Laraan

Laraan has many elements that are average at best or even subpar. It reflects decisions that weren’t always the smartest, leading to a rougher final product. Don’t expect the attention to detail or polish needed for a high-quality release. Nonetheless, Laraan still proved mildly satisfying in the face of these things, due to nostalgic visuals, a solid soundtrack, and glimpses of potential. This budget-priced cinematic sci-fi adventure might be worth taking a chance on.

48%Game Brain Score

gameplay, graphics

stability, grinding

45% User Score Based on 132 reviews

Critic Score 58%Based on 2 reviews

Platforms

Buy Nowfrom $1.04

Buy NowGet on Steam €4.99

About Laraan

Laraan is a single player platformer game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Flynn's Arcade and was released on January 11, 2017. It received neutral reviews from both critics and players.

Laraan is a Science-Fiction game about exploration in a desolate world. Created with a minimalist low poly style. Accompanied by a splendid movie soundtrack.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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Reviews

45%Audience ScoreBased on 132 reviews

gameplay5 positive mentions

stability5 negative mentions

Unique atmospheric and artistic sci-fi experience with a minimalist low-poly visual style.
Cohesive and immersive ambient soundtrack that enhances the mood and sense of isolation.
Varied gameplay segments including exploration, platforming, racing, and combat that appeal to niche players.

Poorly implemented and frustrating controls with unresponsive inputs and problematic camera behavior.
Sparse and empty game worlds with limited content, lacking meaningful exploration or mechanical depth.
Confusing, opaque narrative and story delivery that fails to engage or clearly convey its themes.

gameplay
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14% positive mentions, 75% neutral mentions, 11% negative mentions
Laraan's gameplay is minimalist and heavily focused on simple platforming mechanics like running and jumping, with little depth, combat, or puzzle complexity. Reviews commonly criticize its clunky controls, awkward camera, and lack of mechanical refinement, which undermine player engagement despite the game's atmospheric and artistic ambitions. While some players appreciate its abstract style and exploration, many find the gameplay frustrating, uneven, and insufficient to sustain interest.
- “He (dev) did a good job overruling its own limitations, even though the game doesn't look too good and has some minor issues on the mechanics, it still fits with the game concepts: an abstract adventure/platform game good enough to get your attention.”
- “It is a good game, the story is interesting and you want to explore the world, the game mechanics are simple and you get used quickly, the camera is a bit difficult to control but throughout the game you adapt perfectly.”
- “Hi, this low poly game is very successful, I played this game with Xbox 360 controller and the gameplay is quite pleasant although the bed makes you can not move with ease, apart from that I think it should improve, the game is very nice, follows a clear line and a hidden story very beautiful. The fact of having made a low poly game in this way makes you never notice the absence of smoothing. I dedicate myself to the world of video games and I recommend this game to everyone since I finished the game 3 times and I still want to play it again.”
- “I don't know where to start: the terrible camera, inconsistent hitboxes, clunky movement with both keyboard and mouse that I could have programmed better myself. The only game mechanic (jumping) is badly designed, and the momentum is laughable; it even gave me a headache.”
- “The gameplay is extremely simple, relying almost entirely on movement, jumping, and navigation, with no combat system, no deep puzzle logic, and very little mechanical progression.”
- “The gameplay controls are ugly and unresponsive; the mouse is hypersensitive yet laggy, and character animations for movement are awkward, which breaks the game's atmosphere.”
graphics
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36% positive mentions, 56% neutral mentions, 8% negative mentions
The graphics of Laraan feature a minimalist, low-polygon, and abstract art style that creates a cohesive, atmospheric, and otherworldly aesthetic. While some players appreciate this unique, nostalgic visual approach and its mood-setting qualities, others find the simplicity makes depth perception and platforming precision difficult. Overall, the graphics are a matter of taste, praised for their artistic consistency but criticized for being overly simplistic and occasionally unclear.
- “Incredible low-poly graphics and music!”
- “The minimalist visuals, though simple, are cohesive and consistent with the game’s tone, and the soundtrack plays a crucial role in establishing mood.”
- “The gameplay of Laraan is very simple platforming... the game's graphical style is all very abstract and minimalistic, which is part of the reason I was drawn to it.”
- “The way the graphics are, it's very hard to judge distance and it has some precision platforming.”
- “The worst thing is that due to these simple graphics, it's sometimes very hard to tell that there is a hole in front of you.”
- “Simple graphics that should run on a calculator.”
story
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14% positive mentions, 78% neutral mentions, 8% negative mentions
The story in Laraan is intentionally abstract and heavily reliant on symbolism, offering a philosophical and meditative sci-fi experience that some players find thought-provoking but others see as vague or underdeveloped. While ambitious in its narrative goals, many reviewers note that the minimalist and visual-only storytelling, combined with poor controls and gameplay design, hinder immersion and emotional engagement. Overall, the story is divisive—appealing to fans of experimental, silent exploration games but disappointing those expecting clearer plotlines and stronger narrative cohesion.
- “The story framework is intentionally opaque and philosophical.”
- “Rather than presenting a clear plot with defined characters and motivations, Laraan relies on implication and symbolism, encouraging players to interpret its themes on their own terms.”
- “For players interested in experimental storytelling, minimalist worlds, and meditative science-fiction themes, Laraan offers a brief but thought-provoking journey.”
- “I'm not quite sure what the story is they were trying to tell; yes, the exploration is there and there are some hints of narrative going on, but it is poorly executed and led me to wonder what the hell the game is actually about.”
- “I think the writers were very ambitious with this story; however, for the type of game they wanted to make, it was a little too ambitious. They want to have this amazing story with many details and interesting parts, but the game, which is a sort of casual silent exploration game, isn't the type for a lot of explanation. Thus, the story cannot be fully told; this leads developers to make it all visual, which is a pity because the story suffers under this. To me, this is its biggest flaw and the main reason why I couldn't push myself any further.”
- “There is also a story of some kind, but I didn't feel like reading a huge column of white text scrolling over my screen, so I have no idea what it is about.”
music
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43% positive mentions, 48% neutral mentions, 9% negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its ambient, cinematic, and atmospheric qualities that complement the minimalist visuals and evoke feelings of loneliness and contemplation. While some users find the soundtrack decent and fitting for different environments with minimal repetition, a few criticize low-quality loops, occasional annoying sounds, or volume issues. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong and integral part of the game's unique, immersive experience.
- “The music leans toward ambient, cinematic compositions that underscore feelings of loneliness, awe, and quiet contemplation.”
- “Beautiful art, great soundtrack and thousand miles of an incredible open world to explore makes this title a must for this 2017 indie scene.”
- “Low poly style and the ambient music are amazing, I love it.”
- “It's just low quality, with music loops which get annoying quickly and the jump whoosh sound.”
- “This is an exceptional time when music used in game was bad (actually it was used badly).”
- “- strangely scratchy music”
atmosphere
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56% positive mentions, 11% neutral mentions, 33% negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is generally praised for its minimalist, beautiful graphics and effective sound design, creating a distinct and lingering mood. However, this ambiance is often undermined by poor controls, awkward animations, and initial presentation choices that disrupt immersion. Despite these flaws, many find the atmospheric experience compelling and one of the game's stronger aspects.
- “Some of the levels are kinda challenging but the atmosphere is done very well!”
- “Next, you get to the gameplay, and atmosphere is broken with ugly controls (mouse is hypersensitive by default, yet laggy) and ugly character animation (talking about the movement, not the model).”
- “Together, these elements create a distinct atmosphere that lingers even when the gameplay itself struggles to maintain momentum.”
- “Laraan is an experimental science-fiction adventure that places atmosphere, symbolism, and cinematic ambition above conventional gameplay structure.”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions
The game suffers from frequent bugs, glitches, and occasional lag, including faulty collision and graphical issues, resulting in a generally unpolished experience. However, despite these stability problems, some users still find the gameplay enjoyable.
- “Very unpolished and buggy.”
- “Faulty object collision and other glitches.”
- “Can also be a bit buggy.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The emotional experience is marked by a mysterious and intriguing atmosphere that may not appeal to players seeking clear narrative or emotional clarity. Sparse but effective sound design enhances immersion, with realistic environmental and character sounds contributing to a palpable sense of presence and tension.
- “Sound design is sparse but effective, allowing silence and space to carry emotional weight.”
- “The sounds sounded realistic, matched up with the character (like footsteps) and there were environmental sounds that made me feel like the world around me was real.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The humor is highlighted by playful and unexpected elements, such as exploding hover bikes, which adds a fun and entertaining twist to the game's creative art and environment.
- “Maybe my real motivation is just to find more sweet hover bikes that explode when rocks look at them funny.”
- “Great art combined with an unexpected environment, so funny and entertaining.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions
Users acknowledge the game has numerous technical and design flaws, but still view the grinding aspect positively, suggesting it is engaging or rewarding despite the overall issues.