Lucifer Within Us
- July 18, 2019
- Kitfox Games
- 3h median play time
Get on Steam"Lucifer Within Us" is a narrative-driven detective game where you investigate timelines, question suspects, and use contradictions to uncover the truth in daemonic possession cases. The game features no hidden plot twists or mini-games, just you and the information to solve three murder cases. As a detective, you'll enter the minds of citizens to banish daemonic A.I. and make tough choices about who to purge.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Innovative mechanics for a detective game, offering an immersive and authentic mystery-solving experience.
- Engaging storyline with an intriguing premise and well-developed characters.
- Beautiful art style and solid voice acting that enhance the overall experience.
- The game is very short, with only three cases, making it feel incomplete.
- Some mechanics can lead to predictable outcomes, reducing the challenge of solving mysteries.
- The ending feels rushed and leaves many plot points unresolved, hinting at a sequel that may never come.
- gameplay315 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Lucifer Within Us" is characterized by innovative mechanics that focus on deduction and contradiction within testimonies, offering a unique and engaging mystery-solving experience. However, many players feel that the execution is hampered by the game's short length, with only a few cases that lack complexity and replayability, leaving them wanting more depth and challenge. While the mechanics are praised for their originality and fun, the overall experience is often described as feeling incomplete or more like a demo than a full game.
“The game introduces some genuinely innovative mechanics for a detective game, offering an immersive and authentic mystery-solving experience.”
“I really enjoyed the unique mechanics of mystery solving.”
“The gameplay mechanics are very solid, the act of interviewing different suspects on the scene of a murder while cross-referencing their stories and evidence and watching and questioning their timelines is fantastic.”
“While the unique mechanics show a lot of untapped potential, the execution leaves much to be desired.”
“Gameplay is too short and too simple to recommend.”
“Just under two hours and just a few scenarios, with one being half guided for the sake of tutorial, does not do this world, or these game mechanics justice, and it deserves to be longer.”
- story288 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The game's story is characterized by an intriguing premise and engaging mechanics, but it suffers from a rushed and incomplete execution, leaving players wanting more. With only three short missions, the narrative feels more like a prologue to a larger tale, and the abrupt ending, coupled with predictable twists, detracts from the overall experience. While the writing and art style are praised, many reviewers recommend waiting for a sale due to the game's brevity and lack of depth.
“The story touches on some aspects of the world's lore, but I spent a lot of the game just wanting more information.”
“The graphics and dialogue are excellent, the investigations are brilliant, and the story thread is compelling.”
“Great mechanics but I would hope to have a longer story in order to match up with the price.”
“However, it feels incomplete, with noticeable bugs and a storyline that’s unfortunately rushed.”
“The story feels more like a prologue to a larger work than a full work of its own.”
“The plot only exists in vague notions in the background until the ending, until an extremely goofy twist happens and you're blasted with plot until the game just ends unsatisfyingly on a cliffhanger.”
- graphics65 mentions
- 68 % positive mentions
- 28 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful art style, engaging visuals, and unique aesthetic that effectively convey the game's tone and atmosphere. Many reviewers highlight the quality of the character designs and animations, noting that the visuals enhance the storytelling and gameplay experience. However, some technical issues, such as resolution problems and performance drops on higher settings, detract from the overall graphical experience.
“The art style is beautiful (both stills and animation), the voice acting is absolutely splendid all around and the overall feel of the game is quite enticing.”
“The graphics are great, the art style unique, the small amount of lore interesting, and the story while limited, had an interesting ending.”
“Brilliant detective mechanics wrapped in a fantastic display of artistry & aesthetic - it is beyond a doubt one of the best games I've played this year!”
“If you have an unusual monitor/graphic card, this is another Unity game that doesn't see the available resolutions, defaults to 320x200 if you touch the graphic options, and offers no obvious way to get back to the native resolution.”
“On the medium, high, and ultra graphics settings, the game runs at under 10 fps.”
“The visuals accompanying the testimonies are too revealing and show more detail than the witness states.”
- replayability23 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 35 % negative mentions
Overall, the game suffers from a significant lack of replayability, with most players noting that the experience is very short—typically around 2 to 5 hours—and linear in nature. While some mention minor incentives like achievements, the consensus is that the game does not offer enough content or variation to warrant multiple playthroughs, making it feel more like a fleeting experience rather than a lasting one. Despite its appealing aesthetics and mechanics, many reviewers find it hard to justify the price given the minimal replay value.
“The levels are interesting, the gameplay is fun, and there's a small amount of replayability if you're fishing for 100% achievements (though in all honesty some of them are slightly tedious).”
“There is a little replay value to get some achievements, but those achievements were missed because I didn't feel like spending the extra time up front to get them.”
“But if you've already exhausted the shining stars of a genre that is intrinsically lacking in replay value, this is a good time that should scratch that itch.”
“A solid experience, but very short (4-5 hours max) with no replayability.”
“Overall the replayability is pretty much zero, and whilst the story is somewhat interesting there is not much motivation to continue investigating murders.”
“That said, it can be hard to justify a $20 price tag for a game that's somewhat short, lacks replayability, and seems to have misleading trailers on the store page.”
- music17 mentions
- 82 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its quality and ability to enhance the atmosphere, with many reviewers highlighting its haunting and immersive qualities. While some found the music to be more inoffensive than captivating, the overall consensus is that it complements the game's art and storytelling effectively, contributing to a unique aesthetic experience. The combination of great voice acting, strong sound design, and a polished soundtrack creates an engaging and immersive environment for players.
“The art and soundtrack were great, and I loved its unique aesthetic.”
“The writing, art, and music all come together very nicely for an increasingly paranoid and occult atmosphere.”
“The graphics look great, the music is haunting, the mysteries are interesting and solvable without having any massive leaps that the genre is notorious for.”
“Sometimes the music doesn't exactly add a lot to the storytelling.”
“The background music and sound effects are well done, but they don't significantly enhance the overall experience.”
“The music feels repetitive and fails to create a memorable atmosphere.”
- atmosphere10 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 10 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its exceptional aesthetics, immersive worldbuilding, and cohesive integration of voice acting, music, and art, which together create a dense, paranoid, and occasionally creepy environment. Reviewers highlight the unique techno-religious setting and the engaging narrative that enhances the overall experience, although some note that certain elements can disrupt the immersion. Overall, the atmosphere is considered one of the game's standout features, contributing significantly to its appeal.
“The worldbuilding and the plot are also amazing--dense and atmospheric.”
“Perfect voice acting, perfect soundtrack, perfect atmosphere, perfect plot, perfect gameplay (for what it intends to do), the most interesting setting to have come out in the last 5 years - think western megaten.”
“It broke the atmosphere for me, more than it should have.”
“The writing, art, and music all come together very nicely for an increasingly paranoid and occult atmosphere.”
“The little touches with the voice acting delivery and graphic choices were key to creating that atmosphere.”
- grinding7 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game is largely viewed as tedious and slow, particularly during repetitive playback phases and evidence gathering. While completionists may find some value in pursuing achievements, many players feel that the low challenge level and grindy nature of these tasks detract from the overall enjoyment.
“I also wish there was more streamlining for the playback phases; it just feels slow, and when you have to do it over and over again, it gets so tedious.”
“This is such an extreme slip-up that it turned the second and third cases into a more tedious exercise of just finding the evidence I needed to convict the person I already knew did it.”
“If you're a completionist who likes to go back and really get every single little detail and achievement, then you might get more value out of it, but the level of challenge is low enough that replaying it would likely be rather tedious.”
- emotional6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers express a desire for a deeper emotional connection within the narrative, particularly regarding character development and the story's conclusion. While the game sets up a compelling and heartbreakingly immersive world, many feel that it ultimately falls short, leaving them wanting more from the emotional journey and resolution. Overall, the potential for a memorable experience is evident, but the execution leaves players feeling unsatisfied.
“I just would like something bigger in this same story, following Ada's journey, with more of an emotional attachment developed and the opportunity to get to know some characters and the setting with more intimacy.”
“Unfortunately, what's presented feels more like a Kickstarter early access backer proof of concept than a full title and it's heartbreaking, as this shows so much potential for being a great and memorable mystery game, especially with its setting and how that influences the investigations.”
“This is, in all honesty, the best game I've ever played that made me feel like Sherlock Holmes.”
- character development5 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- -40 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The character development in the game is praised for its strong writing, engaging personalities, and impressive voice acting, particularly highlighting the design of characters like Lucifer. Players appreciate the clever world-building and the opportunity to explore character growth without the pressure of punitive mechanics, allowing for a thoughtful and immersive experience. Overall, the game effectively combines character design and development with a compelling narrative.
“Lots of clever world building, plot, and character development delivers a smooth detective linear experience that will be familiar to point-and-click adventure game lovers who want to play a stoic yet efficient inquisitor.”
“I like that it doesn't punish you for getting things wrong, allowing you to take your time to think things through. The character designs, personalities, and voices are also very appealing.”
“The game itself is great with its writing, setting, and character development as each case progresses.”
“The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the protagonists.”
“I found the character arcs predictable and uninspired, leaving me wanting more complexity and growth.”
“Despite the interesting premise, the characters remain one-dimensional and fail to evolve throughout the story.”
- optimization5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with reports of unpolished elements such as typos, awkward animations, and poor performance, particularly on macOS. Overall, players find the experience lacking in depth and refinement.
“It's unpolished and shallow, with typos, awkward wording, cardboard stuttering animations, and dull tiny environments.”
“Also, performance seems to be trash.”
“The game is extremely unoptimized on macOS.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game exhibits several minor glitches and bugs, including issues with dialogue and animations, which suggest a need for additional polish. While these stability problems can be distracting, they do not significantly detract from the overall gameplay experience.
“There are minor glitches and misses in this game, such as when the murderer for each case is revealing how they did it, you can bypass that to the exorcism and there's no option to go back.”
“It felt like the game needed a bit more polish, as it's buggy in places and feels a bit like the developers ran out of steam or time.”
“The game is buggy as hell.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by unintentionally funny voice acting, marked by overacting and mispronunciations, which some players find more amusing than bothersome. Despite these quirks, the well-designed characters contribute positively to the overall comedic experience.
“The voice acting is unintentionally funny with overacting and lots of mispronunciations, but the characters themselves are well-designed.”
“They were all very talented, though, and I found the whole thing more funny than annoying.”
