If you have not heard of Lorn’s Lure, you are about to study one thing right this moment. One option to describe it’s one in every of 2024’s greatest indie video games. One other is to say it is this wonderful, considerably area of interest, experimental, and ominously stunning first-person platformer that takes place inside a mysterious megastructure. It even has a brand-new DLC with Lorn’s Lure: Parkour Map Pack.
The primary recreation is impressed by my favourite manga creator, Tsutomi Nihei, who’s a grasp of his craft. He places his structure background to unbelievable use and illustrates these haunting, gigantic buildings crammed with unfathomable secrets and techniques.
Whereas Lorn’s Lure already took some inspiration from Nihei, I used to be very intrigued to check out one explicit map on this assortment, referred to as “Blame.” It is the title of Nihei’s most well-known work, Blame!, so I knew this was going to be one thing particular to me. Moreover that, we’ve got 4 different maps with a central “parkour” theme which are positive to maintain your consideration for a great few hours.
With 5 totally different maps providing 5 totally different experiences, I will go in opposition to the grain and charge each degree by itself deserves with a handful of “mini-reviews” with their very own quantity rankings, then we’ll common these numbers up and see what we get for the entire bundle.
Lorn’s Lure: Parkour Map Pack – Blame
Blame is the closest we get to a further Lorn’s Lure chapter. It is roughly the identical size as a narrative chapter and focuses on exploration reasonably than velocity. Mechanically, gamers are given just some upgrades, so you do not have a double-jump or grapple at your disposal. This one is only concerning the vibes, and that is what made me fall in love with Lorn’s Lure within the first place.
Components from the Blame! manga are maybe extra overt right here than another chapter, with concrete, drab megastructures looming within the distance, main into areas with unknown know-how, pipes (Nihei loves to attract his intricate community of pipes, in any case), and castle-like buttresses and towers.
This could make a wonderful addition to the story of Lorn’s Lure have been it not part of the Lorn’s Lure: Parkour Map Pack. Whereas it is not probably the most tough or intense chapter, it does what Lorn’s Lure does greatest, instilling a way of awe on the sheer scale of the world in comparison with tiny ol’ you.
Ultimate Verdict: 9/10
Lorn’s Lure: Parkour Map Pack – Fall
Fall is a fast, intense expertise in Lorn’s Lure: Parkour Map Pack. You are descending an enormous pit, all the way in which to the underside. Lorn’s Lure mechanics dictate that falling too quick will lead to your demise as quickly as you hit the bottom, so the secret right here is to take a measured strategy.
You are outfitted with a grapple, so Fall turns into fairly an thrilling expertise while you’re capable of make the most of this instrument. The physics for the grapple are improbable, so you find yourself feeling like Spider-Man, making an attempt his greatest to not fall too exhausting whereas additionally dashing to the end to get a excessive rating.
This is among the shortest maps within the pack, however there is a respectable number of obstacles provided that it is a fully vertical map. It can be a bit difficult, even for somebody like me who likes to take issues protected, gradual, and regular.
Ultimate Verdict: 7.5/10
Lorn’s Lure: Parkour Map Pack – ProcGenV1
ProcGenV1 is a really experimental map on this assortment, however positively one of many highlights of Parkour Pack’s choices. Because the title implies, it is a procedurally generated expertise. There are, in essence, limitless potentialities in ProcGenV1, because it creates a big surroundings of megastructures to discover.
The purpose of this map is to seek out the “extraction hut,” which finishes the extent. The surroundings is crammed with numerous different huts excessive and low, and most have an arrow pointing to the precise extraction hut. Huts have gadgets that gamers can use at their disposal to help of their journey, including a pleasant twist on the simplistic platforming of Lorn’s Lure.
Objects embody a stamina enhance, boots to extend your leaping skills, a one-time use grapple (refillable should you discover extra), and a checkpoint USB. In the primary recreation of Lorn’s Lure, checkpoints are aplenty, however with them being so scarce in ProcGenV1, you are inspired to be methodical and solely take dangers when it is completely crucial.
I am simply amazed by the complexity of environments created in ProcGenV1. They’re a bit drab in look, however as I perceive it, Rubeki Video games will replace this with new options each on occasion. I see quite a lot of potential in ProcGenV1 evolving into one thing wonderful; for now, it might use extra variation in look and maybe extra gadgets.
There’s additionally a extremely pesky mechanic the place some gadgets are poisoned, and that decreases your stamina by a big quantity for a number of minutes. Due to the way in which these ranges are generated, you often by no means have sufficient stamina to go anyplace when it is so low, so I often waited it out till the poison debuff was eliminated.
Ultimate Verdict: 8.5/10
Lorn’s Lure: Parkour Map Pack – Rubeki’s Professional Traceur
Rubeki’s Professional Traceur is a wonderful parkour-based map that replaces Lorn’s Lure’s megastructures with a small city surroundings. Resembling that of a European metropolis, this map touts itself as a “parkour sandbox.”
The primary goal of this map is to collect all of the crystals. It appears to take inspiration from Tremendous Mario Sunshine particularly, with its Delfino Plaza-esque visuals and vibes. Your goal is to collect all of the crystals on this map, of which there are 25.
Buildings are shut collectively to create slim alleys to bounce round on. Crystals on the high of the constructing are fairly tough to achieve, particularly while you’re stripped of your ordinary climbing instruments. I bumped into a problem the place I used to be given the choice to select up climbing instruments proper from the beginning, however I do not assume that was intentional because it largely strips the map of any type of problem.
Even so, Rubeki’s Professional Traceur is okay for what it’s. It is brief and does not attempt to be something however a bit sandbox to present gamers the power to flex their platforming abilities. It is from the slower, exploration-based platforming that I desire, however it’s nonetheless price one play.
Ultimate Verdict: 7/10
Lorn’s Lure: Parkour Map Pack – Sonic
The thought behind Sonic is to create a high-speed impediment course for gamers, with devastating penalties for failure. It is a considerably linear observe that hangs excessive above in a megastructure, so should you fall, you are going proper again to the beginning. The twist right here is that you simply’re given tremendous velocity, so it is really very difficult to cope with this newfound mobility.
You have no instruments at your disposal aside from this velocity. Sadly, there was one impediment close to the beginning that, attempt as I’d, I could not discover methods to overcome. I did not get an actual likelihood to expertise this one, so I am going to simply admit defeat and say this degree wasn’t for me (particularly since I desire the slower, methodical gameplay versus velocity). Whereas I will not give it a closing rating since I did not full it, I do know this one is not for me.
Ultimate Verdict: N/A
Lorn’s Lure: Parkour Map Pack Evaluate | Ultimate Ideas
Whereas Blame and ProcGenV1 are the primary attraction right here, there’s one thing for followers of speedier gameplay in Sonic, Rubeki’s Professional Traceur, and Fall. All-in-all, it is a good little bundle to present followers extra Lorn’s Lure content material, however what I am particularly taken with is seeing how ProcGenV1 develops sooner or later.
Lorn’s Lure: Parkour Map Pack was reviewed on PC utilizing a code supplied by the developer over the course of 5 hours of gameplay – all screenshots have been taken throughout the strategy of evaluation.
