Lacuna - A Sci-Fi Noir Adventure

 PC
User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 32 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 32
  3. Negative: 6 out of 32

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  1. InfestedTeeth
    Jun 29, 2021
    10
    Lacuna's story captivated me from the beginning, constantly making me feel like I wanted to know what would happen next. The beautiful pixel art did its part to create an atmospheric experience, and don't even get us started on the fantastic soundtrack. There are only little things that can bother, but they are not worth mentioning. If you like to strain your gray brain cells and solveLacuna's story captivated me from the beginning, constantly making me feel like I wanted to know what would happen next. The beautiful pixel art did its part to create an atmospheric experience, and don't even get us started on the fantastic soundtrack. There are only little things that can bother, but they are not worth mentioning. If you like to strain your gray brain cells and solve cases, this game is definitely for you. A clear recommendation on all levels!… Expand
  2. raytheonly
    Jun 29, 2021
    9
    At first glance it looks like "another pixel point'n'click", but really do not mistake it for this! The Pixel art is really good and encapsulates the mood very well. The gameplay and mechanics are very nicely put together and weaved within the story. It really is a detective game and adventure. "A Sci-Fi noir adventure" is not a claim but the truth.
    I can recommend to unravel all the    At first glance it looks like "another pixel point'n'click", but really do not mistake it for this! The Pixel art is really good and encapsulates the mood very well. The gameplay and mechanics are very nicely put together and weaved within the story. It really is a detective game and adventure. "A Sci-Fi noir adventure" is not a claim but the truth.
    I can recommend to unravel all the mysteries and cases in this atmospheric game.    … Expand
  3. WhistlertheY
    Jun 29, 2021
    10
    Awesome noir pixel-art game with an intense soundtrack and a thrilling story. If you are into detective games and find futuristic settings appealing, this is the game to go!
  4. Ghostbuster4991
    Jun 29, 2021
    10
    A Awesome Game in an awesome universe and a wonderful graphic.
    For Fans of Pixel-Art, thats the perfect Game to spent some rainy Days on.
    Intresting Story, with lots of unexpected things. I played the Demo, and bought the Full Game instant at Release Day. No Regrets so far. I will play it again because it has some more to reveal for me.
  5. xHoRiZoN
    Jun 29, 2021
    10
    I'm going to keep this nice a short.
    Lacuna has a very well written story, in a very believable sci-fi setting. The soundtrack is beautiful and the quality of the pixel art is top-notch. The characters in the story are all completely believable and relatable, and the world is fleshed out to incredible detail. The development team clearly love the Noir genre and the old school adventure    I'm going to keep this nice a short.
    Lacuna has a very well written story, in a very believable sci-fi setting. The soundtrack is beautiful and the quality of the pixel art is top-notch. The characters in the story are all completely believable and relatable, and the world is fleshed out to incredible detail. The development team clearly love the Noir genre and the old school adventure style games, because it shows in how much love was put into the creation of this game.
    If you like noir novels, or old school adventure games, then there's nothing to dislike about Lacuna. If you're not a fan of those genres, it's still 100% worth a try.    … Expand
  6. PeteMcPete
    Jun 29, 2021
    10
    Artstyle, controls and puzzles gives it a simplistic feel and hides the focus on details and complexity which lies underneath the pixelated surface. Lacuna is a thrilling game which takes you into a carefully crafted world. The great soundtrack and story carrries you along to one of the different endings. Definitive recommendation.
  7. dookie1410
    Jun 30, 2021
    10
    Very interesting and immersive detective game. Fantastic story and tough decisions. Big plus: Gorgeous pixel art!
  8. Shihana
    Jun 30, 2021
    10
    (English below) Ein sehr schönes Detektivspiel mit einer wirklich guten Story. Die Rätsel haben mir Spaß gemacht und erforderten mit jedem Mal mehr Nachdenken. Es gibt mehrere Enden, die von den Entscheidungen und den Rätseln (richtig oder falsch gelöst) abhängen. Mit der Tastatursteuerung kam ich gut zurecht, alternativ kann man auch mit Controller spielen.

    A very nice detective game    (English below) Ein sehr schönes Detektivspiel mit einer wirklich guten Story. Die Rätsel haben mir Spaß gemacht und erforderten mit jedem Mal mehr Nachdenken. Es gibt mehrere Enden, die von den Entscheidungen und den Rätseln (richtig oder falsch gelöst) abhängen. Mit der Tastatursteuerung kam ich gut zurecht, alternativ kann man auch mit Controller spielen.

    A very nice detective game with a great story. The cases were fun to me and they needed more thinking each time. There are different endings which depend on the player's choices and on the cases (whether they were solved correctly or not). I had no struggles with the keyboard controls but the game also has controller support.    … Expand
  9. UncleEd
    Nov 19, 2021
    8
    Lacuna is an interactive noir adventure. For me it was pretty much an instant purchase simply because it was giving heavy Beneath a Steel Sky vibes. Having played through the game, I can safely say the setting is where the resemblance to Beneath a Steel Sky ends. On the other hand, Lacuna is still a pretty good game in its own right.

    You are a detective working for the CDI,    Lacuna is an interactive noir adventure. For me it was pretty much an instant purchase simply because it was giving heavy Beneath a Steel Sky vibes. Having played through the game, I can safely say the setting is where the resemblance to Beneath a Steel Sky ends. On the other hand, Lacuna is still a pretty good game in its own right.

    You are a detective working for the CDI, investigating a case involving interplanetary terrorism. When you initiate a dialogue, you are often given a few options of answers with a timer, where your choice will influence how the game will end. There are no point & click puzzles here and the game focuses on the narrative experience instead. It is still interactive, but your interaction will mostly be limited to moving to different places and reading your emails, clues etc. Pixel art is very beautiful and arguably the strongest aspect of Lacuna. I also liked the unique interface, which was pretty eye-candy and easy & fun to use. Writing and story are pretty good, but nothing very memorable.

    Overall, Lacuna is an easy recommendation for everyone who enjoys narrative games, as well as dystopian, sci-fi and noir settings.    … Expand
  10. EvanIllinoisBoy
    Jun 28, 2022
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I am going to be straight forward. I don’t have anything bad to say about this game, except for the length. In this game you play as a struggling detective who is on the brisk of losing his job and has a rocky relationship with his family (his Ex Wife the most). The detective is Neil and there is a crime that happens (not going to spoil which exactly) and you must investigate with your partner Gary Long. You will meet several characters along the way, some that will change, others that will not. Neil’s daughter is one of the most important characters and (BIG SPOILER HERE) eventually gets kidnapped for data ransom. You can choose several different paths in this game and help Neil quit smoking, or smoke at your will (and Neil’s risk). You can choose to rekindle the relationship with you past lover and help save your daughter, or you can forget about your Ex all together (I chose to rekindle as they had a kid). Additionally to this, you have opportunities to throw colleagues under the bus or take the fall instead. Once you make a choice, there is no going back, as there it doesn’t let you save before a choice. If you mess up horribly, then you can exit to the menu and resume from your last save point, which most are about 10 minutes apart. Throughout the story, you will meet specific key characters and one of the characters with the most change is a mercenary named Zora. In the end, your relationship with her can determine a lot of things. Be aware, as this is a very emotional game for those who care about relationships big time. The developers at Digitales Games did an amazing job on everything and we must see either dlc’s or a sequel! Digitales made a masterpiece of a game! Everything in this game was amazing; the soundtrack, the story, the choices, the characters, the pixel, and so much more makes this games a masterpiece. I have rambled on much to long, but if you are on the edge about this game, stop procrastinating and buy it right now! As of June 27th 2022, the game is on sale for $3 on the Nintendo EShop for about 10 days. If you’re lucky enough to see this review by that time, then don’t miss out. Even if it goes off sale, it is still well worth $15! God bless everyone, or as Neil would say (he’s an atheist), may Lady Luck be in your side!… Expand
  11. doni460
    Oct 1, 2021
    10
    10 out of 10!
    Just finished the game with an open mouth. The story is shocking, the game has no saves or loads which makes your mistakes very hurt.
    Its a living movie when you take the first seat and decide what will happen next.
    Thank you developers!
  12. hardkot
    Jan 6, 2022
    9
    Thrilling

    Example of how should be good indie adventure. Visual (8/10): sound is really great and make atmosphere for whole game. Graphics is good, but scenes are not unique for the genre. Interface and colors are well balanced. Gameplay (10/10): everything is in place, no odd mechanics, or boring "press F" interaction. Choices have impact in game. Game is short and it doesn't    Thrilling

    Example of how should be good indie adventure.

    Visual (8/10): sound is really great and make atmosphere for whole game. Graphics is good, but scenes are not unique for the genre. Interface and colors are well balanced.

    Gameplay (10/10): everything is in place, no odd mechanics, or boring "press F" interaction. Choices have impact in game. Game is short and it doesn't feel that Lacuna is archaic "point and click" adventure with long scenes and slow story. Even more I feel like I'm playing good old game with action, suspense and great story.

    Story (8/10): Characters are great, especially for those who love noir and old Hollywood. Story is good, but not very unique. It feels like you are watching old movie and know next steps of the characters, but still worried about them and enjoy all atmosphere.

    I've finished game without no pause and it was a quite thrilling tale.    … Expand
  13. Spyrou
    Apr 13, 2023
    9
    A cop investigation in a 2D pixel world. what not to like ?
    you play a detective who has to put the puzzle back in one piece.
    Awesome pixel graphics. the story is quite rich. maybe too rich ? this goes along with good sci-fi stories.
    Should be 10/10, but I was able to finish the game (first pass only) a bit too quickly.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. PC Games
    Jan 30, 2022
    80
    Lacuna is a wonderful indie detective game in which you have to solve the murder of a politician. The graphics are really nice, as are the atmosphere and the sound. There’s a lot of great twists and turns regarding the story, resulting in several different outcomes, depending on the player’s choices. Overall a clear recommendation.
    Read full review
  2. Adventure Gamers
    Jul 12, 2021
    90
    Lacuna is a wonderfully tense hard-boiled story set in a gorgeous jazzpunk future. Its mysteries will make you work for the answers, and will even let you fail, but either way the payoff is a sense of accomplishment that few other narrative puzzlers provide.
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  3. Player 2
    Jun 29, 2021
    83
    There are some reviews that are hard to write because the game is just fine, and then there are some that just pour out of you because you can’t help but think of all the things it does well. Lacuna is well and truly the latter, with every small piece pulling together to create a really great detective game ripe for the picking.
    Read full review
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