If you have not heard of Lorn’s Lure, you are about to study one thing immediately. One solution to describe it’s one among 2024’s finest indie video games. One other is to say it is this wonderful, considerably area of interest, experimental, and ominously lovely 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 sport is impressed by my favourite manga creator, Tsutomi Nihei, who’s a grasp of his craft. He places his structure background to unimaginable 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, known 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. In addition to that, we have now 4 different maps with a central “parkour” theme which can be positive to maintain your consideration for an excellent few hours.
With 5 totally different maps providing 5 totally different experiences, I’ll go towards the grain and fee each stage 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 relatively than pace. Mechanically, gamers are given only a few 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 some other 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 spite of everything), and castle-like buttresses and towers.
This may make a superb addition to the story of Lorn’s Lure have been it not part of the Lorn’s Lure: Parkour Map Pack. Whereas it isn’t essentially the most tough or intense chapter, it does what Lorn’s Lure does finest, instilling a way of awe on the sheer scale of the world in comparison with tiny ol’ you.
Closing 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 end in your loss of life as quickly as you hit the bottom, so the secret right here is to take a measured method.
You are outfitted with a grapple, so Fall turns into fairly an thrilling expertise once you’re in a position to make the most of this software. The physics for the grapple are implausible, so you find yourself feeling like Spider-Man, attempting his finest to not fall too onerous whereas additionally dashing to the end to get a excessive rating.
This is among the shortest maps within the pack, however there is a first rate number of obstacles provided that it is a fully vertical map. It will also be a bit difficult, even for somebody like me who likes to take issues protected, gradual, and regular.
Closing Verdict: 7.5/10
Lorn’s Lure: Parkour Map Pack – ProcGenV1
ProcGenV1 is a really experimental map on this assortment, however undoubtedly 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 atmosphere of megastructures to discover.
The aim of this map is to seek out the “extraction hut,” which finishes the extent. The atmosphere 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 embrace a stamina enhance, boots to extend your leaping talents, a one-time use grapple (refillable if you happen to discover extra), and a checkpoint USB. In the principle sport 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 essential.
I am simply amazed by the complexity of environments created in ProcGenV1. They’re a bit of drab in look, however as I perceive it, Rubeki Video games will replace this with new options each every now and then. I see a substantial amount 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 very 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 wherever when it is so low, so I often waited it out till the poison debuff was eliminated.
Closing Verdict: 8.5/10
Lorn’s Lure: Parkour Map Pack – Rubeki’s Professional Traceur
Rubeki’s Professional Traceur is a fantastic parkour-based map that replaces Lorn’s Lure’s megastructures with a small city atmosphere. Resembling that of a European metropolis, this map touts itself as a “parkour sandbox.”
The primary goal of this map is to assemble 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 assemble 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 once you’re stripped of your traditional climbing instruments. I bumped into a problem the place I used to be given the choice to choose up climbing instruments proper from the beginning, however I do not suppose that was intentional because it largely strips the map of any kind of problem.
Even so, Rubeki’s Professional Traceur is okay for what it’s. It is quick and does not attempt to be something however a bit of sandbox to offer gamers the power to flex their platforming expertise. It’s miles from the slower, exploration-based platforming that I choose, but it surely’s nonetheless price one play.
Closing Verdict: 7/10
Lorn’s Lure: Parkour Map Pack – Sonic
The concept 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 if you happen to fall, you are going proper again to the beginning. The twist right here is that you simply’re given tremendous pace, so it is really very difficult to take care of this newfound mobility.
You haven’t any instruments at your disposal aside from this pace. Sadly, there was one impediment close to the beginning that, strive as I’d, I could not discover find out how to overcome. I did not get an actual likelihood to expertise this one, so I will simply admit defeat and say this stage wasn’t for me (particularly since I choose the slower, methodical gameplay versus pace). Whereas I will not give it a remaining rating since I did not full it, I do know this one is not for me.
Closing Verdict: N/A
Lorn’s Lure: Parkour Map Pack Assessment | Closing Ideas
Whereas Blame and ProcGenV1 are the principle 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 offer followers extra Lorn’s Lure content material, however what I am particularly serious about is seeing how ProcGenV1 develops sooner or later.
Lorn’s Lure: Parkour Map Pack was reviewed on PC utilizing a code offered by the developer over the course of 5 hours of gameplay – all screenshots have been taken in the course of the technique of assessment.
