LOVE
- November 8, 2013
- Fred Wood
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"LOVE is a challenging single-player platformer game with a reductive design and retro aesthetic. Its stellar mechanics include a customizable respawn system and various gameplay modes, while wonderful visuals and a marvelous soundtrack bring the levels to life. With replayability through leaderboards, achievements, and a level creation feature, LOVE offers a rich and competitive experience."
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Reviews
- Challenging yet fair gameplay with a unique respawn point mechanic that allows players to set their own checkpoints.
- Great retro aesthetic and a fantastic soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
- High replayability with multiple game modes, including speedrun and YOLO mode, catering to both casual and hardcore players.
- Very short game length, typically completed in under an hour, which may leave some players wanting more content.
- Controls can feel imprecise at times, leading to frustration during challenging sections.
- Some levels may feel repetitive or uninspired, lacking thematic consistency.
- music431 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its catchy, atmospheric quality that enhances the overall experience, with many players highlighting it as a standout feature. While the soundtrack is generally considered excellent and fitting for the game's aesthetic, some reviewers noted that certain tracks can become repetitive due to their short loops and re-use across levels. Overall, the combination of engaging music and minimalist visuals creates a nostalgic and enjoyable platforming experience.
“The soundtrack is amazing, and I don't want to know how often I paused in the menu & level select screen just to listen to the music.”
“What really makes love special is the way it combines somewhat difficult platforming with atmospheric music.”
“The music is one step above what I'd expect from a £1.99 game.”
“The only real issue I had with the game is the music can get quite repetitive since multiple tunes are re-used on several levels, and are also a rather short loop.”
“Turns out the rest of the music is nothing like the one in the trailer.”
“Every time you beat a level, the music abruptly stops and switches to another song instead of fading into the next one.”
- graphics191 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a minimalist, retro aesthetic that evokes nostalgia for classic platforms like the Atari and Commodore 64. While some players appreciate the charming simplicity and well-designed levels, others find the visuals too basic or lacking in detail, leading to mixed opinions on their overall appeal. The accompanying soundtrack is frequently praised, enhancing the game's immersive experience despite the graphics' limitations.
“The graphics absolutely transport me back to days of the Commodore 64, but the gameplay is more fluid and modern in feel.”
“Each level is amazingly designed, the graphics are so simple yet just mesmerizing.”
“The music is beautiful and the visuals are easily one of the better examples of retro graphics out there.”
“However, they don't take the aesthetic far enough so the graphics manage to look more boring and cheaply made instead of retro.”
“Visuals hard to look at after a while.”
“Personally, I would not recommend this for those who like 'style' in their platformers, as even the attention to detail with the limitations of these retro graphics don't do enough to make it visually interesting.”
- gameplay175 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Love" is characterized by its simplicity and retro aesthetic, focusing primarily on avoiding obstacles and utilizing a unique checkpoint mechanic that allows players to set their own respawn points at the cost of points. While the controls are tight and the level design is generally well-crafted, many players find the overall experience to be short and somewhat repetitive, lacking in depth and innovation. Despite these criticisms, the game is praised for its enjoyable mechanics and engaging challenge, making it a solid choice for casual play and speedrunning enthusiasts.
“Love is an enjoyable retro-styled micro-platformer that has many varied mechanics and setups for the few levels it contains.”
“The gameplay is clean and fun; it never feels like the game is the reason you died; it's always you!”
“Each level is perfectly crafted for the jumping mechanics, with enough challenge to keep you coming back for more!”
“For only 3 dollars you get uninspired level design, very weak gameplay mechanics, and only a total of 24 levels, 8 of those being only 'kind of' levels.”
“Unfortunately, two things hinder the gameplay for me to the point where I'm really not interested in playing anymore.”
“Gameplay can quickly become repetitive for those who are looking to immerse themselves into the world of a platforming game, with little else to offer outside of strictly platforming.”
- replayability60 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game offers high replayability, primarily through speedrun and yolo modes, as well as a ranking system that encourages players to improve their times and scores. While the main playthrough is relatively short, lasting around 15-30 minutes, the inclusion of achievements and various challenges provides ample incentive for repeated play. Overall, it is considered a fun and engaging experience that justifies its low price with significant replay value.
“The game puts a big focus on going back to speedrun or no-death the levels/game to encourage replayability, and it can be fun to do so.”
“A playthrough of the game is short, for sure, but it's cheap and it has lots of replay value - the main challenge comes in beating your own time and score, doing a speedrun or trying to beat the monstrously difficult yolo mode (it's so hard!).”
“Great learning curve, incredible replayability, a meditative ambiance, and a level editor so you can create your own challenges.”
“The lack of replay value could be very easily fixed by a level creator.”
“But lacks a bit in replayability.”
“This is a game that exists for replayability's sake, so if you don't like that kind of thing, just don't even look into it; it's about 15-20 minutes for your first playthrough and even less for further playthroughs, and not worth it if you only plan to play it once.”
- story32 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game is widely criticized for its complete lack of a traditional story or lore, with many reviewers noting that it simply consists of progressing through stages. However, some players appreciate this absence, finding it allows for personal interpretation and imagination of their own narratives while playing. Overall, the game's eerie presentation and engaging mechanics somewhat compensate for its narrative shortcomings.
“Game is without a story, but that makes it special to create/imagine your own story for yourself while playing.”
“Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
“Story: this guy named Bob (because he looks like him) wants to go to Gumstop because he can see the view from Gumstop.”
“There is no story.”
“If you're looking for a story, this doesn't have one.”
“In fact, there is no story.”
- atmosphere16 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is characterized by its minimalist visuals and a captivating soundtrack that enhances the overall experience, creating an enigmatic and immersive environment. While it excels in delivering a unique atmospheric quality, it may not satisfy players seeking a more expansive exploration of beauty. Overall, the combination of challenging platforming and atmospheric music is a standout feature that contributes to its charm.
“The trailer gives a good idea of what to expect in terms of minimalist pixel art and atmospheric soundtrack.”
“I have to add that the soundtrack is also pretty fantastic, and helps maintain a fascinating, enigmatic atmosphere alongside the deliberately minimal visuals.”
“This game is oozing with minimalist atmosphere.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by its amusing pixelated character design and the overall quirky aesthetic, which includes simple backgrounds and colorful obstacles. Players appreciate the lighthearted moments and the fun atmosphere created by the game's music, contributing to an enjoyable experience.
“Simple, short but fun platformer game with a neat and funny looking pixelated character; the variety of music gives the game a good atmosphere.”
“You really do have to admire the blank, black backgrounds, solid color obstacles, square pixel-like objects, and a stick character with a funny looking head.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding experience to be somewhat tedious, particularly due to repetitive audio cues that can become grating over time, although there is an option to disable them. While the minimalistic retro visuals and unique soundtrack are initially enjoyable, they tend to lose their charm after extended gameplay, especially around the 50th respawn.
“While I loved the minimalistic retro visuals and the quite unique soundtrack at first, it got to the 50th respawn before it became tedious.”
“Continually hearing them while grinding for the YOLO achievement was a bit grating, but you can always disable it.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The stability of the game is generally solid, with users reporting only minor, non-gamebreaking glitches that do not significantly impact gameplay.
“There are minor, non-gamebreaking glitches that occasionally disrupt the experience.”
“I encountered some minor, non-gamebreaking glitches that could use improvement.”
