Lacuna – A Sci-Fi Noir Adventure

An intriguing pixelated noir adventure, Lacuna – A Sci-fi Noir Adventure is an entertaining experience that reminds us of classic click & point games. Developed by DigiTales Interactive, Lacuna is inspired by some of the most emblematic pieces of thriller fiction, all while including some welcome innovations to the classic formula.

The game’s branching storyline and charming visual style are sure to capture the player’s attention, even if they’ve never played a game like this before. However, are Lacuna’s innovations enough to attract new players? Or is this a game for players on a point-and-click nostalgia trip only? Let’s find out.

Pixel noir

Lacuna stars Neil Conrad, a CDI agent. While investigating what seems like your everyday murder, Conrad discovers that this crime could have catastrophic consequences for the whole world. What follows is a complex plot full of twists and turns, as players slowly reveal the truth behind the grizzly affair.

Unlike games like Beyond Two Souls or most of Telltale’s games (like The Walking Dead), choices you make have lasting consequences, and some of them could lead you to an early end. Decisions are usually final, so players will have to carefully consider which path they’ll choose.

This sense of finality to each decision gives Lacuna’s narrative a certain edge that’s unparalleled by most adventure games, especially if we compare this game to those that inspired it.

Point & click platformer

From a gameplay point of view, Lacuna redefines how a traditional adventure game like this one is supposed to feel. While most point & click adventures have players, well, pointing and clicking, Lacuna offers a control scheme that’s reminiscent of those of most platforming games.

Players can use controllers or the WASD keys to move around, making the game feel more refined. That, along with the intuitive UI, makes this game feel more like a AAA experience than an indie game.

Also worth noting is that the developers seem to understand what players have always disliked about some adventure games. For example, each interactable object is clearly highlighted, reducing the time players will need to spend looking for clues in a sea of identical-looking pixels.

Visuals and puzzles

Advertised as a sci-fi adventure, the visual inspirations of Lacuna seem to be some of the most popular cyberpunk games, like Deus Ex. However, the 2D pixel art looks very reminiscent of that of games like Party Hard, where overworld character models don’t have any facial features.

However, some key characters have fully drawn portrait art when you talk to them. Also, the game has some beautiful sprite art cutscenes to reinforce its narrative. As a whole, Lacuna is an undeniably pretty game, one that isn’t afraid to portray some dark and trippy scenes to tell its fascinating story.

Another aspect worth commending about Lacuna’s gameplay is the way it uses its puzzles. As a detective, most of the gameplay will have you looking for clues and piecing them together to understand a murder case. Fortunately, these puzzles and investigations don’t stop the narrative, as they serve more as a way to compliment the story, rather than being a roadblock.

Pros:

• Interesting plot
• Great narrative
• Excellent controls

Cons:

• Some of the sprite art can look a bit too simple