Child of Lothian

About

In Child of Lothian, you play as an orphan robbed of her childhood as her family is put on trial by malicious witch hunters. You are left on the streets to escape their persecution inside the bustling 18th century Edinburgh.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

76%

Audience ScoreBased on 82 reviews

story10 positive mentions

stability8 negative mentions

The game features a captivating story and interesting setting in 18th century Edinburgh.
The sound design, including music and voice acting, is well-executed and enhances the overall experience.
As a free game, it offers a decent playthrough with enjoyable stealth mechanics and side quests.

The game suffers from numerous bugs and performance issues, including broken achievements and low framerate.
Character animations and AI behavior, particularly of the witch hunters, are poorly executed and can detract from gameplay.
The graphics are washed out and lack detail, making the environment feel less immersive.

story
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
43%
13%
The story of "Child of Lothian" is praised for its intriguing narrative and strong voice acting, immersing players in the journey of a Scottish orphan pursued by witch hunters. While the storytelling is compelling, some reviewers noted issues with its presentation and pacing, particularly in side quests that felt repetitive. Overall, the game is seen as having great potential, with a captivating atmosphere and a beautifully written story that could benefit from further development and refinement.
- “Child of Lothian has a very intriguing story.”
- “A great game with an interesting story, very old school feel to it :)”
- “After playing this game for my YouTube channel, I do have to say the story was the best part of it, although the witch hunters in the game were way too smart, overall I really love it!”
- “Child of Lothian is a simple stealth game following a Scottish orphan being pursued by witch hunters, with an out-of-nowhere and confusingly storyboarded ending.”
- “The only thing I would want is more to the story.”
- “How the story is shown needs to be worked on; the story isn't bad, but the presentation of it is.”
graphics
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
60%
20%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players noting washed-out visuals and performance issues, particularly at lower settings. However, many appreciate the captivating art style and the overall visual design, highlighting the realistic architecture and appealing aesthetics, despite some character animation and expression shortcomings. Overall, while there are areas for improvement, the graphics are generally well-received, especially on modern PCs with 4K support.
- “What a Plague Tale did better was the graphic design and character depth.”
- “You get a few graphics tweaks and 4K support, so the game will look nice and play well on modern PCs.”
- “The game looks amazing; you can see the amount of work that has been put into the visuals. It looks realistic on an architectural level, though the characters could use some improvements on their facial expressions.”
- “Washed out graphics.”
- “My framerate was chugging even with graphic quality all the way down.”
- “Another thing I've noticed is that if you set your graphics to 'very low', it will increase the gamma in-game by about 150-200%, which is insane since if you have a bad PC and need more FPS, I got bad news for you.”
gameplay
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
43%
21%
The gameplay is characterized by basic mechanics focused on stealth, with players navigating between safe spots while avoiding guards. While the game features smooth mechanics and clever puzzles, it suffers from repetitive visuals and optimization issues. Overall, the gameplay is linear but evolves through level design, offering a mix of stealth and action that can be engaging despite some technical shortcomings.
- “The game mechanics work fine thanks to the venerable Unreal Engine 4, and there's some simple but clever puzzles to solve in order to progress the game.”
- “Was fun to figure out all the mechanics in the game!”
- “A bit linear, the game goes multiple times over the stealth mechanics it presents itself with and keeps evolving on it through the level design.”
- “Its mechanics are extremely basic, not really evolving past 'sneak between safe spots while guards are turned around'.”
- “Mechanically, the game works reasonably well, but the textures, models, and lighting are repetitive and unconvincingly basic.”
- “The game starts off like any other stealth game, until the bush mechanic fails and you get spotted, at which point you find that it's much more efficient to just sprint through the rest of the game confusing enemies.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has been reported to be quite unstable, with numerous bugs and glitches affecting gameplay, including issues with achievement activation and occasional crashes. While some players found the experience enjoyable despite these problems, the overall consensus is that the game feels unpolished and in need of further refinement.
- “The game is still very unpolished and buggy.”
- “I came across a few minor glitches in the gameplay and it crashed once during my first session.”
- “It's a buggy, lower quality, free version of Plague Tale: Innocence.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The music in the game is highly praised for its ability to complement the overall tone and atmosphere, enhancing the player's experience. Reviewers appreciate the sound design and voice acting as well, contributing to a well-rounded auditory experience that elevates the game's storytelling.
- “The music fits the tone of the game very nicely.”
- “After playing it for a while and about to run a speedrun on the game, I can wholeheartedly say that I love this game. The atmosphere, the music, the sound design, and even the voice acting are amazing, not to mention the story.”
- “The visuals, besides the NPCs, are pretty good; I loved the music!”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is noted as a standout feature, with users finding it consistently funny despite some bugs in the demo version. Overall, the comedic elements contribute positively to the gaming experience.
- “It was funny, if nothing else.”
- “Here's the demo version; it's a bit buggy and pretty funny.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, leading to a subpar performance despite decent gameplay. Users consistently report that the overall experience is hindered by poor optimization.
- “The game is also very poorly optimized.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users noting its ambitious execution for a student project. The combination of immersive music, sound design, and voice acting contributes to a captivating experience that enhances the overall storytelling.
- “It's atmospheric and ambitious for a student project.”
- “After playing it for a while and about to run a speedrun on the game, I can wholeheartedly say that I love this game. The atmosphere, the music, the sound design, and even the voice acting are amazing, not to mention the story.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game generally engaging, though it can become tedious, especially after repeated deaths in challenging sections.
- “It doesn't bore, but can become tedious when you die too many times; some sections can be hard.”
- “The grinding feels endless and often frustrating, making progress feel more like a chore than an achievement.”
- “Repetitive tasks can drain the enjoyment out of the game, turning what should be fun into a monotonous grind.”