Lex Mortis
- February 9, 2015
- Denis Esie
- 3h median play time
Get on Steam"Lex Mortis is a single-player, horror open-world game with exceptional graphics, taking place on the mysterious and deserted Berdwood island in Northern Europe. After a night on the island, you discover the horrifying fate of its 2000 inhabitants, and are faced with a difficult choice affecting their outcome. With two possible endings, the game lets you explore Berdwood island and uncover its secrets at your own pace, with the atmosphere changing drastically between day and night."
Reviews
- The game features impressive graphics, especially during the daytime, showcasing the capabilities of the CryEngine.
- There are some effective jump scares that can create a spooky atmosphere, particularly in the initial segments.
- The game has potential for exploration and offers a unique horror experience despite its flaws.
- The game suffers from severe lighting issues, making it nearly impossible to see anything at night, and lacks any light sources like flashlights.
- Gameplay is repetitive and poorly designed, often forcing players to backtrack between locations with little reward or progression.
- Numerous bugs and translation errors detract from the overall experience, making it feel unfinished and frustrating to play.
- graphics14 mentions
- 79 % positive mentions
- 21 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the stunning visuals and atmospheric design, particularly during the daytime. However, several users criticize the game's nighttime settings for being too dark, which detracts from the overall experience. Overall, while the graphics are often described as beautiful and impressive, visibility issues at night significantly impact gameplay.
“Amazing graphics.”
“Beautiful graphics.”
“It feels like this game has been heavily inspired by the good old X-Files TV series and CryEngine 3 provides stunning visuals.”
“It had just its graphics talking; gameplay-wise, story-wise, and exploration-wise it was terrible, besides the poorly scripted stuff.”
“I'm very disappointed with this game. I will admit that the graphics and the whole concept of the game are lacking... that is, if you're able to see anything.”
- atmosphere10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the initial spookiness and immersive elements, particularly during the first night, while others criticize it for being overly dark and frustrating, detracting from the experience. Despite some effective moments, many feel that the atmosphere becomes repetitive and uncomfortable, leading to a less enjoyable gameplay experience. Overall, while there are commendable aspects, the execution leaves room for improvement.
“The game actually did an okay job of building an atmosphere, at least initially, and I genuinely was spooked a couple of times as I explored the first house at night.”
“Great overall atmosphere.”
“The scares and atmosphere of the first 'night' was awesome.”
“I guess they wanted to build atmosphere but instead it adds only frustration.”
“It is not adding to the atmosphere, it's just annoying.”
“Also, the game is far too dark at times. I get the darkness is meant to set the mood and atmosphere, but I still need to see at least moderately in front of me, or else I have no idea what is happening. There was a pitch-black cutscene where a bridge collapsed, and I had no idea that had happened until after the cutscene when I awoke in a river.”
- music10 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 80 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The music in the game is largely criticized for its limited selection, featuring only two repetitive tracks that often clash with the game's scenery. Many players find the soundtrack uninspired and distracting, with some noting that it drowns out important dialogue. Overall, the music detracts from the experience rather than enhancing it.
“Amazing music.”
“There is not much music, probably 2 songs which repeat over and over again.”
“The soundtrack was uninspired.”
“It is sometimes also not possible to understand what the protagonist says because the music is too loud and the voice is too silent.”
- gameplay9 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it enjoyable despite notable glitches and control issues, while others criticize it for minimal storytelling and poor mechanics. While the graphics are praised, many feel that the gameplay experience is lacking and detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.
“But the gameplay, I think, is awesome.”
“Within my 3 hours of gameplay, I was glitched out of a boat but was still controlling it. I flipped a car by turning. Mind you, the cars only go 30 mph if you don't hit sprint, which for some reason also causes the car to sprint but wasn't listed in the car's instructions. Speaking of which, you press F to bail out of cars but also press F to close the instructions window... I think you can guess what happened.”
“I still hold out hope for this game - I would give it an 8/10 for graphics as the daytime scenery is truly amazing and 5/10 for current gameplay issues.”
“Within my 3 hours of gameplay, I was glitched out of a boat but was still controlling it. I flipped a car by turning, mind you the cars only go 30 mph if you don't hit sprint, which for some reason also causes the car to sprint but wasn't listed in the car's instructions. Speaking of which, you press F to bail out of cars but also press F to close the instructions window. I think you can guess what happened.”
“Minimal storytelling, and virtually non-existent gameplay.”
“The developer is obviously interested in modeling because the island is impressive in that regard, but the gameplay is severely lacking.”
- story8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's story is widely criticized for being clichéd, boring, and poorly executed, with minimal storytelling and a lack of engaging gameplay. Players noted that the narrative fails to provide meaningful context or depth, leading to a disappointing experience, especially towards the end. Additionally, the absence of a new game option after completing the story limits replayability, further detracting from the overall enjoyment.
“Most locations you can't access anyway until the story lets you.”
“This game is one playthrough only; you will not be able to start the game from the beginning once you've beaten it for the first time. I liked the game, and after I finished the main story, I was planning on making a YouTube video review, and there's no way to start the game again—no new game option available.”
“It had just its graphics talking; gameplay-wise, story-wise, and exploration-wise it was terrible, besides the poorly scripted stuff.”
“And the story was cliche and boring.”
“It's an entertaining enough game, but there's not much story about how the character got there, why they went there, and the ending is a bit of a letdown as well.”
“It had just its graphics talking; gameplay-wise, story-wise, and exploration-wise it was terrible, besides the poorly scripted content.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with players reporting numerous bugs, particularly related to terrain and navigation, which detract from the overall experience. Issues such as clipping through walls and poor visibility during certain conditions highlight the need for significant fixes to improve gameplay. Overall, the game's stability is seen as a major flaw that undermines its potential.
“Currently, I am climbing the mountains and exploring the map; however, after I entered a cave through a mountain (the walls and mountains are very buggy; you can climb a mountain by jumping around and at some point you can pass through the wall of a mountain and get to an area where you are not supposed to reach), the sun set and I almost can't see anything!”
“This game needs some serious fixing. It isn't a bad idea and has neat concepts, but it is really buggy and shows tons of flaws when running the game on ultra.”
“Cons: the game is not fun, it is buggy, translations break immersion, and there isn't much of a real free roam experience.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by unexpected and absurd moments, such as vehicles being comically tossed into the air due to quirky game mechanics, which adds a lighthearted and entertaining element to the gameplay experience.
“And then just before I arrived at my destination in my car, I touched an invisible bit of geometry near the side of the road, and my vehicle was promptly tossed hilariously up into the air and onto its side.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is criticized for being poorly optimized, leading to significant performance issues that detract from the overall experience.
“Poorly optimized - out of my sight!”
“The game runs like a snail on my system, despite meeting the recommended requirements.”
“Frequent frame drops and long loading times make it nearly unplayable.”
