REVIEW : Lacuna – A Sci-Fi Noir Adventure (PC)
I may have played several choice & consequence games in my “career”, some of them have even left their mark, but a case like LACUNA is one of the rarest. Not because it offers something new. But because what he chooses to do, that is, to tell a well-written and interesting story that is in the “mercy” of the player for what he will end up, he implements it well. Perhaps better than AAA productions, despite the 2D pixel-art approach that is a “red cloth” for many people.
But those of you who are against this kind of style, put aside your doubts and come to the world of Lacuna. Where CDI (Central Department of Intelligence) agent Neil Conrad will find himself embroiled in the affair of his life. In an alternative universe, where interplanetary travel is a fact but the pressure of capitalist society is greater than ever, Neil undertakes to investigate the murder of diplomat Joseph Banny by a sniper. Banny represented the government of the planet Drovia, were forty years ago there was a terrible accident in the mineral extraction network, which resulted in the death of dozens of people. Since then and because of this fact, Drovia is under the supervision (mainly financial) of the powerful government of the planet Ghara, to which the CDI also belongs. Hence the reason for Banny’s visit to Ghara’s representatives to discuss the possible independence of his planet, a fact that many journalists had little hope of achieving.
But as if the scandal of the assassination of a diplomat in a foreign land was not enough, things start to get more complicated when it turns out that Joseph Banny also had connections with some autonomous groups, not so friendly to the Ghara government. So on the brink of a catastrophic war, the CDI is in the most unfavourable position in its history, as it must find a way to identify the culprit, who is behind this daring move and what are its motives.
Admittedly, an extremely critical mission, made even more difficult by Neil’s problems. Being separated from a child, he tries to balance between the time he can devote to his ex-wife and his daughter and the increased demands of the occasion. It is clear to us what the outcome of the case will be, which as happens in similar games of the genre, can have a different outcome, with a happy or painful shade. Either for Neil himself or the fortunes of millions of people.
The way the case will develop is mainly based on our responses to the dialogues we have with the various characters and the research. The mechanism of the dialogues is simple, rich and complete in its execution. They do not talk unnecessarily, they are well written and have enough realism, while our participation in them, in addition to pressing the button to move on to the next sentence, is based on choosing between two to three answers at a time, with a time limit. Depending on our choice, we can usually receive or lose some information about our research, which may be immediately useful or in a second time. And in some places, which are not always as clear as one might expect, the answer we give to a question is so important, that it affects the whole plot: from the places, we will visit and act to the people who will eventually survive.
Research is on the same wavelength when it comes to gathering information. Although he only has used it in certain places, by pressing the relevant button, Neil enters investigation mode and can thoroughly examine the objects of the environment and record his conclusions (practically no inventory). Although, admittedly, it is a bit difficult to miss an object to be examined, as the way the hotspots are displayed is made for… myopic
So far, with the accessibility that Lacuna shows at first glance, it looks like another “walking simulator” type game (even in 2D), which the player himself defines, easily and quickly, the desired finish and then proceeds to uninstall the title. Correctly; Error. The salt and pepper of the recipe are hidden in the Sheets that we have to fill in for each objective separately. Sheets are essentially multiple-choice questions, which appear in the relevant registration of our mobile phone and as soon as we are allowed to submit our answers, the respective objective assigned to us is completed. But the “correct” answer is not always so obvious. This is because a lot of information comes either from a conversation that one of our interlocutors told us or from an item in an e-mail or even from the newspaper we are downloading. All the information is recorded in detail on our mobile phone, where we can refer at any time, but if there is one thing we have to do to watch a “good” end to the story, it is to pay due attention.
A high degree that is maintained in the excellent cyberpunk/noir atmosphere that it possesses. It’s one of those times when pixel-art is truly… art, as Lacuna has one of the finest graphics of its kind, combined with impeccable kinesiology. Special mention should be made of the original and beautiful soundtrack of Julian Columbus, which puts us in the mood for a dystopian universe with its atmospheric melodies. It is no coincidence that one can buy it separately. As for the voice-over, this is limited to Neil Conrad’s monologues, but fortunately, the actor who undertook to do so is excellent.
