Lucius Review
Lucius has an intriguing premise, but some not-so-original adventure-game flaws.
The Good
- Antihero Antichrist protagonist is a great concept
- Subtly creepy with splashes of serious gore during the murders
- Very challenging, with a lot of exploration needed to solve the murder puzzles.
The Bad
- Kills are all linear
- Puzzles involve pixel hunts through a huge, heavily detailed mansion
- Needs more overt black humor to offset the grim nature of the storyline
- Very long load times.
It ain't easy being the Antichrist. In adventure/puzzle game Lucius, you experience the trials and tribulations of being the firstborn son of the big red guy with the horns. As you might expect given the young lad's pedigree, when he suffers growing pains, they involve a sizable body count. Lucifer is a demanding daddy, who wants souls in exchange for building the tyke up with telekinetic powers. All this contributes to a grim but promising setting where your only goal is to figure out how to murder the folks on the devil's hit list. Unfortunately, this darkly innovative premise is not implemented well, due to a reliance on pixel hunts, and you're dropped onto the scene with just pop's orders to start killing.
The entire game has been liberally borrowed from the Omen series of horror films (so liberally that you wonder if lawyers are being put on retainer at this very moment). You take on the role of the title character, Lucius, who gets a visit from his infernal real father on the occasion of his sixth birthday on June 6, 1972 (which, of course, means that he was born on the auspicious date of 6/6/66). Daddy stops in to give the pale-faced, lank-haired little ghoul both gifts and marching orders. He has big plans for Lucius, and these can best be realized by the murder of, well, pretty much everybody who lives and works in the huge family home called Dante Manor.
You start off by simply locking a maid in the walk-in kitchen freezer, and then graduate to inventive slaughters such as cutting a butcher's head in half. If you're familiar at all with the decapitations and vivisections that made the first two Omen movies so striking back in the '70s, you'll know exactly what sort of Grand Guignol atmosphere that developer Shiver Games is going for here. Most of the game is creepy and understated, with Lucius haunting the halls of the old mansion, sometimes with just a flashlight to guide his way. A barely there B-movie script and mechanical voice acting make it tough to take the story seriously, but the kills make a real impression as they splash onto the screen with showers of blood and body parts. The game strikes a good balance between chills and gore that any fan of horror movies will appreciate.
It's not as if Lucius is just an average, everyday six-year-old serial killer, either. He possesses a range of supernatural powers courtesy of dear old dad. These get more powerful with every murder, so while you start with the basic telekinetic ability to toss around objects and turn on machinery (bad luck for that butcher mentioned above), you are soon enough launching fireballs. At the same time, Lucius is just a kid to his parents and the household staff. You might be plotting gruesome murders, but you still have to brush your teeth and clean up your room so mommy and daddy can see that you're a good boy (the one bit of effective black comedy in a game that is otherwise gloomy). Rewards for being so well behaved include such treats as a Ouija board that dispenses hints, though it's not clear how mom and dad got their hands on such trinkets.
Aspects of the gameplay are more off-kilter in reality than they seem when laid out on paper. The biggest problem is a lack of information. You're essentially greeted with the devil's instructions to start killing people right when the game begins, and are left to suss out how to go about doing this on your own. Tips are given about various special skills, like telekinesis, but the core aspects of the game are not explained well. And they really should be, because this is a unique experience that blends the murder-sim attitude of games like Hitman and Manhunt with point-and-click adventure tropes. Lucius can't just creep up on his kills. Instead, he needs to explore the mansion to load up his inventory with various items necessary to set victims up and finish them off. Lucius also has to sneak around. Getting spotted doing something odd by mom or any of the other characters that patrol the mansion results in instantly failing your assignment. This process makes sense when clearly laid out, but unfortunately, the developers didn't include tutorial killings to help you get a clear picture of your task.
51 comments
I think it looks really fantastic. The game looks so thick with atmosphere yet so fresh at the same time.
Still going to wait for a sale to pick it up though, to iron out the inconsistencies more than anything.
Why people would pay more to play from start to finish an inferior game is beyond me...
1 Like I think the lack of instruccions is not a problem at all. Today gamers like to be instructed to walk, to access the menu, my god, can´t they figure it out for themselfs as the gamers of old??
I never thought I would say that...'cause I was waiting for soooo long to have his game but it's... kind of boring... very linear indeed. I think it looks good, specially when you think that's an indie game. Even when I'm not 100% happy with it, I must admit that the concept it's very original... adventure games are not the kind of games in which you get the chance of being the bad guy very often
"Kills are all linear"
Well that's unfortunate. Kills the whole thing as far as I'm concerned. Oh well, Hitman's out soon.
@McStrongfast "linear" as in it is the same process leading up to the kill, not the same kill... the kills themselves are very creative and varied.
6 Like I think the reviewer is missing the point of the game. It's a modern adventure game, the murders or 'chapters' are basically puzzles, albeit in a unique and different real-time format. Lucius is not a 3rd person stealth action experience with gameplay a la Hitman. Saying that the game is linear is kind of a mute point; all adventure games tend to have one solution to any given puzzle.
That said, I agree with the reviewer (and other commenters) that I felt like I was just deposited at the start of the level with the only hint about what to do was a waypoint on the map to my next victim and the pun-based chapter title. I found myself running around the massive mansion aimlessly, and I gave up and uninstalled after being clueless at around chapter 5.
The game could've benefited from the occasional gentle nudge in the right direction, or perhaps unlocked parts of the mansion only when required. Shame really as the concept as a game was refreshingly different.
@e5115271 I don't think its a mute point. It ties in with that whole thing about having to run around clueless. Part of the reason why you're running around aimlessly is because the game is so linear surely. If you could improvise with the kills more then wouldn't it be more accessible?
1 Like @biggest_loser The way that you kill your victims are a catalyst for the narrative. Having a 'sandbox kill' style of gameplay would upset how the story unfolds from the point of view of the detective character.
It would also be extremely hard to balance gameplay-wise; Questions would be raised like 'How come I can't push this guy down the stairs with Psycokinesis yet I can move this book?', or 'Why can't I just set this guy on fire?'. It would be incredibly frustrating for the player to know the limits of what is possible.
In my opinion, the game needed some way to restrict or direct the player in each mission. This could've been achieved by having a more intuitive map that highlighted points of interest, camera directions, locking off unnecessary parts of the mansion, or even Daddy-o speaking to you telepathically.
It's not the fact that there isn't a choice of how to kill someone that makes the game frustratring; it's the fact you have the whole map available from the get-go, with no clue about where exactly to go or how to go about it.
@e5115271 I agree with you. Say the game is linear is kind of pointless in this genre.
This kind of game is in short demand. I miss those Phantasmagoria, Gabriel Knight.
Despite of the rest of your testimony been nothing encouraging, I'll check this game. I really love this adventures games.
"Needs more overt black humor to offset the grim nature of the storyline"...really now, Gamespot?
this game has been in development for like... forever. Gonna get it with the Steam halloween sale, the premise looks good enough to me
One of the best games i've ever played. I've beaten the game just in 1 day. What really bad in this game is the ending. Horrible ending ever. Some "puzzles" are hard but i recommend you to think what to do instead of just walking around. After a while, i started to think as a devil who only thinks about ways to kill people, of course just while in the game :D It worked a lot too :D
2 Like In the scenes between missions, where The Devil himself gives you instructions, if you point the flashlight at him, you'll see his shadow has horns.Sorry if this is any kind of spoiler, but it was fun to see this.
I was really looking forward to this game, but what a let down! I can overlook the very low budget feel, dated graphics and awkward camera controls, but the game is just really boring.
You don't really get much control over the character and perform all actions using just one button. Secondly, the game guides you by the hand every step of the way and tells you where to go and what to do.
Maybe it picks up further in, but I couldn't wait to turn it off.
1 Like @shanethewolf I thought the opposite. I think the flaw is the lack of any direction in the game. I spent a lot of time roaming around the mansion trying to figure out what to do next.I didn't think the game held your hand at all.
wait.. all kills are linear? I was expecting a Hitman: Blood Money system where you can kill everyone in whatever ways you think possible.
Damn, and I was hoping this game would get a good reception, although people shouldn't be bothered too much.
2 Like "Needs more overt black humor to offset the grim nature of the storyline" Cause that worked so well for The Last House On The Left -_-
Fun game but could have been way better. I agree that wandering around the mansion hunting items and trying to figure out what to do next can be tedious but overall I'm enjoying this game.
6 Like "Needs more overt black humor to offset the grim nature of the storyline"--- I completely disagree.
7 Like They need to make a Friday The 13th game where you can actually be Jason. Why aren't there more bad guy games? The whole "war hero/soldier/rebel" thing got boring a long time ago.
4 Like @thereal-15-cent You get to play the bad guys in most war games...the Americans. ;)
@thereal-15-cent I totally agree with you. But at the same time I am worried and afraid of what these games will do to kids' brains. I mean murdering and torturing IS really fun...but it is completely immoral don't you think?
1 Like @Kars @thereal-15-cent I've played Mortal Kombat, which is rated M, since I was 6-7 years old. I turned out quite fine. I mean I've been in the can a few times, but hey who hasn't?
@FiddleJohnny @Kars @thereal-15-cent Been there done that 2, though ive spent alot more time in holding then waiting for bail from a magistrate, (bloody hate weekends). than the big house once. But that was all before i had kids etc. and i can safely say it was in no way caused by gaming or movies. But the people I was around, and my immaturity. But we cant speak for every human soul out there, and how games affects them mentally.
Lol. I've actually been playing M rated games since I was a little kid too, but I've never been to jail.
It's up to parents to monitor what their kids play, and a good parent won't let a young kid play this game. As far as it being immoral, obviously murder and torture are immoral, but it's just a game. Here's how I see it:Playing a war game like CoD won't make you a hero in real life, right? So why would playing a game like this make you a villian in real life?
1 Like They would be banned in some places, for sure. But Saints Row has no redeeming value and it still sells millions. I think a game like that could be released in America without too much controversy. The movie industry can release immoral movies with no problem, so why can't the gaming industry?
@thereal-15-cent I am not supporting the other side. I want and would love games that put you in the shoes of a bad guy. I am just saying this is difficult to happen because of the "morality issue". Usually games that you get to play a bit of a bad attitude guy are getting polished by the fact that in the end you were doing a bigger good (even though you are trying to act bad).
I don't know. I just think the truly evil games that I imagine just can't exist. They would get banned worldwide immediately.
And about the kids thing... I played whatever I wanted and my parents are great! They just don't understand technology and didn't have the time to inspect me every minute of my childhood. And I believe a part of who I am now is because of the video games I've played. No, I don't believe a kid would become a murderer from just playing a game, but surely it would have an impact on his development.
1 Like Games with 'M' ratings usually aren't child-orientated, so why would you allow a kid access to a game like this anyway? Also, no sh** it's immoral.
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Game Emblems
The Good
The Bad
Good game, but too linear and with no replay value.rn---Contains some spoilers---
Lucius
Not Following
- Publisher(s): Lace Mamba Global
- Developer(s): Shiver Games
- Genre: Adventure
- Release:
Lucius Navigation
