Welcome to our review of Lacuna, a new SciFi Noir adventure that just hit the PlayStation 5.
Another cigarette tumbles into the abyss. The sun is slowly coming up, glistening in the sea of buildings below. I look up at the stars one last time before they disappear. They don’t provide any guidance. They don’t give a f*ck. I have to make this decision on my own, and very soon. Problem is, I don’t know-how. I’ve never been able to figure out why I do what I do. Not really.
No more time to think. I have to go.
Here’s the deal:
You are Neil Conrad, CDI agent. Awoken by the news of a murder, you rush into a case that will soon turn your life and the whole solar system upside down. Ask questions, collect evidence, and put the pieces together until the ugly truth reveals itself… or not.
The story branches and ends based on your actions. There’s no going back. Sure, you can rush your way to the end – if you don’t mind paying the price. Play your cards right, and you might make it out alive.
How far will you go? Some questions don’t have the right answer. Will you sell out a friend to protect your family? Will you endanger a loved one in exchange for public safety? Will you keep the peace or reveal the horrible, world-shattering truth?
Hungry for Point & Click Adventure? While the classics were great in their time, Lacuna does away with the baggage of many adventure game tropes:
– Pointing & clicking Platformer movement controls (WASD / controller)
– Selecting all dialog options one by one anyway Non-repeating conversations and choices
– Inventory management and counter-intuitive puzzles Immersive, story-driven mysteries
– Pixel hunting Optional outlines on anything interactable
– Story grinds to a halt at every puzzle can always be driven forward
– “x will remember this” Real choices and multiple endings
In Lacuna, there is a ton of reading and a minor part is voice acted. That is probably why I never really got into this game, mind you that I do not dislike reading, on the contrary even, but it was just a little much and with the initial lack of guidance, it just became more of a drag to play rather than something I enjoyed.
I know it sucks to read this when you are looking to buy this game, but from my point of view, you are left on your own and while this genre does deserve better, I just could not get into it. This feeling was present right from the beginning. You are just unaware of where to go and while there is only one way to get there, you do eventually end up at your destination.
This is a very repetitive issue in this game, not every time all the people are running right to escape impending doom so you can just follow them, right?
In conclusion, I am sure for the right person this will be a nice game, but I just felt helpless playing it. It was a bore rather than an adventure…
