Lost Epic (Switch) – Review
Follow Genre: 2D action RPG
Developer: Team EARTHWATS
Publisher: One or Eight Inc.
Platform: PC, Xbox series S/X, PS5, Switch
Tested on: Switch

Lost Epic (Switch) – Review

Site Score
8.0
Good: Fun gameplay, Great presentation
Bad: Lacking story
User Score
9.0
(1 votes)
Click to vote
VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
Rating: 9.0/10 (1 vote cast)

Lost Epic was released on PC, Playstation, and Xbox last year to critical acclaim. Now the game has made its way over to the Nintendo Switch, introducing a whole new group of people to the 2D action RPG gameplay and offering the possibility to become the God-slayer on the go.

Story

In Lost Epic you take on the role of a knight who defies the gods that have been ravaging the world and terrorizing humanity. This setup is introduced at the beginning of the game and not elaborated on a lot after that. Most of the characters and gods only boast a few lines of dialogue that can expand the story and world a little bit, but not by a lot. These limited conversations make most of the NPCs and villains pretty forgettable, aside from their unique designs.

The lack of story isn’t that big of a deal since the focus of the game is on the gameplay and this aspect offers a smooth experience. Likewise, the other characters don’t engage in long conversations since they’re just there to fulfill a specific role, like giving new weapons or upgrades.

Graphics

Lost Epic features a beautiful 2D art style in its characters and world. All of the NPCs and bosses feature unique anime-inspired designs in line with the role they play. For example, the witches have big hats and the gods are intimidating monsters. Only the normal enemies are a bit lacking. While each new location features a few unique enemies, most are reskinned foes that just have more health or a new attack. All of these are standing in front of nice and varying backgrounds, each unique to the god’s realm you’re currently in.

Sound

Throughout your playthrough, you’ll be greeted by a collection of songs that are unique to each of the locations you’ll visit. All of these add to the atmosphere and to the intense, fast-paced combat. Along with these songs are a myriad of over-the-top sound effects.

Most of the dialogues in the game are also voice-acted, but only in Japanese. While there aren’t a ton of conversations, it does give a nice touch to the overall atmosphere. Only during boss fights it can become cumbersome, since the only way to know what your enemy is saying is by taking your eyes off the fight and looking at the subtitles, often resulting in an early demise.

Gameplay

Lost Epic is a 2D action RPG game that takes elements from Dark Souls and the Metroidvania genre. The game features a handful of realms that you’ll traverse, each with a god to slay, while also picking up upgrades and weapons along the way.

You won’t have to face these gods empty-handed. At your disposal are a collection of weapons, each equipped with a heavy and light attack. These attacks, combined with a dodge roll, provide the bulk of the actions you’ll take during combat. All of these feel nice to use and give a lot of maneuverability during fights. These moves are linked to a stamina meter and can consume big chunks in a short amount of time, making it a resource that has to be managed quite proficiently.

Aside from the normal attacks are the Sacred techniques. The latter are special moves that can deliver a big amount of damage or even parry stronger enemies. These attacks are linked to specific weapons but can be learned after extended use. Sacred techniques can have a lot of different uses, giving players the option to customize their loadout. Secondary weapons, known as gauntlets, also feature special moves that further enlarge the player’s arsenal with ranged attacks and support moves.

While traveling through the world of Lost Epic you’ll find yourself in many unique locations, from underwater caverns to destroyed cities. Each of these worlds features a web of interconnected locations with optional routes and dead ends that need upgrades to progress further, akin to a Metroidvania game. While the puzzles in the world aren’t that elaborate, it does offer some variation and rewards for exploration.

During these travels, you’ll encounter crystals known as Anima. This resource is used to pay for most of the items in the game, from level-ups to craftable potions. These crystals are very important and will be dropped after dying, making it a race against time to find them again before meeting another unfortunate end. Offering this Anima to a statue earns you a level and a skill point that can be spent in a plethora of skill trees. You’ll unlock a new skill tree after beating a boss, giving you a lot of options to spend your skill points on. While this does sound like a plus, the elaborate skill trees and the few levels you earn later in the game can turn it into a confusing mess.

Putting Lost Epic on the Nintendo Switch was a smart move of the developers. The game runs smoothly and the gameplay loop of fighting some enemies, returning to a safe zone, and getting some upgrades is a perfect bite-sized experience when you have some time off.

Conclusion

Lost Epic is a fast-paced action game that scratches that itch for people looking for a fun and bright experience. The great presentation and pick-up-and-play gameplay are right at home on the Nintendo Switch. Only people who are looking for a big story or want to know more about this world will be left wanting more.

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
Rating: 9.0/10 (1 vote cast)
VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)
Lost Epic (Switch) - Review, 9.0 out of 10 based on 1 rating

No Comments

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.