Lydia

 PC
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 13 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 13
  3. Negative: 3 out of 13

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  1. rewwex
    Jun 5, 2017
    10
    Powerful but short little game. I recommend taking a few cold ones and playing it through in one seat. There is not that much gameplay, but the audiovisuals are bizarre enough to keep you entertained.
  2. BudgetGamingNA
    Feb 14, 2020
    8
    Reviewed on Nintendo Switch.

    Lydia is a story-driven walking simulator where you travel in the shoes of a child through her tragic upbringing. This game focuses on heavy traumas and how a child processes them through their imagination. The story gripped me from the first shot, and I had to complete it in one sitting. Individual scores below are based off a top score of 20 for each    Reviewed on Nintendo Switch.

    Lydia is a story-driven walking simulator where you travel in the shoes of a child through her tragic upbringing. This game focuses on heavy traumas and how a child processes them through their imagination. The story gripped me from the first shot, and I had to complete it in one sitting.

    Individual scores below are based off a top score of 20 for each category.

    Gameplay (10) – Lydia is much closer to being a visual novel than an interactive story a la Telltale Games. The game is all about moving from Point A to Point B to progress the story with occasional dialogue choices. The reality though, is that you have no real choices to make as the dialogue options lead to different responses from those whom you interact with, but only one option progresses the story in most cases. I am conflicted about wanting to have had real choices, but it is also sobering to think about how appropriate this game design is for Lydia as a child would also have no control of events in an abusive home.

    Audio (18) – The ambient music in Lydia fits perfectly with each scene as you progress through the chapters. The music can be dark, frightening, sublime, and then reassuring depending on how the child feels in each chapter. There is no proper voice acting of the text, instead being replaced by gibberish sounds common in low-budget games. This is fine, but I would have preferred the use of the “spoken” word to have been kept at a minimum and only to help further convey emotions. It can get quite tiresome to hear “pa po pi pap” every few seconds of text to be responded to by a “pi pa po pap.”

    Performance (15) – For the most part, Lydia ran smoothly. I occasionally had some long load times in between scenes and chapters. I also experienced some stuttering in the frames in between scenes. No crashes or bugs to report throughout my session.

    Visual (20) – “WOW!” Is really all I have to say. The visuals in this game are by far the highlight with many panels being deserving of being posted in an abstract art museum somewhere. Characters have a bit of variety in design from clear features to abstract designs depending on Lydia’s view of her surroundings. It is difficult to speak more on the visuals without spoiling specific examples in the story, so suffice it to say if you enjoy dark, gray-scale abstract art you will enjoy Lydia.

    Budget (17) – The story of Lydia is quite short and how much time you spend on this game really depends on reading speed, and time spent admiring the visuals. Budget-wise this visual novel loses points because I wish it would have lasted more than an hour and the conclusion felt rushed. Since there are no real choices to make, there is zero replay value. Lydia retails for $4 and I got it on sale in the eShop for $3. At the cost of a standard comic it is an obvious choice for me to recommend this game at either price point as I would have picked up this story in that medium also.

    I would highly recommend Lydia to anyone interested in story-driven games. The art style and soundtrack hooked me and reminded me why videogames are my preferred method of consuming media. The one hour spent completing this story kept me far more engrossed than most hour long tv shows on Netflix. Although this game won’t be great for those who need a more interactive and involved title, it is a great starting point for someone who just really isn’t a gamer.

    Critical Score: 80

    Personal Score: 80

    Final Answer: 80    … Expand
  3. Sagux
    Jun 14, 2020
    10
    Nintendo Switch

    Este juego permite que las personas que no está familiarizadas con los casos de abuso por parte de unos padres alcohólicos, empaticen con los que sí sufren estos problemas.
  4. WakiCrespo
    Mar 30, 2022
    3
    A pesar de que se atisba una buena intención y que yo me siento identificado con la trama, el juego simplemente no cumple en ningún apartado. Es demasiado corto como para desarrollar la historia, y la ausencia total de mecánicas interesantes no invita a rejugarlo.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 4 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. RPG Fan
    Dec 18, 2017
    70
    A sad but moving piece that will make you think for far longer than the time it takes to experience it.
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  2. GameCritics
    Oct 12, 2017
    80
    While I actually felt sympathy for the monster even though I didn’t doubt the girl’s condemnation of it, Lydia still manages to land a heavy emotional blow with admirable economy thanks to its expressive art and skillful storytelling. It’s a strong, sharp jab of a game, and well worth it for anyone willing to take the punch in the gut.
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  3. GameGrin
    Aug 28, 2017
    80
    With this stimulating narrative, Lydia is a steady explorative adventure that will leave you speechless by the time you finish it. Its take on adult themes within a childish aesthetic feels familiar but it accomplishes enough to set it apart from other like-minded indie titles. It’s a solid debut release by Platonic Partnership and leaves me intrigued to see what comes next from the Finnish studio.
    Read full review
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