Lost Dimension

 PlayStation 3
Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
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  1. Digital Chumps
    Jul 31, 2015
    84
    As a raw turn based SRPG, Lost Dimension would not be particularly impressive. The x-factor that makes it so interesting and different is the traitor-system that adds layers of intrigue, strategy, and makes the entire experience much more interactive and robust.
  2. IGN Italia
    Sep 4, 2015
    80
    Lost Dimension does not disappoint and will appeal to those who prefer the turn-based JRPGs with a strong narrative component. All others may find it a bit too verbose.
  3. RPG Fan
    Jul 29, 2015
    80
    This thrilling game of high-stakes detective falls short narratively but remains strangely compelling throughout.
  5. Digitally Downloaded
    Jul 29, 2015
    80
    Lost Dimension was a commercial failure in Japan, and I can't see it finding a massive audience in the west. But it's worth a look as a solid, enjoyable tactics RPG, backed by some solid, albeit occasionally laboured storytelling. As a weekend buster, I can't really ask for more than that in a game.
  6. Multiplayer.it
    Sep 30, 2015
    75
    Despite stereotypes and gameplay flaws, Lost Dimension manages to be a fresh and intriguing experience.
  7. IGN Spain
    Aug 27, 2015
    75
    A different game that tries to conquer through story and gameplay , but that seems to belong to another time in every other aspect.
  8. 3DJuegos
    Aug 20, 2015
    75
    Tactical and intriguing Role Adventure game with several issues but a great battle system and other neat features that motivates the player to the very end.
  9. Polygon
    Jul 27, 2015
    75
    Lost Dimension falls short of outstanding, but it’s still a standout title.
  10. Game Over Online
    Aug 11, 2015
    70
    If you’re a dyed-in-the-wool Fire Emblem fan, this might also hold your attention. As far as I’m concerned, though, this game just isn’t for me. I find the sacrifice mechanic more frustrating than fun.
  11. Meristation
    Jul 31, 2015
    70
    It might be seen as a mixture between a Visual Novel and a JRPG, although all the fun comes from the later. It delivers fast-paced combats and an interesting approach to new gameplay mechanics, but it lacks an intriguing story-line. Fans of the genre will find something new and fresh, which is more than we could've hoped.
  12. We Got This Covered
    Jul 29, 2015
    70
    Lost Dimension makes up for its lacking story and unexplored concepts with engaging characters and deep gameplay, mixing Danganronpa with Valkyria Chronicles.
  13. Hardcore Gamer
    Jul 27, 2015
    70
    Even with those qualms, Lost Dimension is a quality title that some may feel is greater than the sum of its parts.
  14. God is a Geek
    Jul 28, 2015
    65
    Even with the addition of the Traitor mechanic, Lost Dimension falls into the "mostly seen it all before" category of role playing games.
  15. ZTGD
    Jul 27, 2015
    65
    It promised an experience quite unlike anything I have played before but in the end, the surrounding pieces around the core began falling apart one after another until all I was left with was that idea itself, buried deep within the rubble of potential.
  16. Everyeye.it
    Jul 10, 2015
    65
    When it comes to RPG mechanics, it's just too basic to spark interest, but it still hides some interesting ideas in the narrative and gameplay.
  17. DarkZero
    Sep 8, 2015
    60
    Had Lost Dimension worked harder in building a cast of likeable characters, its Wild West premise of losing any party member for good would have been more impactful. That aside, the combat is fun despite its small frustrations, and the usual array of customizable skills and plentiful missions should prove to be another satisfying budget RPG experience, though with so many of those pouring in by the month, this game does run the risk of being buried underneath the rubble.
  18. New York Daily News
    Jul 30, 2015
    60
    The end result is one of the better turn-based strategy JRPGs in recent memory, a game that forces you to shift your thinking in the genre.
  19. 4P.de
    Sep 21, 2015
    58
    The idea is good – the game unfortunately isn’t.

Awards & Rankings

6
#6 Best PS3 Game of 2015
8
#8 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2015
6
#6 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2015

User Reviews

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User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 33 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 33
  3. Negative: 5 out of 33
  1. DN83
    Aug 12, 2015
    8
    I genuinely did not expect this game to be as engaging as I thought it would be, but the traitor mechanic is something that is reallyI genuinely did not expect this game to be as engaging as I thought it would be, but the traitor mechanic is something that is really intriguing. Each chapter has a different traitor and it is randomized so you can't look it up online. You have to use your wits and abilities to determine who it is and battle with others to help find the traitor and save the rest of your crew.… Full Review »
  2. vahn
    Mar 29, 2018
    6
    I'm going to be straightforward with this game: if it wasn't for the traitor mechanic Lost Dimension would be a disaster, as it lacks almostI'm going to be straightforward with this game: if it wasn't for the traitor mechanic Lost Dimension would be a disaster, as it lacks almost everything. But let's start slowly.

    Lost Dimension is a tactical jrpg in which you control 11 characters each with their own unique ability, from pyrokinesis to telepathy, but you control Sho Kasugai who has the gift of Vision which will be very important for the rest of the game.

    The game works like your typical tactical game: you got a hub where you can talk to your companions, buy weapons, do quests and etc, and once you're ready to continue all you need to do is to proceed with the main story. Repeat this for 5 floors, with each floor not taking more than 4 or 5 hours on your first playthrough - even less if you just skip everything. So far nothing really is amiss.

    The combat it's more reminiscent of games like Valkyria Chronicles where you move until you can no more and from there you choose a list of skills, which is unique for each character. Each character have 3 speccs and each have their own skills to unlock: unlock all of them and you get a powerful ability that can be either great (Brain Hacker) or utterly bad (Brutality).
    The combat itself lacks depth and once you level up enough it's fairly easy to breeze through enemies: there isn't much else to say really because even bosses can be fairly easy to breeze through, even the final boss.

    The story is where it gets at: an entity called The End is threatening to destroy the world with world nukes and everything, and your job is to get inside and stop him. While this plot is generic as ever, you'll soon realize that you're not alone and one of your team is a traitor.

    And this is where the best mechanic of the game takes off: the traitor is always randomized each playthrough and you cannot check online for walkthroughs, as you really need to see for yourself.

    With the exception of George being your traitor on your first playthrough (this is not randomized), the way it works is that each floor you have 1 traitor to find, but you also have 2 additional suspects that may or may not be the traitor and in order to find him/her you will need to bring them to battle everytime, and compare the voices earned with the voices lost: once you have a potential suspect you use a vision and see if you're right and if you fail you can still do it again as long as you got vision points. If you find it, you'll have to change the outcome of the votes by making sure to tell everyone who's traitor...except the traitor himself, of course.

    Fail to find the traitor, and he/she will betray you at the end of the game, fighting alongside the boss against you...or at least I think so, because It's very hard to fail!

    This is both the best and worst thing of the game: it's definitely a functional mechanic that really makes each playthrough different and when a traitor gets erased you get to keep their abilities by specs, so you don't lose anything and it helps creating variable characters.
    However, this mechanic is too simplified and while it works, it's often underwhelming: when a character gets erased you see him talking some generic stuff but that's about it - only way to see a different dialogue is to have them survive the fourth floor and doing their quest. There's not even a unique dialogue in case you get voted and attempting a "bad ending" by having the last characters be traitors is so hard that it's not worth it. BUT it works, it really really works well, and I had fun playing it. Infact it's so fun that I highly recommend it doing in a party: it makes for great detective game!

    On the other hand, this is where the game's plot breaks too: while I won't spoil anything here let me just say that in order to reach the true ending you NEED to have all 11 characters at maximum bond, which can be trouble considering it's RNG. And even then the characters don't have a lot of development and the story itself is very bare until you reach the true ending, and even THEN it's underwhelming. The true ending is good, happy and very cheesy, but it's underwhelming...and considering I played the game 3 times (I was unlucky on my second playthrough), that's a lot of time just to see your character turning super saiyan and save the world.

    On top of that, the game is very unstable: I had a total of 4 crashes in a span of 6 hours, including one before the final boss battle, and I almost had one at the end credits .This makes the game even less desirable and that's without mentioning the constant micro-loading between skills.

    Do I recommend it? Yes and you can also find it on steam, but considering the issues I had and how annoying is to restart the game (you only keep gift points but no levels or money or even equipment), I'd recommend treading carefully.

    The traitor mechanic alone saves this game from a total disaster and it shows it, because nothing else really stands up on its own.    … Full Review »
  3. tomvs123
    Jul 5, 2017
    5
    For some perspective: I've played 90% of all home console JRPGs since the beginning (Dragon Warrior) and value well-written characters, story,For some perspective: I've played 90% of all home console JRPGs since the beginning (Dragon Warrior) and value well-written characters, story, and atmosphere above all else.

    Well here we go, a strategy JRPG. We don't get those often on home consoles.

    Gameplay / Combat: It is just barely good enough to keep my attention. Veteran strategy players might find it a bit lacking, but it's not bad. There's a number of different skills and characters that keeps things fresh, though there's a number of things that are just average or silly that you need to work around. Some of those are:
    1. Map variety is lacking. You mostly fight in small rooms. and the environment plays almost no part in your battles.
    2. What determines whether you win or not depends mostly on if you get more assists than your opponent. An assist attack happens when an ally is within attack distance of an enemy you're attacking. Your ally will attack along with you, effectively doubling your attack with no drawback. And if you have all six of your allies around the enemy, then each of your attacks does 6x damage. Multiply that by 6 characters and just about any enemy in the game won't last a single round if you're positioned properly. The same goes for your opponents too, so you'll want to avoid having them gang up on you. So the most effective combat mechanic in the game is a bit cheesy to me -- It's there solely to be a unique mechanic (or to speed up battles) and makes little real-world sense.

    Traitor system: I got the game based on this supposedly being a fun and unique mechanic. There's traitors in your group and you're supposed to find and eliminate them. You do this through a series of survivor-style votes. For the most part, I ignored the system and just voted off the characters I didn't use, hoping for some big detrimental issue. It didn't happen. I completed the game just fine. The traitor system does matter, but it's hard to mess up so much that you won't be a be able to complete your play through. So I was a bit disappointed in the system and how easy it is to identify traitors and vote them off of the team.

    Story: It's quite generic, but with one strange and absurd twist at the end. After the first few missions and free DLC missions, I had correctly guessed the motives of the bad guy. In Saturday-morning-cartoon-fashion, the bad guy talks in circles around his point for ages. He doesn't get to his point until the final battle.

    Endings: LIke many other low-budget JRPGs, this one has a bad ending, normal ending, and true ending. The true ending appears to require a 2nd playthrough, and the game thankfully gives you a hint at what you need to do to achieve it. And as expected for a low-budget JRPG, the things you need to do to achieve that ending are simply silly mechanics and make no story sense as to why you get one ending over the other.

    Characters: Generic. It's like I've seen them all before 100's of times in other media. On the plus side though, their dialog isn't horrible like several other recent Japanese games where characters can talk endlessly about absolutely nothing or have each character in a group repeat the same idea in a slightly different way until everyone's had a chance to talk. Well, the main bad guy is a bit like that, but overall, I don't feel like I'm being bombarded with useless dialogue for once in a Japanese game.

    Graphics: Bad. It looks like they made no improvements over the Vita version. The character models are horrid and look like they came from the ps1/ps2 era. Everything else is nothing special.

    Voice acting: Bad, but not horrible enough to turn off voices. Thankfully you can vote off people with bad voice actors. It's too bad they didn't include Japanese voices. But this game was made when Atlus was still convinced that everyone prefers bad English voice acting over excellent Japanese voice acting.

    So it's an average game for me. I mostly enjoyed the game because of the combat. It helps that I haven't played a strategy game in 2-3 years. Everything else is kind of bad, but not bad enough to prevent me from getting some overall enjoyment out of the game.

    I recommend the game only if you'd like to play an average but competent 3D strategy game and you don't feel like replaying the other two better ones on the system (Resonance of Fate and Valkyria Chronicles).    … Full Review »
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