When a game is successful, it is normal for it to produce a certain number of clones, which try to exploit the formula to attract the same potential audience. Be that as it may, in some cases the source of inspiration is so obvious that the operation becomes almost shameless, as we will see in the Lonely Ruin Review, which looks at Hades without even remotely reaching the quality of Supergiant Games' game.
combat
Lone Ruin is a very easy title to describe. Once the game has started we have to choose the first one. magic spell with which to face the levels, essentially our bullets. In each stage we will have to do the same: kill all the waves of enemies, whose number is indicated by a bar of icons clearly visible on the screen, using our powers and dodging their attacks by sprinting. The creatures that we will encounter are of various types and are differentiated above all by their attack patterns. It must be said that a single enemy is not very dangerous, but things change when you face a multitude of adversaries, each with their own powers, which transform the screen into a controlled chaos in which we are called to get out of trouble. , while reducing the number of attackers. Once the massacre is over, you get a reward, and then you choose which one will be for the next stage, between the two available.
The only significant variations are the presence of shops, areas where you spend accumulated money killing enemies, and stages with more rewards, in which the waves are more numerous, more difficult and the creatures involved are stronger. Once you have passed a certain number of stages you will have to face boss on guard (three in total), like a giant tree (the first one, we won't tell you about the others because in fact they are one of the few surprises you will encounter while playing), which as you can imagine has unique characteristics and particularly dangerous attack patterns , which draw heavily from the world of bullet hell. Once the beast is dead, you will be able to access the next level. Please note that choosing rewards does not change the stages, which are still simple arenas, without anything interactive. There are stairs, hallways, chasms that you have to avoid falling into, but in general they are very small and don't offer much variety.
Spells
In short, Lone Ruin is pure combat system, in the sense that other than strengthening yourself with new active or passive spells, there really is nothing else. Even narratively speaking there is nothing. The protagonist is a sorceress who wants to reach the center of the ruins of an ancient city to discover what has corrupted it. Spot. If we look at it more closely, this is just an excuse to exploit the mechanics of the twin stick shooter, which as we have said and as you may have understood looks a lot towards Hades. So each spell works differently from the others, to the point that it profoundly changes the style of play to adopt. There are chain lightning that allows you to take a more conservative tactic, or the classic fireballs that require a more direct approach. There is the scythe that only allows short-range attacks and favors greater agility, or there are synchronized shots that allow greater tactics in relation to the scenarios. Additionally, during the games you can collect other spells, which create quite layered constructs, even if you never reach the level of what you can get from the son of the king of the underworld.
Their battles are not bad and they even manage to thrill, especially when they start to become more challenging. It's a shame that everything is very short-lived and the system itself is too limited even over short distances. By the way, Lone Ruin ends in an instant. It took us less than three hours to reach the end of the ruins and defeat the last boss, so long that we couldn't even believe it. Of course, you have the option to play again. difficulty further up and there is the Survival mode, which allows you to play as long as you manage to stay alive and is linked to online points competitions, but the motivations to repeat the experience are very few, apart from an excessive passion for the game's formula. .
An end in itself
Lo graphic style In itself it is not bad, at least at first glance, consisting of dark areas with a color palette that fades towards ethereal colors (light blue, violet), between mists that surround the environment and contours of well-highlighted objects. that will form a cohesive whole, always guaranteeing very high readability. The problem is that, lacking a strong mythology to back it all up, the maps don't have much to say and are limited to dark, procedurally generated battlefields where you can slaughter very generic enemies. In short, we are a character who descends into the depths of the ruins of a city to eliminate the evil that corrupted it a thousand years before, but where is this city? Why do we care so much? Didn't we have anything else to do to pass the time?
Well, perhaps the main problem with Lone Ruin is that it focuses so much on its mechanics that it has forgotten about everything else, even giving them a motivation that is not their mere existence. The result is so functional almost amazed at how quickly you forget it, almost as if you had assembled an Ikea piece of furniture instead of playing. As a light experience it might be fine, but considering there's Hades out there, who outclasses him in everything, and the world is full of roguelikes, we really don't see any reason why you should go down to these ruins.
Conclusions
Tested version PC with Windows digital delivery Steam Price 12,49 € Holygamerz.com 6.0 Readers (5) 7.6 your voteLone Ruin is a minor Hades, who in his desire to focus only on combat proves to be breathless. He is not unpleasant, but superfluous, in the sense that, despite doing what he does well, we do not find a single element that stands out or attracts attention. He has a good variety of spells, the fights become especially frenetic, especially after the first boss, but he has such weak premises that it penalizes his replayability, his supposed strong point. He's not bad to play, but he doesn't really leave anything out.
PRO
- The fights are frenetic at just the right point.
- I boss
AGAINST
- Very limited game structure.
- No featured items
- Very weak in accessory elements.
