Lacuna Passage
- May 17, 2017
- Candescent Games
- 39h median play time
Get on Steam"Lacuna Passage is a survival and exploration game set on Mars, offering a vast and realistic game world to discover. Players must manage their resources and navigate the challenges of the Martian environment, all while uncovering the mysteries of a abandoned habitat. With its immersive atmosphere and attention to detail, Lacuna Passage offers a unique and captivating experience for space and sci-fi fans."
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a unique Mars survival experience that emphasizes planning and resource management.
- Graphics and sound design are praised for their quality, enhancing the immersive atmosphere of the game.
- Players appreciate the potential for future updates and improvements, expressing hope for a more developed game experience.
- The game appears to be abandoned, with no updates or communication from the developers for over two years.
- Gameplay is criticized for being repetitive and lacking depth, leading to a sense of boredom after a few hours.
- Many players report technical issues, including bugs and poor control mechanics, which detract from the overall experience.
- gameplay18 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
Gameplay is criticized for its lack of depth and intuitive mechanics, offering only a few hours of engagement before players exhaust available resources. While the game attempts realism, many mechanics feel awkward and underdeveloped, leading to frustration with controls and survival elements. Suggestions for improvement include enhancing resource management and introducing new gameplay features to increase longevity and enjoyment.
“Gameplay is fairly simple, though not entirely intuitive and will take some observation on your part to understand some of the basic mechanics in getting a habitat up and running.”
“It's also pretty realistic, and I only know of two realistic Mars games that are Lacuna Passage and Take on Mars, both amazing games. I don't see anything wrong or anything I don't like with it. I have a few suggestions to make gameplay more enjoyable and survivable, like a greenhouse module or plantable flag, but definitely good and seems to have a lot for being in early game. Can't wait to see what else gets added.”
“A lot of mechanics are exploitable and in need of serious polishing.”
“The game as it is doesn't offer any more than a few hours of gameplay; after that, there's not much to do since you can't avoid dying of starvation.”
“It's not a survival game, because after 3-4 hours of gameplay to learn all the possible things to do, you know everything you need to go on indefinitely until you eat up all the loot around (food being the only thing that cannot be replenished).”
“Controls on the PDA are very annoying; it's a tad hard to figure out what you're supposed to do. You are going to die 100% by 80-100 sols even if you ration and find every scrap of food you have. It takes forever to walk just a kilometer, the vehicle feels terrible, and half of the mechanics are kind of just thrown in right at the end.”
- story14 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 21 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The game's current lack of a story mode has disappointed some players, who are eager for future updates that may introduce a narrative element. However, those who have experienced the gameplay find the existing plot engaging and the graphics impressive, indicating potential for a compelling story in future releases. Overall, anticipation for a story mode remains high among the community.
“The plot is engaging, the interface quite intuitive, and the graphics spectacular!”
“I'm looking forward to see what story will be in after final release.”
“Awesome graphics, can't wait for the story mode to come out.”
“No more information from the developers. There is no story or at least a storyline for the gameplay.”
“Hopefully we'll get a story mode soon!”
“I'm looking forward to seeing what story will be included after the final release.”
- graphics14 mentions
- 86 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their quality and ability to create an immersive experience, particularly in conveying the feeling of being stranded on Mars. Many users highlight the artwork as spectacular and engaging, though some note that lower-end computers may struggle to fully showcase the higher graphic settings. Overall, the visuals are considered a strong point of the game, with great potential for future updates.
“Overall, it gives the feel of being stranded on Mars with pretty good graphics.”
“Awesome graphics, can't wait for the story mode to come out.”
“The plot is engaging, the interface quite intuitive, and the graphics spectacular!”
- music4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music and sound design in the game are highly praised, particularly for the immersive ambient space music that plays during exploration, enhancing the overall experience.
“The sound design and music are amazing as well!”
“I love how it randomly starts playing ambient space music when you're walking around or exploring.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its realistic depiction of Mars, featuring impressive textures that enhance the survival experience. While the controls may be challenging initially, players find that they become intuitive over time, contributing to an immersive gameplay experience.
“I love this game; the atmosphere and textures are top-notch, and while the controls are a bit tough, once you get the hang of them, it feels natural.”
“If you want a survival experience based on realistic science, then yes, you're trying to survive on Mars, and remember, there's no oxygen on Mars; the atmosphere is primarily CO2.”
“If you want a survival experience based on realistic science, then yes, you're trying to survive on Mars. Remember, there's no oxygen on Mars; the atmosphere is primarily CO2.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been criticized for frequent freezes, control issues, and glitches, such as avatars getting stuck in walking mode and problems with tutorial guidance. Despite these significant concerns, some users note that it remains a solid, albeit early, version of the game with only minor issues.
“Freezes, avatar stuck in walking mode, no guidance in tutorial, terrible control setup, and much more.”
“Though a bit funky here and there, such as minor glitches in refilling suit O2 and battery packs, this is so far a solid, albeit very early, version of the game.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and monotonous, with some describing it as one of the most laborious experiences they've encountered.
“This game is literally the most tedious thing I have ever done in my life.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game performs well overall, but players should be aware that it may struggle to run on lower-end systems, particularly at maximum settings.
“Performance-wise, there's nothing to complain about, but it's not going to run well on your toaster at max settings.”
