Somehow, though, Lost Ruins managed to evoke that same desire to move forward in me, despite the lack of focus on the story. Personally, I generally prefer when games have a bit more going on in the narrative department as it makes it easier for me to motivate myself to see the experience through to the end. That’s about the extent of the overarching mystery, although there are little bits of knowledge scattered around the area that add a little bit of flavor and context about what could be happening in this strange place. From there you are tasked with finding and eliminating the minions of the Dark Lady who supposedly runs the place. The game’s unnamed heroine is mysteriously transported to another world – with no memories of course – and is told by a mysterious creature called Beatrice that many others have been called to this strange place for her, but none have been able to escape. Lost Ruins does have a story to tell – although it mostly exists in the background and is little more than an impetus to explore and fight some bosses – at least until the very end.
It’s also a very high stakes game – this is a world with finite resources to keep you alive, so exploration is both necessary and very dangerous. But the more I played Lost Ruins, the more I came to appreciate the way it takes that classic game structure and fuses it with new ideas, namely a very deep and challenging combat system that allows for a surprising selection of options to dispatch enemies. There’s a good chance that players will notice a game like Lost Ruins and think to themselves, “That looks like something I’ve played before.” And that’s fair – there’s been no shortage of non-linear, side-scrolling action platformers with a pixel art aesthetic in recent years.
Inevitably I would stutter and reload at my last checkpoint, often frustrated with myself for being cornered or something – but each time I was eager to jump back into the challenging world of Lost Ruins to see more of the map and its many secrets to discover. My protagonist-a brave, slightly ignorant schoolgirl who had somehow transported herself to this strange land-was almost always a few missteps from horrific demise, whether through a hidden environmental trap or at the clutches of a fast moving zombie like beast.
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The more you understand the environment and how to use it to your advantage, the more dangerous you will become.As I navigated the dark, sprawling catacombs and trap-filled dungeons of Lost Ruins, I was always deftly aware of the stakes at stake. Ice magic will freeze bodies of water, making them dangerously cold. Flammable liquids will be set ablaze when in contact with lit lanterns. Elements within the world will react with other elements realistically. The right combination of accessories can create different strategic options for your adventure.Īs you explore the depths of Lost Ruin’s dimly lit dungeons, you will find that while everything around you might bring about your death, you can also use the environment around you to your advantage. One accessory might protect you against fire, while another might heal you when you’re poisoned.
Accessories are unique pieces of equipment with all manner of effects. The world of Lost Ruins is a dangerous one and being armed to the teeth with awesome weaponry is sometimes not enough.