Lorena and the Land of Ruins - Game Review

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Veteran Game

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Published on May 29, 2023 5:00:15 AM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZP_TuOEuC-s

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Review

Duration: 3:48

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Lorena and the Land of Ruins - Game Review

Hey there, gaming veterans! Welcome back to another episode on our "Veteran Game" channel. Today we have on the docket a game that takes "cute girls doing uncharacteristically dangerous things" to a new level. So buckle up as we dive into our review of "Lorena and the Land of Ruins".

Our protagonist, Lorena Lumiere, is a young treasure hunter on a mission. The premise sets a thrilling stage as Lorena embarks on a fast-paced, treasure-hunting journey through dangerous ruins to earn enough to cure her little sister's deadly disease. What's fascinating about this world is the bizarre presence of machinery from our world--tanks, planes, guns--adding a touch of mystery to the adventurous backdrop.

"Lorena and the Land of Ruins" is essentially a third-person shooting game with platforming elements, drawing inspiration from games like "Gears of War" and "Resident Evil". You'll blaze through levels, gun down enemies, gather loot, solve light puzzles, and engage in sporadic platforming.

But despite this promising outline, the game disappointingly falls short on execution. The core issue lies in the lack of polish, causing the overall gameplay to feel far from engaging. Combat lacks weight and responsiveness, while differences between weapons remain purely statistical rather than experiential. The enemies' defeat seems more effortless than challenging, diluting the thrill of strategic weapon selection.

The game's parrying mechanic adds a touch of novelty to the shooting aspect, where you can deflect enemies' energy bolts. However, these moments are too infrequent to significantly improve the gameplay.

Sadly, the platforming and puzzle-solving components also leave much to be desired. Puzzles rarely progress beyond simple "shoot and open" mechanisms, and platforming is reduced to basic jumps across chasms. These elements feel disconnected from the core gunplay and fail to evolve throughout the game.

"Lorena and the Land of Ruins" implements a speedrunning and score attack system, where your performance is ranked based on clear time, defeated enemies, retries, and shot accuracy. But this system is undermined by the game's various issues and the fact that changing the difficulty level doesn't impact the score requirements.

The "Moe" aesthetic--rendering characters endearingly cute--doesn't fare well either. Lorena's animations feel off, and her interactions with the environment lack a sense of realism. Other character models and environments are plagued by a similar lack of detail, character, or cohesion, severely tarnishing the overall visual experience.

To its credit, the game does offer decent music. The battle themes, although repetitive, inject a dose of thrill, and the lighter, more melodic pieces help elevate the mood where the graphics let it down.

All things considered, "Lorena and the Land of Ruins" is a game that struggles to hit its mark. It promises an exciting fusion of shooting, platforming, and charming aesthetics but falters in its execution. With poor gunplay, uninspiring platforming, and visuals that leave much to be desired, the game is a disappointment, salvaged only mildly by its speedrunning element.

In the end, our treasure-hunting heroine, Lorena, may be embarking on a thrilling quest, but the real journey--the gameplay--is fraught with issues that make this treasure seem more like a dud.

And that's our take on "Lorena and the Land of Ruins", veterans! Remember, it's all just a part of the game. Share your thoughts in the comments below if you've had the chance to play this game. Stay tuned for more reviews, and as always, keep enjoying the game of life!