Metascore
62

Mixed or average reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 11
  2. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. Jan 12, 2023
    80
    If starting all over again drives you up the wall, then Lone Ruin probably isn’t for you. For everyone else, it’s a frenetic, fun and highly replayable outing that’ll have you coming back for more. But if you do find a strange meteor in your backyard, do the sensible thing and toss it in next door’s wheelie bin.
  2. Jan 11, 2023
    80
    Lone Ruin nails the brief on what makes an appreciable roguelike – combining a slick and sexy aesthetic with a core gameplay loop that can be rapidly picked up, but is deep enough to beg for mastery.
  3. Jan 11, 2023
    78
    Lone Ruin is an action roguelike with an intense gameplay loop, the kind of game that you want to keep coming back to. A shame that, even for an indie game, it’s not particularly rich content-wise.
  4. Jan 31, 2023
    75
    Lone Ruin is a beautiful and addictive game where you can choose your path and power-ups as you progress through these abandoned ruins fighting off numerous enemies. Unfortunately, the game is quite short, especially if you aren’t interested in getting a high score on the Leaderboard.
  5. Jan 19, 2023
    70
    A Rogue-like game that gives the sensation of shooting powerful bullets. The fast-paced gameplay provides a great experience when played on handheld consoles, but the overall playtime is unfortunately short.
  6. Jan 18, 2023
    60
    Lone Ruin is a game all about replayability that I saw little reason to replay after the credits.
  7. Jan 16, 2023
    60
    Lone Ruin is a minor Hades, who in his wanting to focus only on combat proves to be really short of breath. He is not unpleasant, but superfluous, in the sense that, even if he does what he does well, we don't find a single element for which he stands out or stands out.
  8. Jan 13, 2023
    57
    Lone Ruin is the equivalent of one of those mediocre made-for-Netflix films. It looks good and offers some unexceptional action but nearly everything here feels copped from superior works. Factor in an extremely short running time and you’re better served with one of the many other twin-stick roguelikes on the market.
  9. Edge Magazine
    Jan 26, 2023
    50
    Broadly speaking, Lone Ruin's stern challenge feels broadly well-pitched, but it's unfair just often enough to gradually sap your will to continue - and when a bug leaves us outside a room's boundaries with no hope of return, our patience evaporates with it. [Issue#381, p.107]
  10. Jan 12, 2023
    50
    If you’re new to roguelikes, Lone Ruin’s brevity and simplicity might make it worth a look; if the price is right for you, that is. Unfortunately, its issues with variety and a lackluster arsenal of spells, items, and upgrades hamper the experience. Nevertheless, it tried its best to strike that balance of elements, and I think it’s a commendable effort from a small dev team. To me, though, this doesn’t excel or evolve the roguelike formula in any unique or engaging way and, overall, comes across as a bit hollow and unremarkable.
  11. Jan 11, 2023
    50
    LONE RUIN is a game that’s simply too short for its own good. A lack of content means the experience is over long before it ever should be, and any additional difficulty modes and a survival mode don’t do enough to justify the small scope. The experience is saved somewhat by good gameplay and a great spells/upgrades system, though not enough to call this one a real must-play.
User Score
tbd

No user score yet- Awaiting 1 more rating

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 3
  2. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. Jan 14, 2023
    5
    Lone Ruin is a very bare bones new roguelike from Cuddle Monster Games that features 1 repeatable track of levels and bosses. I would say thisLone Ruin is a very bare bones new roguelike from Cuddle Monster Games that features 1 repeatable track of levels and bosses. I would say this is one of the most under developed games I can remember, not from a polish or quality standpoint but just from a content perspective. There is only 1 level that features about 15 rooms and 3 bosses, once you beat it you get the end credits, there is no story at all, there are only about 8 different enemy types, and the rooms and animations are similar and static throughout.

    The moment to moment gameplay is pretty fun if not at all innovative or inspiring. You start with 1 weapon and a dash and upgrade as you go through the rooms, picking up new spells and passives, we've all done this before ad nauseum at this point in gaming. The aesthetics though for this game are very good, the animations, art-style, and visuals all pop on the screen which is so strange because the actual game is so thin. It seriously feels almost like a demo or early access launch.

    I played this exclusively on Steam Deck with no issues, it took me under 2 hours (Seriously) to complete a full playthrough. Because there is no difficulty spike built in and no permanent upgrades there is really no reason you couldn't just beat it on your first run if you got some good spells and upgrades. Overall, for $15 there is just not enough there, am hoping for some free updates and new modes, because the bones here are good.
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