Lacuna:
Das Spiel hat unverschämte Ladezeiten.
Kommen aber zum Glück sehr selten vor.
Es sieht auch nicht gut aus.
Pixelgrafik wird grundsätzlich als "Total schön" bezeichnet, aber ich konnte das nie nachvollziehen.
Gameplay gibt es quasi nicht.
Und dennoch hat das Spiel mit absolut mickrigen Mitteln Atmosphäre geschaffen!
Ein richtig guter Synchronsprecher, der in der Ich Perspektive über das Geschehen spricht und einen direkt abholt.
Ein Soundtrack, der nicht nur gut klingt, sondern auch effektvoll eingesetzt wird.
Damit meine ich nicht, dass er laut ist, wenn die Post abgeht und leise, wenn sie es nicht tut.
Hier wird mit dem Soundtrack gespielt.
Auch muss man nie ewig laufen, damit die Spielzeit gestreckt wird. Fahrstuhlfahrten werden meist mit einem inneren Monolog begleitet. Hier wirkt nichts verschenkt.
Die Texte sind nicht überragend, aber so viel besser als der miese Durchschnitt aller Videospiele.
Das führt dazu, dass man nicht anfängt Texte wegzuklicken. (Zumindest nicht absichtlich.. ich werde alt)
Man ist gespannt, was als nächstes passiert.
So viele Spiele bezeichnen sich als "narrativ" und bekommen genau das nicht hin, weil das Gebrabbel so irrelevant und langweilig ist, dass man es nicht lesen will.
Und all diese Dinge kosten in der Entwicklung weniger als eine leere tote Openworld, die kein Mensch haben will.
Ähnlich (wenn auch nicht ganz so gut) wie To the Moon ein Beispiel, wie man mit wenigen Mitteln und viel Liebe ein schönes kleines Abenteuer erschafft.
Entscheidungen wirken (und sind auch) wichtig.
Ich glaube ich habe zuletzt bei Heavy Rain so sehr über eine Entscheidung gegrübelt.
Ein kleiner Kritikpunkt ist, dass man schnell Dinge verpassen kann. Mal für 2 Minuten nicht nach Emails geschaut und schon hat man ein Gespräch verpasst.
Die "Fälle" sind alle lösbar. Das weiß ich, weil ich es doch tatsächlich hinbekommen habe. Und sowas passiert in solchen Spielen nie.
Zudem geht das Spiel nicht ewig.
Es macht für einige Stunden Freude und solange geht es auch. Keine künstliche Streckung. 100% Spaß, klare Empfehlung!
Das Spiel hat unverschämte Ladezeiten.
Kommen aber zum Glück sehr selten vor.
Es sieht auch nicht gut aus.
Pixelgrafik wird grundsätzlich als "Total schön" bezeichnet, aber ich konnte das nie nachvollziehen.
Gameplay gibt es quasi nicht.
Und dennoch hat das Spiel mit absolut mickrigen Mitteln Atmosphäre geschaffen!
Ein richtig guter Synchronsprecher, der in der Ich Perspektive über das Geschehen spricht und einen direkt abholt.
Ein Soundtrack, der nicht nur gut klingt, sondern auch effektvoll eingesetzt wird.
Damit meine ich nicht, dass er laut ist, wenn die Post abgeht und leise, wenn sie es nicht tut.
Hier wird mit dem Soundtrack gespielt.
Auch muss man nie ewig laufen, damit die Spielzeit gestreckt wird. Fahrstuhlfahrten werden meist mit einem inneren Monolog begleitet. Hier wirkt nichts verschenkt.
Die Texte sind nicht überragend, aber so viel besser als der miese Durchschnitt aller Videospiele.
Das führt dazu, dass man nicht anfängt Texte wegzuklicken. (Zumindest nicht absichtlich.. ich werde alt)
Man ist gespannt, was als nächstes passiert.
So viele Spiele bezeichnen sich als "narrativ" und bekommen genau das nicht hin, weil das Gebrabbel so irrelevant und langweilig ist, dass man es nicht lesen will.
Und all diese Dinge kosten in der Entwicklung weniger als eine leere tote Openworld, die kein Mensch haben will.
Ähnlich (wenn auch nicht ganz so gut) wie To the Moon ein Beispiel, wie man mit wenigen Mitteln und viel Liebe ein schönes kleines Abenteuer erschafft.
Entscheidungen wirken (und sind auch) wichtig.
Ich glaube ich habe zuletzt bei Heavy Rain so sehr über eine Entscheidung gegrübelt.
Ein kleiner Kritikpunkt ist, dass man schnell Dinge verpassen kann. Mal für 2 Minuten nicht nach Emails geschaut und schon hat man ein Gespräch verpasst.
Die "Fälle" sind alle lösbar. Das weiß ich, weil ich es doch tatsächlich hinbekommen habe. Und sowas passiert in solchen Spielen nie.
Zudem geht das Spiel nicht ewig.
Es macht für einige Stunden Freude und solange geht es auch. Keine künstliche Streckung. 100% Spaß, klare Empfehlung!
Juegazo.
Ambiente y arte precioso y cautivador, acompañados de buena música y doblaje.
La narrativa está escrita con mucho cariño, tanto en la trama principal, que siempre mantiene la intriga, como en todas las pequeñas sub-tramas, donde se tratan cuestiones muy humanas. Buenos personajes, muy bien desarrollados individualmente y que logran ser rememorados por el buen guión.
El gameplay es muy básico y no se necesita más para el tipo de juego, queda en un plano secundario, sin ser esto algo negativo.
Un juego corto, fluido y conciso. Un estudio muy pequeño y un gran juego.
Ambiente y arte precioso y cautivador, acompañados de buena música y doblaje.
La narrativa está escrita con mucho cariño, tanto en la trama principal, que siempre mantiene la intriga, como en todas las pequeñas sub-tramas, donde se tratan cuestiones muy humanas. Buenos personajes, muy bien desarrollados individualmente y que logran ser rememorados por el buen guión.
El gameplay es muy básico y no se necesita más para el tipo de juego, queda en un plano secundario, sin ser esto algo negativo.
Un juego corto, fluido y conciso. Un estudio muy pequeño y un gran juego.
Nice small detective game, three interwoven cases. Not too hard, but I did miss some clues so also not impossible to make mistakes. Immediately made me interested in what else this developer will release.
A noir/sci-fi/point-and-click game hits so many of my favorite genres. Good story, good puzzles, satisfying ending.
This was pretty good. Despite its short length, Lacuna created an intriguing world with a surprising amount of depth and crafted a good detective noir story that allowed you to make decisions that altered the outcome of it. The art and music are also pretty good and help the setting feel much more authentic. I'd say it's worth checking out if you can catch it on a sale.
Youtube videogame reviewer voice It actually makes you feel like a noir detective
The story got me glued on the screen. It's a investigation game, but nothing too complex or difficult. I strongly recommend this game if you like sci-fi cyberpunk noir (don't smoke)
Lacuna is a short game about being a detective.
The games environment and atmosphere is amazing, and the music is great. The gameplay is solid and so is the story. It's worth the full price.
The games environment and atmosphere is amazing, and the music is great. The gameplay is solid and so is the story. It's worth the full price.
Неожиданно круто. Выдержана атмосфера такого рассказа классической научной фантастики и детектива, азимовщина одним словом. При этом игра также серьезно детективна по геймплею(что не так часто нынче происходит). Точно буду играть следующую игру этих разрабов - Between Horizons.
Well-written cyberpunk noir. Good atmosphere. Gameplay is basic but fun enough.
Just wish there were manual saves for easier access to other endings because I rarely start over just to get other endings.
Just wish there were manual saves for easier access to other endings because I rarely start over just to get other endings.
I can save you the time of reading this review by saying one thing: there is only one thing truly "wrong" with Lacuna -- it's only a few hours long. While I love the #shortgame culture, this game made me want to spend hundreds of hours in it's realized world.
Now the real review:
Lacuna is a pixel noir detective game that was made by a humble team of developers that have created something that rivals most of the AAA titles in the genre.
The pixel art is absolutely stunning. I found myself marveling at the attention to detail. I wanted more areas to explore, more backgrounds to interact with, more chairs to just sit in and witness the world the team created.
The story is exactly what a noir game deserves - just enough intrigue and twists to keep you hooked while the character drama gives the world substance and detail. The world-building that this title does in a few short hours should make any writer blush. Each character feels multi-faceted and full of secrets of a life we will never get to see. There's also plenty of world-building hidden into the UI, with news articles and emails that are totally optional.
Speaking of the UI, it's equally exceptional and pleasing to work with. Everything about this experience is polished and comfortable.
If you enjoy the detective genre, then this is one for you. If you appreciate indie titles, then this is one you shouldn't sleep on. If you enjoy pixel art, then you could just look at this one and savor the artwork.
Oh wait - I thought of another thing that's wrong with Lacuna... nowhere near enough people have played it. Do yourself the favor and enjoy this pulp noir gem.
Now the real review:
Lacuna is a pixel noir detective game that was made by a humble team of developers that have created something that rivals most of the AAA titles in the genre.
The pixel art is absolutely stunning. I found myself marveling at the attention to detail. I wanted more areas to explore, more backgrounds to interact with, more chairs to just sit in and witness the world the team created.
The story is exactly what a noir game deserves - just enough intrigue and twists to keep you hooked while the character drama gives the world substance and detail. The world-building that this title does in a few short hours should make any writer blush. Each character feels multi-faceted and full of secrets of a life we will never get to see. There's also plenty of world-building hidden into the UI, with news articles and emails that are totally optional.
Speaking of the UI, it's equally exceptional and pleasing to work with. Everything about this experience is polished and comfortable.
If you enjoy the detective genre, then this is one for you. If you appreciate indie titles, then this is one you shouldn't sleep on. If you enjoy pixel art, then you could just look at this one and savor the artwork.
Oh wait - I thought of another thing that's wrong with Lacuna... nowhere near enough people have played it. Do yourself the favor and enjoy this pulp noir gem.
Sights & Sounds
- Lovingly crafted pixel art all around. The characters lack a bit of detail, but the backgrounds look pretty great
- The music is quite good in that laid back somewhat lo-fi way. Lots of muted synth with pronounced piano and percussion
- The only real knock on the music is the final song, a vocal track. The vocals are meh and the lyrics are pretty terrible
- There isn't much voice acting, but the little bit that exists is fairly well-performed
Story & Vibes
- At this point, the cyberpunk noir mystery adventure game market is pretty saturated (weird to say for such a specific niche), so a game in that category needs a good hook to stand out. Lacuna does this by giving player decisions more story and gameplay impact
- It's hard to offer a plot synopsis without spoiling the mystery. Briefly, you're a special agent with hangups about your ex who is charged with protecting a political dissident leader who is visiting your planet. Things predictably turn south, and it's up to you to solve the mystery and try to ease the tensions that could boil over into interplanetary war
- As you might expect, there's multiple possible endings. Your adeptness as mystery solving and dialogue choices can be very important in determining which one you get
- Overall, it's a pretty good mystery. Lots of intrigue and twists to the narrative to keep you guessing. The romantic/family subplot (should you choose to pursue it) feels a little throwaway, though
Playability & Replayability
- If you've played any investigation and narrative focused adventure game in the past decade, this will feel immediately familiar to you. If you haven't, you walk around, talk to people, and look at things to gather info to help you further the game's central mystery and solve puzzles
- Narrative and gameplay are closely intertwined in a game like Lacuna. It's pretty cool how your choices and mistakes affect things like puzzle solutions. The game will actually punish you for making the wrong choices by making future puzzles more difficult or removing some of your options
- Given the multiple endings, there's probably some replay value in here for completionists. My only gripe is that there's an achievement for seeing them all, which is a tough sell in a mystery game where you already know what's going to happen
Overall Impressions & Performance
- Lacuna does a lot of things well. The story is a pretty motivating mystery that kept me interested and invested. The fact that there were actual consequences (positive or negative) to your choices and actions was also great
- It also does some things pretty poorly. The great mystery (even if you get what is presumably the good ending) ends in a somewhat unsatisfying manner. All the loose ends are tied up, but not in any interesting way. Even the good ending for the subplot involving your ex-wife and kid is kinda understated in such a way that it doesn't emotionally register at all. After you get let down by the game's mediocre conclusion, you're then serenaded by the worst ending credits song I've heard in a long time
- It ran well on Steam Deck, at least
Final Verdict
- 7/10. Playing this game is like eating a delicious, satisfying meal, putting the last bite in your mouth, and finding a bug in it. It was a wonderful experience that unfortunately doesn't stick the landing
- Lovingly crafted pixel art all around. The characters lack a bit of detail, but the backgrounds look pretty great
- The music is quite good in that laid back somewhat lo-fi way. Lots of muted synth with pronounced piano and percussion
- The only real knock on the music is the final song, a vocal track. The vocals are meh and the lyrics are pretty terrible
- There isn't much voice acting, but the little bit that exists is fairly well-performed
Story & Vibes
- At this point, the cyberpunk noir mystery adventure game market is pretty saturated (weird to say for such a specific niche), so a game in that category needs a good hook to stand out. Lacuna does this by giving player decisions more story and gameplay impact
- It's hard to offer a plot synopsis without spoiling the mystery. Briefly, you're a special agent with hangups about your ex who is charged with protecting a political dissident leader who is visiting your planet. Things predictably turn south, and it's up to you to solve the mystery and try to ease the tensions that could boil over into interplanetary war
- As you might expect, there's multiple possible endings. Your adeptness as mystery solving and dialogue choices can be very important in determining which one you get
- Overall, it's a pretty good mystery. Lots of intrigue and twists to the narrative to keep you guessing. The romantic/family subplot (should you choose to pursue it) feels a little throwaway, though
Playability & Replayability
- If you've played any investigation and narrative focused adventure game in the past decade, this will feel immediately familiar to you. If you haven't, you walk around, talk to people, and look at things to gather info to help you further the game's central mystery and solve puzzles
- Narrative and gameplay are closely intertwined in a game like Lacuna. It's pretty cool how your choices and mistakes affect things like puzzle solutions. The game will actually punish you for making the wrong choices by making future puzzles more difficult or removing some of your options
- Given the multiple endings, there's probably some replay value in here for completionists. My only gripe is that there's an achievement for seeing them all, which is a tough sell in a mystery game where you already know what's going to happen
Overall Impressions & Performance
- Lacuna does a lot of things well. The story is a pretty motivating mystery that kept me interested and invested. The fact that there were actual consequences (positive or negative) to your choices and actions was also great
- It also does some things pretty poorly. The great mystery (even if you get what is presumably the good ending) ends in a somewhat unsatisfying manner. All the loose ends are tied up, but not in any interesting way. Even the good ending for the subplot involving your ex-wife and kid is kinda understated in such a way that it doesn't emotionally register at all. After you get let down by the game's mediocre conclusion, you're then serenaded by the worst ending credits song I've heard in a long time
- It ran well on Steam Deck, at least
Final Verdict
- 7/10. Playing this game is like eating a delicious, satisfying meal, putting the last bite in your mouth, and finding a bug in it. It was a wonderful experience that unfortunately doesn't stick the landing
Aventura narrativa lineal con toma de decisiones y distintos desenlaces. Lacuna nos cuenta -a través de su ambientación sci-fi noir- una historia inmersiva (y corta) sobre un asesinato y los intereses ocultos tras este. Me ha gustado mucho 👍🏻
The game really shines in its presentation. The pixel art is beautiful but the star is the attention to detail, the post processing, the music and sound effects… Besides that, it’s just okay. The story was a bit dull and predictable, and none of the characters particularly grabbed me. Still, it’s a decent mood piece with a lot of cool details poured into it. (I found the controls weird, requiring keyboard for movement and interaction — I understand what they were going for but I would’ve preferred to play it mouse only)
This game oozes atmosphere and that is the biggest selling point here. The pixel art, the lighting, the music, the noir vibes, it really soaks you in if you're into that kind of theme. The game is a short, narrative-driven game where you play as the detective and have to solve a big case. You can make decisions that change the ending. The story is nothing mindblowing but it is pretty good.
Es muy novela típica de detectives con sus monólogos internos, "prostitutas", tabaco, asuntos internos, gabardinas y toda la vaina. A una estética e historia bastante normalita incluye una forma de investigar que quizás no sea para todos. Tienes que completar informes con palabras clave, pero no siempre te lo ponen fácil ni dan segundas oportunidades. Mas te vale buscar en lo que te han dicho los personajes, los periódicos, las pistas que hayas encontrado... y crear tu mismo una posible lógica tras que puede haber pasado en este caso.
Si esa mecánica de investigación no te entra y estas harto del Detective tipiquísimo, quizás no sea para ti. Si no, puede ser interesante.
Si esa mecánica de investigación no te entra y estas harto del Detective tipiquísimo, quizás no sea para ti. Si no, puede ser interesante.