I was hesitant to play this week’s game because I was told that it was pretty claustrophobic and I have a hard time with smaller spaces, but I was so intrigued with the idea of free running, parkour, and all-out exploration in the demo that I decided to give Lorn’s Lure a try. Little did I know this game was fuck all difficult.

This week is Lorn’s Lure

Lorn’s Lure is a 3D platformer/parkour game from Rubeki Games. It was released in September 2024 for the PC and retails for $15.

Lorn’s Lure‘s plot is something simple, this robot person is lost and needs to find help before they power down forever. They were led here by what looked like an owl and were left stranded. Too many years have passed and we are on our last leg and need to find a way out.

That will require a lot of platforming and parkour.

The environmental storytelling is probably one of my favorites. There are short cutscenes that shine light on the vastness of the world. The sections that you traverse are fascinatingly large. There is the “ancient basin” that is just so expansive that it just makes you wonder how it got down into this abyss and who built it, whereas in the city section, someone informs you of a skirmish that happened between two groups and now the city is falling apart because they have no food.

Lorn’s Lure is surprisingly free. Players can go pretty much anywhere that resembles a platform, and when climbing axes are introduced, walls also become viable platforms. Lorn’s Lure is really good at keeping the player engaged with its constant drip of new skills or lore to obtain. In the beginning, the player has nothing, but then they are gifted the axes that allow them to go higher and then the tic-tac lets the player bridge gaps more easily, and then it’s a dash to go even farther.

Lorn’s Lure does an exceptional job of putting the player back into action immediately. There is a meter that, once it gets to three ticks while falling, then the player will die and the game will rewind time.

I think the most intriguing aspect of Lorn’s Lure is the helplessness I felt when I began at any level. The vastness of the environment extends to the play area and there are times when I had no idea where to even start my search. Players can consult the glitch that looks like an owl if they can see it in all the chaos and there is a hint option that highlights the area that you need to get to.

Lorn’s Lure does not hold the player’s hand AT ALL.

Lorn’s Lure gets more difficult because of the PS1-style graphics. This vast, empty, unknown world only gets more indiscernible because of the chosen style. It does amplify the spookiness of the atmosphere, but it sometimes makes it hard to make out whether it is climbable or just a fall to my death.

Just like the visuals, the audio design just adds to the eeriness of the overall atmosphere. Landing on hollow pipes makes a TWANG reverberate throughout the world, while a subtle wind howl reminds you that the area is devoid of any life.

I was interested in Lorn’s Lure because of the world and platforming, and I ended up staying for the challenge. Lorn’s Lure is a difficult game, definitely towards the end and couple that with its worldbuilding and atmosphere you end up with a really fun video game. Though there were times when I was incredibly frustrated with the amount of time that I was spending looking for an objective or how many times I had to restart, I was always having fun. Lorn’s Lure is a tough but incredibly rewarding game

8/10