TEST – The epithet in the title doesn’t just mean that one aspect of the game isn’t… the best, it also refers to the fact that this time it’s not a 30/40/50/60/70 euro game, but can be bought for a third of that the creation of Unstable Games, which can also be considered a kind of Diablo clone, because it uses such a camera position; besides, it’s a roguelike, which also goes back to Chinese mythology with its story.
At least there will be no complaints about the story, because the story also draws from Journey to the West, in which Chenxiang (none of the names will be described in English; it can also be written as Chen Xiang) tries to save his mother, Sanshengmu (in the game Huayue Sanniang), for which the martial artist he also tries to use his knowledge, which he acquired from Sun Wukong, the Monkey King.
His fight outside the law
We are talking about popular characters from Chinese culture, and the origin of the story goes back to the Tiang Dynasty (and there are already nearly a dozen film adaptations of it), which is the VII. He reigned for nearly 290 years from the 1st century. Our hero’s mother is an immortal who falls in love with a mortal (forbidden), and our hero is born an outlaw, resulting in Sanshengmu being imprisoned under Mount Hua. Chenxiang does not know his origin, but learns about the past as a teenager. He sets out to save his mother, and the other immortals also help him in this. Making a roguelike out of it is not a bad idea, because the story itself is not that long-winded thing that has already been seen a million times elsewhere. The gameplay, however, is already familiar, because the camera position itself can remind you of Diablo, and here too, the enemies come in waves, which you defeat with primary and secondary attacks and special abilities, and then, when the terrain is clear, you can pick up the loot, which is one of three abilities. There are intermediate and end bosses as well.
If Chenxiang lays down somewhere during the round, he will lose the items he acquired until then, but the currencies will remain, so they can be spent on perks. So here too, death is natural, which is necessary because without it you can get to the end of the story very quickly, but replayability is inherent in the genre, because Unstable Games would lead the audience to try to play one more round, and then one more, one more, one more, and as many as you can fit. This then becomes a bit chaotic, but in a good way, because it’s fast-paced, fun, and can hook the audience if they buy it. Even the bigger boss fights can last a few minutes. Our weapons can be upgraded with several artifacts, and skills can significantly influence the game style, and their combination and variation decide how you play. Some will release hurricanes of fire, while others will lash out at their opponents with lightning bolts (which are also unique to Western games). Since the skills can be used very quickly (short cooldown times), the experience is fast-paced.
It doesn’t speak English properly with the overarching text
The most obvious problem with Lotus Lantern: Rescue Mother is the English localization. Due to the lack of knowledge of the Chinese language, it is not possible to form an opinion about the dubbing (no, of course, there is no English spoken in the game), and the music fits the genre and has a bit of a traditional touch, which is pleasing. The problem is in the subtitles and the interface. To put it mildly, the developers are at war with the English language. Sometimes the text is not properly resized, so it sticks out here and there (even during the ending, a bit bad). Elsewhere, they use the wrong apostrophe (which makes it look like there are more spaces after it), and sometimes the character changes from first person singular to third person singular in the middle of a sentence. There are also places where it is very difficult to understand what the given text means.
In addition to the user interface, even during fights, the critical damage that originally fits two Chinese characters is written in English as Crit Hit, which would be enough to indicate Crit or the number of damage in a different color. It might not bother some, but since there is no English dubbing, you have to rely on the subtitles. Is it more advisable to play with Chinese subtitles…? Anyway, the game seems relatively easy and quite similar to something else. The meme We have Hades at home could be a bad joke… but it’s still apt. Although the game is not narrowly rewarding, it is quite reminiscent of the work of Supergiant Games and offers a more mature experience in comparison.
Chinese experience… Chinese quality?
Not all Chinese developments are automatically considered bad. There are still excellent CRPG (here C stands for Chinese!) works. The Xuan-Yuan Sword series is recommended (in fact, they are even part of Gaiden!). Other than that, Lotus Lantern: Rescue Mother is not bad, but you can easily find better products in its genre on the market. It falls short of a 7/10 rating due to the somewhat awkward English translation, so it only gets a 6.5. It’s not bad either, and it also indicates that you can spend a few days with it. But no more.
-W-
Pros:
+ Fast-paced and dynamic gameplay
+ Audiovisuality and atmosphere unusual for us
+ Beginners can also play
Cons:
– English subtitles of below average quality
“How different is this from Hades…?”
– Because it is too light, it can be “consumed” too quickly
Publisher: 663 Games
Developer: Unstable Games
Style: roguelike
Appearance: April 12, 2024
Gameplay – 4.2
Graphics – 6.8
History – 7.3
Music/sounds – 7.2
Mood – 7.5
6.6
CORRECT
A light roguelite with a scandalous English translation that detracts from its value…
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