Lovely Planet Arcade
- July 21, 2016
- quicktequila
Lovely Planet Arcade is a fast, challenging deconstruction of old school FPS design that can be frustrating, but makes up for it with heaps of charm.
Get on Steam"Lovely Planet Arcade" is a first-person shooter game that features fast-paced, precision-based gameplay. Players must navigate through colorful levels while shooting enemies and avoiding obstacles to reach the goal. With its simple controls and charming visuals, the game offers a challenging and enjoyable experience for fans of the genre.
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Reviews
- Lovely Planet Arcade features lovely and funny gameplay, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of the genre.
- The game has a charming art style and good music, contributing to an enjoyable atmosphere.
- The gameplay is engaging, with a mix of shooting and puzzle-solving elements that keep players challenged.
- The game can become repetitive after a short period, leading to a sense of boredom.
- Invisible enemies and confusing level designs create frustrating moments that detract from the overall experience.
- The removal of vertical aiming and the simplistic level design limit the freedom and creativity that players enjoyed in the original game.
- gameplay64 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Lovely Planet Arcade" is a mix of nostalgic first-person shooter mechanics reminiscent of classic titles like Doom, combined with new elements that introduce puzzle-solving and tactical challenges. While many players appreciate the evolving mechanics and the shift from platforming to combat-focused gameplay, some criticize the implementation of certain features, such as invisible enemies and the lack of y-axis aiming, which can detract from the overall experience. Despite these issues, the game offers a fun and engaging challenge, particularly for fans of the original.
“The gameplay is similar to Doom but has the same gimmicks as the first game, shooting bombs before they touch the floor, shooting enemies before they shoot you, with some extra new stuff thrown in. It starts slow but picks up the pace nicely and becomes puzzle-oriented, which I personally loved a lot. The three-star times are challenging to get, but thankfully there's no requirement for 100% accuracy, making it much easier to handle. The lack of Y-axis aiming helps with precise shots too. It does get a little annoying with the invisible enemies and fog gimmicks in Act 3, but it's still decently fun to play. Mirror mode felt a tad redundant, but the speed mode was excellent, so there's plenty of content to enjoy!”
“Lovely Planet Arcade keeps many traits from the original: cheerful visuals, challenging gameplay, and gratification from achieving excellent times. However, the skills being challenged shift from platforming and precise accuracy to quick-thinking and tactical mindedness.”
“Many elements of gameplay are introduced as you progress through each world, making each level more complex and engaging.”
“It's a shame because it's so easy to see the potential of a fun, arcade-style shooter, and you can see creatively designed levels, but the mechanics introduced in zones 3 and 4 are just terrible.”
“While the original had aspects of this in the last two worlds, it's pretty much the entirety of the gameplay here, figuring out the order to shoot enemies and how to optimize levels to shave off milliseconds and get those three stars.”
“While yes, it does introduce some new mechanics, it doesn't remix them well at times, making the gameplay not feel that fresh.”
- music44 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising its cheerful and engaging soundtrack composed by Calum Bowen, reminiscent of classic Nintendo tunes, while others criticize it for being repetitive and lacking the standout tracks of its predecessor. While the sound design is noted to be improved, enhancing gameplay through distinct audio cues, many players feel the overall musical experience falls short, with some tracks becoming irritating during extended play. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a decent but not exceptional aspect of the game, with a few standout moments overshadowed by repetitiveness.
“The music and sound design is much better in this game, the audio peaking issues are non-existent, and enemies make different sounds so you can often tell what caused a death or what's about to happen. However, the music didn't have too much flair to it, and I was hoping for another song that stood out.”
“Overall, this soundtrack is great, and some songs are still stuck in my head months after playing this.”
“The music by Calum Bowen is excellent, although I prefer the original's soundtrack.”
“At that point, they up the difficulty artificially by tossing really annoying enemies and patterns at you, and unfortunately the music gets surprisingly repetitive to boot.”
“It’s just a shame that the soundtrack is repetitive and cheesy compared to Lovely Planet’s, with arcade sounding like someone was making music for a carnival minigame.”
“The music sounds like it’s trying to at least have a pleasant vibe to it, but the results beg to differ much of the time.”
- graphics26 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a distinct, minimalistic art style that is both cute and colorful, reminiscent of the original "Lovely Planet." While the visuals are generally praised for their charm and clarity, some reviewers noted a lack of variety across different worlds and described the graphics as simplistic. Overall, the combination of engaging visuals and a playful soundtrack creates an ironic contrast with the game's challenging gameplay.
“The graphics are yet again top notch, enemies are very clear to read by symbols on their chest alongside the sound effects, but graphically everything has that simplistic charm which I recognize as Lovely Planet anytime. It always is simple and pleasing to the eyes, and it's still something I adore about the series.”
“Just like Lovely Planet, this game has a very distinct art style. It still certainly is a more unique art style though.”
“This game, for as vastly different as it is from the original, somehow still manages to find a very similar and familiar balance of everything right in the world that the first one does: cute, endearing retro-style flat polygonal graphics, and wonderful, engaging, amazingly retro music.”
“The graphics are boring, the enemies are boring, the sound effects are kinda cute but the music is mindbogglingly bad.”
“The different 'worlds' don't have much change in visuals in this game sadly, which is something Lovely Planet did better.”
“On its own, it's a pretty decent game, but when I can get a much better game at the exact same price, with the same graphical style and objective, it's just... sad.”
- story7 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The game is criticized for its lack of a coherent story, with players noting that the vague intro animations do not contribute meaningfully to the gameplay. Instead, the focus is solely on completing levels and defeating enemies, making it unsuitable for those seeking a narrative-driven experience. Overall, the game is described as story-less, with no significant plot or character development.
“Every time you start a new chapter, there's a weird intro animation that seems to convey something, but it's so vague and unimportant to the game that I consider it story-less.”
“There is no story or main goal, outside of completing the sequence of levels with all of the stars, which you earn by finishing in the fastest time possible. The deceptively charming art style and soundtrack mask a very punishing and challenging game.”
“There is no plot at all; it’s just you and the many blob-like enemies you’ll have to kill before you can touch the purple pole to move on.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's humor is highlighted by its ironic juxtaposition of cute graphics and music with frustrating gameplay, creating a charmingly funny experience. Players particularly enjoy the amusing and absurd dialogue that accompanies character deaths, often eliciting genuine laughter.
“Very lovely and funny gameplay.”
“I suppose making an evil and kind of frustrating game with such cute graphics and music is ironic and funny; well, it kind of is.”
“I was laughing out loud over the ridiculous assortment of things it says when you die in the game!”
- replayability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game offers solid replayability through its short, arcade-style levels that encourage players to improve their speed and mastery of mechanics, with additional rewards like stars for quicker completions. This design promotes repeated play as players strive to enhance their performance and tackle challenges.
“The game is designed as an arcade shooter with short levels that are easily replayable, allowing you to master your timing while taking out enemies.”
“You can also earn stars based on how quickly you complete levels, so there's some replay value there.”
“The game is going for the arcade shooter: short levels that are easily replayable, as you try to master your timing while taking out enemies.”
- stability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is praised for its reliability, with no reported sequence breaks, vertical aiming issues, or glitches that allow players to shoot through walls, ensuring a consistent gameplay experience.
“There are no chances of sequence breaks, ensuring a smooth gameplay experience.”
“The game features no vertical aim issues, which contributes to its overall stability.”
“I haven't encountered any glitches that allow shooting through walls, making for a fair and stable environment.”
“There are no chances for sequence breaks, and the lack of vertical aim makes the gameplay feel limited.”
“I encountered numerous glitches that allowed me to shoot through walls, which ruined the immersion.”
“The game is plagued by stability issues that disrupt the overall experience.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its ability to evoke a range of feelings through its charming and heartwarming design, effectively catering to diverse emotional experiences while maintaining a high level of craftsmanship.
“They just scratch such different itches, but do it with the same cutesy, heartwarming, master-crafted aplomb!”
Critic Reviews
Lovely Planet Arcade review
Lovely Planet Arcade is a fast, challenging deconstruction of old school FPS design that can be frustrating, but makes up for it with heaps of charm.
84%Bullet heaven: Lovely Planet Arcade review
A deceptively difficult shooter, Lovely Planet Arcade mixes adorable graphics with addictive action and a great soundtrack.
80%
