Lobotomy Corporation

About

Lobotomy Corporation is a single player casual simulation game with horror and science fiction themes. It was developed by ProjectMoon and was released on April 9, 2018. It received very positive reviews from players.

Lobotomy Corporation is a roguelite simulation game where you manage monsters in a corporation inspired by entities from works like the SCP Foundation, Cabin in the Woods, and Warehouse 13. As the manager, you assign tasks to your employees to harness the monsters' energy and expand the facility, all while handling inevitable disasters. With each disaster, chaos ensues, leading to a unique and challenging experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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92%

Audience ScoreBased on 15,716 reviews

story1.1k positive mentions

grinding508 negative mentions

story
2,750 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
57%
3%
The story of "Lobotomy Corporation" is widely praised for its depth, complexity, and emotional impact, drawing players into a dark and intricate narrative that unfolds through visual novel-style cutscenes and character interactions. Many reviewers highlight the rich lore surrounding each abnormality, as well as the compelling character arcs that enhance the overall experience, making the challenging gameplay feel worthwhile. However, some players note that the story can be difficult to follow due to translation issues and the game's demanding mechanics, leading to a recommendation for those interested in the narrative to consider watching summaries or using mods to ease the gameplay experience.
- “The story is amazing and beautiful, the worldbuilding is wonderful, and the characters are fantastically written.”
- “The story overall is interesting, and the way you're fed it feels exciting and refreshing to go through.”
- “The only thing that keeps painful aspects of this game from completely ruining the experience is that all of the suffering you go through as a player ties into the story.”
- “100% completion of anomalies among other things is required to complete the story, and whilst thematically appropriate in how the story integrates the game mechanics through which you achieve it, getting to that point is honestly just suffering, regardless of how competent you are at the game.”
- “It's a solid experience that, truthfully, demands far too much of your time to get the story across.”
gameplay
2,112 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
65%
10%
The gameplay of "Lobotomy Corporation" is characterized by a complex management simulation that involves interacting with various "abnormalities" to generate energy while navigating a steep difficulty curve. Players often find the gameplay loop repetitive and grindy, especially in the later stages, leading to frustration due to trial-and-error mechanics and a lack of clear instructions. While the integration of gameplay and story is praised, many players feel that the overall execution is marred by clunky controls, poor UI, and a reliance on RNG, making it a challenging experience that may not appeal to everyone.
- “Lobcorp has one of the most unique gameplay experiences there is and if you are ready to spend at least several weeks on it then I definitely can recommend it.”
- “The gameplay loop is challenging, rewarding, and immensely entertaining.”
- “The gameplay is great, and the lore is even better.”
- “The gameplay loop was charming at first and I didn't find the abnormalities too hard even at WAW/Aleph level; however, after day 30+, it completely lost all its charm and just turned boring and grindy in the worst way. To top it all off, very small mistakes or RNG events can just completely ruin your day, forcing you to retry, and I really don't care enough to keep wiping 2 hours of progress at a time without at least saving ego gear and new research.”
- “However, the gameplay is inexcusable and lackluster.”
- “While it does tie into the story, it's absolutely inexcusable how repetitive and hacked together some gameplay systems are.”
music
762 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
48%
5%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its quality and ability to enhance the atmosphere, with many tracks described as "bangers" that fit the game's dark and intense themes. However, some players noted that the soundtrack can become repetitive over long play sessions, leading to a desire for more variety. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's emotional impact and immersive experience.
- “The music is amazing; iconic, even.”
- “The soundtrack provides a great atmosphere and tone setter for the game, getting more intense as the challenge does.”
- “The music is incredible, the characters make me giddy, the abnormalities are so cool. This game will just always have a special place in my heart.”
- “The music made my ears bleed, not sure if the game is an abnormality in itself.”
- “The music gets repetitive fast, so have your playlists ready.”
- “This game's music is its biggest weakness.”
grinding
512 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
99%
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious, repetitive, and often frustrating, particularly in the later stages where players must repeatedly reset and manage their agents to progress. Many reviewers suggest that the gameplay becomes a chore, with significant time spent on leveling up characters and managing resources, often leading to burnout. While some players appreciate the depth of the lore and the challenge presented, the overwhelming consensus is that the grind can detract from the overall enjoyment, making it essential for potential players to be prepared for a lengthy and often monotonous experience.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The gameplay loop was charming at first, but after day 30+ it completely lost all its charm and just turned boring and grindy in the worst way. Very small mistakes or RNG events can completely ruin your day, forcing you to retry, and I really don't care enough to keep wiping 2 hours of progress at a time without at least saving ego gear and new research.”
- “The lore is great and abnormalities are interesting, but the gameplay is largely about grinding experience for your agents' stats that is repeated over and over.”
- “The optimal play strategy is really, really grindy and boring.”
graphics
490 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
58%
4%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a unique and charming art style that blends cute, cartoonish elements with darker themes, reminiscent of SCP aesthetics. While many players appreciate the creativity and visual appeal, some criticize the graphics for being simplistic or inconsistent, with occasional glitches and a clunky UI detracting from the overall experience. Overall, the visuals are seen as a significant aspect of the game's identity, contributing to its atmosphere and storytelling, despite not being the most polished.
- “The art style is charming and I played this knowing it'll be a hard game but after giving it an hour for me personally it's just not as fun as I would like it to be.”
- “This is a remarkably charming management game, with a striking art style, creative creature designs, and compelling characters with a subtle, yet very notable line of dark humor sprinkled throughout.”
- “The art style, music, and the story are phenomenal.”
- “I find the graphics, UI, and overall design of the game very unappealing.”
- “The graphics can look outright silly and goofy at times, especially considering the dark events going on.”
- “The game lacks serious graphical polish.”
humor
194 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by a blend of dark and absurd comedy, with players finding amusement in the bizarre and often chaotic interactions with the game's "abnormalities." Many reviews highlight the game's ability to juxtapose funny and horrifying elements, creating a unique experience that elicits laughter even amidst stressful gameplay. Overall, the humor is described as quirky and engaging, making the game enjoyable despite its challenges.
- “This game is amazing, my favorite part is when I got the funny redacted guy when I never had any high-level employees. :steamhappy:”
- “All of the abnormalities are like SCP, but instead of trying to be grimy and creepy, they just went 'ok but wouldn't it be funny if it was really goofy?'”
- “It's fun, weird, has a bizarre sense of humor, and breaks the 4th wall in ways that make it more immersive, not less.”
optimization
146 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
57%
27%
The game's optimization is widely criticized, particularly in the later stages where performance issues, including severe lag and memory leaks, become prominent. Many players recommend using various optimization mods to mitigate these problems, as the base game is considered poorly optimized and can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences. Overall, while the game offers a compelling experience, its technical shortcomings significantly detract from enjoyment, especially for those unfamiliar with modding.
- “Fortunately, this game has modding support, so you can fix that with an optimization mod.”
- “You need at least some quality of life mods, bug fixes, and the optimization mod to properly enjoy this game.”
- “I suggest playing this game blind and go in with some optimization mods.”
- “The performance is terrible, specifically as you progress.”
- “First of all, this game has a huge memory leak issue which means your computer will have a performance issue even after you turn off the game (you need a restart to fix it) and this issue persists for a long time which means a fix will be an unrealistic expectation.”
- “A fantastic game I don't regret a single hour spent on, the main flaws being that once you 100% know what you're doing and don't have an immediate progression goal to work toward, the gameplay loop gets boring, and the game is horribly optimized; once you get your middle layer departments, the game starts lagging like hell even on a machine that was high-end when it came out.”
emotional
102 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is profoundly impactful, with players expressing deep attachments to characters and experiencing a wide range of feelings, from joy to heartbreak. Many reviews highlight the game's ability to evoke tears and emotional turmoil, often leaving players feeling hollow or devastated yet compelled to return. Overall, it is described as an emotional roller coaster that combines rich storytelling, dark themes, and memorable music, making it a unique and moving experience.
- “This game makes me experience so much emotional turmoil.”
- “Play this game if you want to cry from happiness, conclusion, closure, anger, disappointment; practically every emotion that can make you cry in this game will make you cry.”
- “Lobotomy Corporation has made me feel things I never thought I'd feel before in a game.”
replayability
90 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
66%
3%
Overall, the game is praised for its high replayability, driven by multiple story arcs, diverse gameplay mechanics, and a variety of abnormalities to explore. While many players find the experience fresh and engaging, some express concerns that once the game is fully mastered, it may become repetitive and less enjoyable. Nonetheless, the potential for different playthroughs and the inclusion of mods contribute to its enduring appeal.
- “This game is one that I really love, whether it's the compelling storyline that keeps players hooked, akin to the aroma of a steak that makes you crave more, or the gameplay that is equally ravishing, allowing for replayability whenever one feels ready for a fresh experience.”
- “The lore is nice (albeit confusing at times), the gameplay is captivating, and the replay value is incredibly high given the endless possible combinations of well-designed creatures and anomalous objects you can have in your facility.”
- “The replay value is through the roof; you can make future runs as easy or difficult as you choose through learning the abnormalities, and the soundtrack is absolutely addicting.”
- “Also, for me it is not a replayable game after the ending.”
- “The second is simply the lack of replayability; with 216 hours in the game, I've seen and suffered at the hands of all the game's anomalies, and I would love to see some more anomalies be added into the game at some point.”
- “In terms of replay value... this game is all about knowledge, so once you know how to handle a monster, their interactions become routine, and that happens fairly quickly.”
stability
88 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is frequently criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and performance issues, particularly as gameplay progresses. Many players experience memory leaks, crashes, and poor optimization, leading to frustrating gameplay moments. Despite these issues, some still find the core experience enjoyable, albeit in a "buggy mess" of a package.
- “The memory leak is just all-around awful to deal with, and many bugs and glitches can be found throughout the game.”
- “Even when you do get into the swing of things, there are countless glitches and unpredictable aspects that can screw over an entire run, or cause you to lose a random, long-standing employee for a reason as stupid as the game randomly deciding to give them a reward for their work.”
- “First, this game is very buggy, filled with small and big ones, some even crash the game, and the performance is even worse. At the final stage of the story with many abnormalities running around, I frequently got less than 20 fps in my game, compared to 60 fps in the beginning.”
atmosphere
86 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
41%
3%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its unique blend of dark, grimy aesthetics and an engaging soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. Reviewers highlight how the art style, sound design, and narrative elements work together to create a compelling sense of dread and immersion, making it a standout feature that captivates players despite some gameplay repetitiveness. Overall, the atmosphere is described as both chilling and engrossing, effectively setting the tone for the game's challenging and intriguing story.
- “The atmosphere overall really sets the mood for the grimy and dark world the game is set in.”
- “The game's strongest aspect is its very unique atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere is wholly engrossing.”
- “Despite the "playful" appearance of things, an atmosphere of dread is still felt at times.”
- “I muted the music and just put on some Iron Cthulhu Apocalypse, which very seriously changed the atmosphere and theme of the game from something relatively light-hearted in its handling of heavy subject matter into something dark and menacing.”
- “The game is extremely unforgiving, (but not unfair, to be clear) which takes a lot of ongoing getting used to, but that works well with the atmosphere of the game.”
character development
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
16%
9%
Character development in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players praising the character designs as visually appealing but criticizing the depth and emotional engagement of the characters themselves. While some appreciate the intriguing lore and storytelling elements, others find the characters to be lacking in personality, often feeling like mere aesthetic choices rather than fully realized individuals. Overall, the character design stands out as a highlight, but the actual development and relatability of the characters leave much to be desired.
- “Amazing game, with fun gameplay and incredible character designs.”
- “The game also has a lot of interesting lore and character development.”
- “Tldr; hot AI manager, juicy lore/character development, time travel, frames drop to 0, lots of death, da capo al fine.”
- “Character designs that are subpar at best?”
- “Devs, you definitely, 100%, fully knew what you were thinking when you made Gebura's character design.”
- “I play this game for Angela, well done on her character design.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that the game's monetization strategy could benefit from increased advertising efforts to enhance visibility and engagement. Players express hope that developers will actively promote the title to attract a larger audience.