Lost Dimension
- October 30, 2017
- FURYU Corporation
- 38h median play time
A fun detective-esque RPG that punishes and rewards at the same time through its original story and game mechanics. Lacking RPG fundamentals like side quests and super-powered equipment will turn off some genre enthusiasts, but those who give it a chance will be captivated.
In "Lost Dimension," players climb a villain's tower, battling foes and uncovering traitors in their ranks to save the world. Gameplay features turn-based combat with psychic abilities and relationship-building mechanics. As the team leader, you must discern traitors and ascend the tower to defeat the mastermind.
Reviews
- The game features a unique traitor mechanic that adds tension and replayability, as players must deduce who among their team is the traitor each playthrough.
- Combat is engaging and strategic, allowing for various character abilities and positioning tactics, reminiscent of games like Valkyria Chronicles.
- The character designs and individual backstories are well-developed, making players care about their fates throughout the game.
- The story is often criticized for being cliché and lacking depth, with many characters falling into typical anime archetypes.
- The game suffers from technical issues, including frame rate drops and crashes, which can detract from the overall experience.
- Many important game mechanics are not well explained, leading to confusion and frustration, especially regarding the skill trees and character abilities.
- story316 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The story of the game is a mixed bag, featuring a unique premise centered around a traitor mechanic and character-driven narratives, but often criticized for its lack of depth and character development. While some players appreciate the engaging dialogue and the gradual reveal of plot twists, many find the overall execution to be mediocre, with a reliance on clichés and a need for multiple playthroughs to fully grasp the narrative. Overall, the game is seen as enjoyable for its gameplay mechanics, but those seeking a rich and compelling story may be disappointed.
“The story is adequate enough and the game doesn't overstay its welcome, taking around twenty hours to complete if you wish to pursue the true ending (though the random nature of the traitors may force you to do more than two playthroughs).”
“This game is fun because the story and finding out who the double agent is.”
“Much of the story is locked away behind hidden dossiers and a new game+ 'true ending.' If you have the patience to unlock that stuff, Lost Dimension contains a pretty neat story with enjoyable characters.”
“Short, not a lot of story, nothing deep or that'll challenge your worldview.”
“- the story is weak.”
“A culmination of good ideas bogged down by boring story presentation.”
- gameplay159 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a unique blend of turn-based tactical mechanics and a social deduction element, particularly highlighted by the "traitor" mechanic that adds depth and replayability. While many players find the mechanics engaging and innovative, criticisms include a lack of clear explanations for certain features, grindy gameplay, and a repetitive combat loop. Overall, the game offers a solid experience for fans of tactical RPGs, though it may not appeal to those seeking a polished narrative or balanced mechanics.
“As you progress through the game, you learn its intricacies like abusing the assist mechanic, what skills to pick, and how to make the best out of your team since you lose some characters.”
“The overall gameplay loop of good combat in good maps into finding out who the traitor is to kill them and upgrade your characters is just very addicting and is the main reason I played this game multiple times.”
“Good turn-based tactics game that requires careful planning before and during the battles, coupled with the unique traitor mechanic that adds tension to the storyline, makes this a solid SRPG.”
“Aside from all that, the game generally feels a bit 'budget' - animations are simple, the voice acting is seldom and average, the spell effects are extremely bland and the gameplay loop is very repetitive.”
“I understand this is done to make things have more 'risk' and feel like your choices have more meaning, but it really just ruins hours of gameplay if you are someone who has limited time in the day and a mistake happens.”
“This game is a horror show of game mechanics.”
- music38 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising the soundtrack for its variety and ability to create tension, particularly during key moments like battles and the opening. However, there are notable complaints about the music abruptly cutting out during gameplay, which detracts from the overall experience. While some tracks are considered catchy and memorable, others are criticized for being overused or inappropriate for certain contexts.
“The tension is thick, there's a looming sense of dread in the air, and the music reflects this.”
“The soundtrack is great with every section having different soundtracks.”
“It's a turn-based strategy RPG, similar to Massive Chalice, or for a more well-known game, XCOM - and it has a pretty good soundtrack!”
“The music abruptly cuts out on numerous occasions, most notably during quests and visions.”
“Music also randomly stops playing.”
“My only real complaints are that the music can sometimes stop working during battle.”
- replayability34 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The game boasts high replayability primarily due to its traitor mechanic, which alters character availability in each playthrough, allowing for varied team compositions. While some players appreciate the strategic depth and story, others note that the lack of character development and technical issues can detract from the overall experience. Overall, it is recommended for those seeking a tactical RPG with significant replay value.
“The replayability of this game is really high since every time you go through the game, the set of traitors is different and thus you can have different teams every time you run it.”
“Good characters and the RNG traitor system makes the game have great replay value.”
“You should get this game if you want a highly replayable tactical JRPG with RNG mechanics and interesting characters.”
“Although it doesn't sound bad and gives the game replayability value, what this means is that every character in the game is underdeveloped and has shallow writing, which becomes more apparent later on as they have to match dialogue with every other character.”
“It can be a little bit short, but the concept of the whole traitor mechanic makes it replayable.”
“The replayability of this game is really high since every time you go through the game, the set of traitors is different, allowing for different teams each time you play.”
- graphics26 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally described as solid but dated, reminiscent of the PS3/Vita era, with some users noting that they are not state-of-the-art. While the 2D graphics shine during conversations and the PC port is well-executed, there are complaints about a lack of graphics and performance options, as well as an unstable framerate. Overall, the visuals are considered good for gameplay, but they show signs of age and could benefit from modern enhancements.
“2D graphics look amazing during conversations.”
“Graphics are very good, although perhaps not modern.”
“Graphics are nice, gameplay is solid, and replay value is excellent.”
“The game has almost no graphics/performance options, and an unstable framerate.”
“The graphics are from the PS3/Vita era, so don’t expect great state-of-the-art visuals.”
“The mechanics and graphics do show a bit of age considering it’s not that old.”
- grinding22 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and unbalanced, often requiring multiple playthroughs and repetitive leveling to progress. While some appreciate the unique mechanics and tactical combat, many feel that the grinding detracts from the overall experience, making it feel more like a chore than an engaging part of the gameplay. Overall, the grinding is seen as a typical JRPG element, but it is criticized for being poorly integrated and overly time-consuming.
“The only real negative I have is it can be pretty annoying and tedious to get the true ending as you have to play at least two playthroughs if you're lucky.”
“Imagine grinding characters to get them to a certain level, but the gimmick of the game is that anyone can be 'erased' in order to proceed to the next floor.”
“Grinding is very much about going through the same levels to level up and gain experience.”
- optimization20 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with users reporting significant stuttering, freezes, and an unstable framerate, often requiring manual adjustments to graphics settings. Many players noted that the performance is worse than previous console versions, and the lack of graphics options exacerbates the issues. Overall, the game's poor optimization has led some to seek refunds, hoping for future patches to improve performance.
“It runs smoothly on my Surface Pro 2 with i5-4200U 1.6GHz, 8GB RAM, and integrated HD graphics.”
“Capped at 60fps, no stuttering or frame drops.”
“It's a damn shame since I've enjoyed all of Ghostlight's ports and never had a performance problem with any of their games.”
“There's some stuttering, freezes, and I had to tinker with some NVIDIA settings in order to get rid of the tearing.”
“The PS3 version is more stable than this one in terms of performance.”
“The game has almost no graphics/performance options, and an unstable framerate.”
- stability10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The stability of the game is widely criticized, with users reporting frequent crashes, stuttering, and various glitches that hinder gameplay. Many express frustration with the publisher, Ghostlight, for releasing unplayable titles and failing to address these issues. Overall, the game is deemed buggy and requires significant adjustments to run smoothly.
“Never buy a game published by Ghostlight; they release buggy, unplayable games and never fix them.”
“Crashing is common, as are various more minor glitches.”
“However, keep in mind that this game has its flaws and occasional glitches.”
- character development7 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
While the character designs in the game are praised for their uniqueness and style, the actual character development and writing in the main story are often seen as lacking depth. Some reviews highlight standout individual backstories, but overall, the characters themselves do not resonate as strongly as their designs suggest.
“The character designs are amazing and the gameplay and skills are fantastic.”
“[Brilliant character design, unique style and premise, engaging combat system, standout individual backstories].”
“It's got some varied character designs, fun environments, and an absolutely badass soundtrack.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the humor in the game falls flat, with many players finding the stakes too low to elicit genuine laughter. Additionally, the game's poor optimization is highlighted as a source of frustration rather than comedy, although some players find dark humor in the mechanics involving traitorous party members leading to instant failure.
“The only funny thing is that if you have a party of traitors and no friends, you instantly get killed before the final boss and have to start over.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the emotional impact of the game, particularly praising the wholesome ending as a satisfying culmination of the narrative. However, some feel that the overall story presentation detracts from the emotional experience, making it less engaging.
“I really enjoyed it, and the ending is really wholesome and just right.”
“A culmination of good ideas bogged down by boring story presentation.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers commend Lancarse for successfully creating a tense atmosphere in their games, skillfully balancing it with vibrant and colorful character designs. This combination enhances the overall gaming experience, showcasing the studio's ability to evoke strong emotions while maintaining visual appeal.
“It really has made me respect Lancarse for crafting a tense atmosphere in games while having fairly colorful characters.”
Critic Reviews
Lost Dimension Review
A fun detective-esque RPG that punishes and rewards at the same time through its original story and game mechanics. Lacking RPG fundamentals like side quests and super-powered equipment will turn off some genre enthusiasts, but those who give it a chance will be captivated.
85%This is the end -- Lost Dimension review
Lost Dimension is a unique, innovative RPG that can pride itself on fantastic characters and an engaging combat system. While the narrative isn’t fantastic, the NG+ features and intricate Gift skills will likely have you coming back for seconds. A fantastic addition to the Vita library.
85%Lost Dimension Review – Out Of This World
Taken as a full product, Lost Dimension is one of the most unique Tactical RPGs that I've played in a long time. Although not everything about it is 100% perfect, enough about the game is unique and interesting that it can easily be recommended to both fans and newcomers to the genre.
75%