's a bug. The performance was pretty iffy on my end, but my PC is starting to show it's age (1070ti, i5) so that's to be expected. Some areas run buttery smooth but others are incredibly choppy, making some deaths feel cheap. There's a new sanity bar that fills up really quickly and when it hits its peak there is an invulnerable ghost that constantly spawns near you and drains your HP really quick...not too sure how I feel about that yet. No Steam achievements? Hopefully added in a patch soon.

Overall I'd give it a 7-8 in the state it's in on launch. Really good for a PC launch in 2023 and has a lot of potential. With the grading system and stuff to buy with earnable currency I can definitely see this being more replayable than the previous titles. With some server fixes and patches I could see this being a 9-10/10.

*edit at about 50 hours*

So I've pretty much unlocked everything there is to unlock during early access, and I've had a lot of fun doing it. The gameplay loop is really solid and enjoyable enough to repeat, but I think there are some things that could bring this game from early access to masterpiece. A truly offline mode should be incorporated eventually, if it stays purely online then when the servers go down this game will be gone. I really wish there were a 2x multiplier for rewards or something similar for completing trials solo, it would incentivize players to try it a lot more. A steam workshop addition would add infinite replayability to this game. I hope more contraband and prescription upgrades becomes available in the future. Steam achievements are a necessity. Speedrun challenges for levels could add a whole new layer how levels are played. When you hit around lvl 30-40 currently you run out of new stuff to unlock, so some good ideas for new unlockables would be emotes, voice lines, shoes, songs for your room radio, etc. I'm still having a blast with the game but starting to hit a content wall at about 50 hours. Might take a break soon until the next big update. Great work Red Barrels!

free achievements and nice music, nothing to complain about here :)

Short but fun FPS set in an tonal fruit salad of a universe. You'll be fighting dudes in exosuits one second and aztec warriors the next. I could definitely see this being an asset flip kind of project but the gameplay is actually pretty fun. All of the guns feel interesting and unique and the skills you unlock throughout the game really open up the combo possibilities. There are only like 6 or so levels that are all extremely linear, but the fun of the game is mastering the systems and then going back through levels that were hard originally but are now a breeze. If I could sum this game up with an equation, it would be Bayonetta + Titanfall + Doom + COD campaign = Bright Memory: Infinite. Got it for free for purchasing the original BM and got 8.5 hours out of completing it. Don't go in expecting a life changing story, but more of an arcade-y shooter with combo elements. Aside from some of the grind-y achievements, I would totally recommend this game to anyone!

I find your lack of faith in the Omnissiah disturbing...