Lucius (Game Review)

Lucius is a game that's been on my radar for quite some time. Not because I was looking forward to it or anything, but simply because it would always be on sale on Steam for the few weeks leading up to its release. I know a lot of games on Steam offer discounts if you buy it before release date so this is no different from the other, but the game's icon got me curious. It didn't look like another generic first person shooter or an indie survival horror that seems to be cluttering up the market (seriously guys, try something new. Amnesia and Slender were both scary as hell, but after playing the defenseless protagonist stuck in a dark room with an unseen evil for the tenth time, the horror element is gone). It looked like...honestly, I wasn't really sure what it looked like. My stupid brain somehow assumed that it was an Asian kid wearing some weird goggles on his head, and behind him was a white fist, so I assumed this was going to be a weird action/puzzle game or something.

See? His hair is kind of like goggles, and the portion of wall that isn't smeared by blood kind of looks like a fist...no? Just me? Okay then.

So out of curiosity I clicked on the icon to read the overview of the game...and I immediately had to get this game. You play as Lucius, a seemingly innocent boy living with your rich family in a luxurious home. However, you actually serve Lucifer and you have to kill people by making it look like accidents and offer their souls to him. Through these murders you take out the residents of Dante Manor one by one, and each one you kill increases your supernatural abilities. These victims include maids, butlers, teachers, maintenance staff, and ultimately, your own parents.

Oh yea, and you're also born on the 6th of June, 1966. Get it? 666?! Except it's actually 6666...that's an extra 6! That must make him the Super Mega Antichrist! (not really)

So you play as a kid that serves the devil, and you commit murder in exchange for powers. THAT'S AWESOME!!! I'm not a Satanist or anything, but I always enjoy games that lets you play a villain. Most games force you to play as the good guy, and those that claim you can play as either good or bad usually tries too hard to juggle the two opposite concepts and ends up falling flat on their faces. So yea, this isn't a game that you can be bad if you wanted to; this is a game where you have to be bad because you serve the Devil himself, and that's just awesome (the having to be bad part, not serving the Devil part).

You don't see the horned shadow unless you shine a flashlight onto him. It's little details like this that makes this game shine.

So how's the gameplay? It's actually pretty good. You start out with literally nothing. You don't have any powers and most of the rooms you can explore in your giant house are inaccessible, so when it comes to murdering, you're stuck with the simpler methods like locking an old woman in a walk-in freezer and rigging a stove to burst fire into a guy's face by puncturing the gas valve. However, with each death your power grows, and later on you're killing people by setting them on fire with your mind and throwing a blow dryer into a bathtub and electrocuting the person (with your mind, from the next room over).

Or my personal favorite, mind controlling them into committing suicide. Note how the victim's eyes are completely black when under Lucius' power. Like I said above, it's the little details that makes this game shine.

You're not completely free to go on your little murder spree, however. You can't let anyone catch you using your powers or doing anything suspicious (like holding a gun),  or it's instant game over. You do unlock an ability to erase the memories of the person who caught you, but you don't get that til about the halfway point. So until then, be careful of your surroundings and how you act. There's also a cross mounted on several areas of the house. When around these crosses, your satanic powers are nullified. You have to manually flip these crosses over upside down in order to negate their effects on you. Lastly there's McGuffin, a detective that's introduced on the morning following your first murder. He doesn't pose any real threat to you in the game; he's the guy who doesn't think that these deaths are mere accidents, but couldn't find any proof or evidence that suggests otherwise.

Outside of cutscenes, he also provides helpful exposition in the form of journal entries at the start of every new chapter.

All in all, this game is basically a video game of "The Omen" and Lucius is Damien. However, that's not a bad thing. In fact, this game is one of the more fun game I've played in recent memory. It's fun how your power slowly grows over the course of the game, and the game does a great job of creating a suspenseful atmosphere. The music matches what's going on, soft when you're simply walking around the mansion; screeching violins when you're about to kill someone. If there's one flaw in this game, it would be that the deaths are too linear. I understand this is an indie game so it doesn't have as much budget as games like Borderlands and Assassin's Creed, but it would've been fun to see how I could kill people differently in another play through. Hopefully in a sequel if they ever make one.

In conclusion, if you're looking for a game that's new and unique, give Lucius a try. It can be frustrating at times when you get lost in the house (seriously, it's a huge house), but stick with it and you get a fun game with a pretty decent story. And now the most important part of any game; the price. As of now, the game is $25, so it's not as much as a retail game but it's still a bit pricey for an indie game. I personally think it's worth it, but you may think otherwise. If you like killing people in a fun and unique manner, get this game. If you like good stories in games, get this game. If you're looking for another first person action shooter, this game is definitely not for you.

Okay Lucius, I did as I was told. I said your game is good. Can I go now? Lucius? LUCIUS?!?! NOOOOOO!!!!