Reviews / 11 January 2023

Review: Lone Ruin

I have recently been exploring different genres of games that I feel I have looked over in my years of gaming, such as dungeon crawlers, twin-stick shooters and roguelikes. I don’t know why I never took the time to give these sort of games a chance, but now I feel like I have a lot to catch up on as it seems I like these genres a lot, and I can thank Lone Ruin for that.

Lone Ruin is a top down, roguelike, spell-based twin-stick shooter where you play as an explorer who ventures into an old, ruined, magical city while looking for a mysterious ancient power. Explore the city while battling enemies and obtaining new magical abilities to reach the centre of the Lone Ruin. The game is developed by Cuddle Monster Games and published by Super Rare Originals.

“An ancient city enveloped by magic. What once was a buzzy civilisation and people living in harmony with the magic surrounding them has long since been driven mad and twisted beyond recognition by the very magic that used to help sustain them. What could have corrupted this city? Having heard the legends, you, a gifted spellcasting explorer, arrive at these hostile ruins a millenia later with the goal of seeking this ancient power and finally cleansing the city of the corruption it was consumed by all those years ago. The answer probably lies in the center of Lone Ruin… if you can make it there.”
THIS DESCRIPTION WAS PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER.

The game’s starting area contains an array of magical abilities to choose from to help you start your run. Players can also unlock new spells, upgrade powers and stock up on treasure after clearing rooms of every enemy. With an array of enemies and multiple bosses, I enjoyed finding the magic spells that best fit my play style and worked the best in taking down all the enemies in each area. There are so many upgrades and customisation options available as you traverse through the ruins.

The only thing that stops this fast paced, addictive game is death. Lone Ruin’s punishment for death is being put back to the main menu, without anything you have collected. You can try new strategies by playing around with new abilities to see what works best for you.

I personally found the games difficulty quite high and believe an easier mode option would be beneficial. However for gamers who tolerate higher difficulty levels, the game also offers a survival mode. Survival mode is a timed, wave-based game mode that can add that extra challenge.

Overall, I really enjoyed the experience that Lone Ruin has to offer. It opened up new genres to me that I have never experienced before, while setting a standard on quality and expectations. I highly recommend this game if you are a fan of roguelikes and twin-shooters, and if you are new to the genre and want to try something new. Just be wary of the difficulty level, and that you may need to try, and try again.

Lone Ruin releases on Thursday 12th January 2023 on Nintendo Switch and Steam.
A huge thank you to Ryan at Super Rare Games for sending us a review copy of Lone Ruin.

SUPPORT THE GAME
Developer: Cuddle Monster Games
Publisher: Super Rare Games

Nintendo eShop UK | Nintendo eShop USA | Wishlist on Steam

Written by Amber Elphick (Cherebi)
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cherebi@outlook.com