Lucius II

About

Lucius II is a single player simulation game with a horror theme. It was developed by Shiver Games and was released on February 13, 2015. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

The story of Lucius II continues where the original left off: Lucius emerges as the lone survivor of the burning wreckage his parents once called home, unscathed from the ruthless slaughter he had unleashed. He had taken the weak and punished the wicked. He had looked through their souls and found the true selves they had been hiding. Lucius is taken to the psychiatric ward of St. Benedict’s Hosp…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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62%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,022 reviews

story88 positive mentions

gameplay37 negative mentions

Offers a variety of creative ways to kill NPCs, enhancing player freedom and engagement.
Improved graphics and a more open-world design compared to the first game, allowing for exploration.
The dark humor and absurdity of the situations provide entertainment, making it a fun experience despite its flaws.

Riddled with bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay and immersion.
The AI is poorly designed, often failing to react logically to events, which undermines the game's tension.
The story is weak and lacks the depth and intrigue of the first game, making it feel less engaging.

story
358 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
62%
13%
The story of "Lucius II" continues from its predecessor but is generally considered weaker and less engaging, with many reviewers noting its fragmented and less focused narrative. While some appreciate the environmental storytelling and the dark humor, others criticize the plot for being poorly developed, lacking emotional depth, and filled with inconsistencies. Overall, the game offers a mix of intriguing concepts and horror references, but many feel it falls short of the original's charm and coherence.
- “The game’s use of environmental storytelling—through newspaper clippings, documents, and overheard conversations—also adds layers to the narrative without relying heavily on cutscenes.”
- “The story is full of creepy twists and unexpected turns that keep you guessing.”
- “While story depth may vary, it's a compelling follow-up for fans.”
- “The story is forced with the first cutscene, establishes one vague and basic prophecy, says Lucius loses and gains back power, he literally tears apart 2-3 people easily at the beginning of the game, then we're supposed to say 'oh, he has to turn on ovens and throw nails at people to kill them, understandable, he's only a kid.'”
- “The story doesn't incentivize the player to progress in a way that the first one did with interesting plot and plot twists.”
- “The cutscenes honestly look like a cheap YouTube parody and the story is so half-assed thrown together it's crazy.”
gameplay
228 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
69%
16%
The gameplay of "Lucius II" is characterized by a shift to a more open-ended, sandbox style that allows for creative and varied methods of killing NPCs, which some players find enjoyable. However, many reviews highlight significant issues such as clunky controls, buggy mechanics, and a lack of polish that detracts from the overall experience. While the game offers hours of darkly humorous fun for those willing to overlook its flaws, it often feels repetitive and less engaging compared to its predecessor.
- “Developed and published by Shiver Games, the game pushes boundaries both thematically and mechanically, inviting players into a world of free-form murder, supernatural powers, and twisted morality.”
- “This shift toward emergent gameplay allows for a variety of solutions to each scenario, rewarding cleverness and experimentation over linear thinking.”
- “For players drawn to dark themes and open-ended gameplay, it can offer hours of macabre satisfaction, provided they’re willing to overlook its rough edges.”
- “The gameplay itself could be okay if you ignored the story and context, but it feels clunky, the animations are stiff, and the interface and UI don't really help.”
- “I'm sure the story is great, but the gameplay, including the bugs, frustrating lack of guidance, and the mechanics and physics breaking often, just ruins the experience.”
- “The gameplay, mechanics, and overall execution left much to be desired.”
stability
163 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
99%
The game is widely criticized for its numerous bugs and glitches, which often disrupt gameplay and can lead to frustrating experiences. While some players find the glitches amusing and not game-breaking, many others feel that the instability significantly detracts from the overall enjoyment. Overall, the game's stability issues are a common theme in reviews, with many recommending it only to those who can overlook its janky mechanics.
- “Miles better than the first, with gameplay and the story so far completely hooking me. I haven't encountered any bugs, and while I don't require a game to be absolutely 100% bug-free, any minor issues shouldn't be a problem.”
- “The whole concept of the game was there, but it's just the fact that it's so buggy, glitchy, and low quality that ruins it, and that really frustrates me.”
- “It's a buggy and glitchy mess with framerate drops, but still far better than the first game and actually fun.”
- “This game is so buggy and ridiculous that you are going to think that the developers should have actually paid you to play this game instead of you paying them.”
graphics
99 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
63%
11%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some players noting improvements over the first installment, while others criticize them for lacking polish and feeling dated. Many users mention bugs and performance issues that detract from the overall experience, despite the game's atmospheric visuals and thematic cohesion. Overall, while the graphics are decent and fit the game's tone, they do not reach the quality of higher-budget titles, leaving some players disappointed.
- “The atmosphere is spot-on with eerie soundscapes and detailed visuals that make everything feel delightfully unsettling.”
- “Graphically, this game looks great; it uses the Unity engine, and you can definitely tell that it uses it well.”
- “The graphics, along with the gameplay and game engine, have had a nice upgrade from the first version, which is nice to see.”
- “Visually, the game embraces a gritty and grimy aesthetic that fits the tone of its subject matter but lacks the polish of higher-budget titles.”
- “Please stay away from this title, everything about it screams a lack of talent on all fronts, as horrible as the gameplay, graphics, and story are, this game feels like it should have released in the early 2000s due to feeling so dated.”
- “The graphics look like they came from the 90s or early 2000s.”
humor
71 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a mix of dark, crude, and slapstick elements, often enhanced by its numerous bugs and glitches, which players find amusing rather than frustrating. While some references and jokes may feel outdated or edgy, many players appreciate the absurdity and creativity in the ways they can execute kills, leading to a generally entertaining experience. Overall, the game is recommended for those with a good sense of humor who can overlook its flaws.
- “Funniest game ever and super underrated; it is buggy but in a hilarious way that isn’t game-breaking.”
- “The game managed to impress me again and again with its cartoonish violence and jovial, malevolent sense of humor.”
- “It's pretty much a murder simulator, and it is stupidly funny watching the NPCs get electrocuted or blown up with gas tanks, etc.”
music
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
64%
8%
The music in the game is generally praised for its atmospheric quality and ability to enhance the sense of dread, with some noting it as a significant improvement over the previous installment. However, issues with audio mixing, such as music overpowering dialogue and looping glitches, detract from the overall experience. While the soundtrack is considered enjoyable, some players feel it can be repetitive and occasionally lacks the polish expected in modern games.
- “The soundtrack was written magnificently, which fascinates from the very beginning.”
- “The music is excellent, though I have to say the music from the first game is better.”
- “There’s a lot of things I like about this game but many of them are also things I liked about the first as well – such as the exploration, the music, and the immersion.”
- “Controls are clunky, AI are stupid, music and sound completely drown out speech even worse than in the first game.”
- “I've had issues where music would loop over other music, even during cutscenes, forcing you to quit the game.”
- “The music cuts out sometimes, and the throwing system and aim is far too quick to even react to, meaning you stand there wiggling your mouse to get it to aim in the right way.”
optimization
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
43%
41%
Overall, the game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting severe performance issues, including frequent frame drops and bugs, even on high-end systems. While some users noted slight improvements over its predecessor, the consensus is that the game feels rushed and poorly optimized, leading to a frustrating experience. Despite a few positive remarks about achieving smooth gameplay under specific conditions, the majority of reviews highlight the game's lack of polish and optimization as major drawbacks.
- “Better optimized than the first one.”
- “This game is better optimized than its predecessor and best of all, there's many ways to dispatch your potential target.”
- “The optimization is nice, despite high system requirements mentioned on the store page - with i7 4790k and gtx 970 I was able to achieve smooth 110-120 fps gameplay in full HD and with everything on max (+ additional SMAA and SweetFX effects).”
- “The main negative about this game for me is the performance.”
- “This game is clearly a rush job though, it’s pretty crappy in every aspect of its design and the performance is terrible.”
- “Bad optimization and horrible bugs make this game a 1 out of 10 for me.”
atmosphere
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
40%
12%
The atmosphere in "Lucius II" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting a significant decline from its predecessor. While some appreciate the eerie soundscapes and chilling visuals that contribute to a haunting experience, others criticize the game for feeling chaotic and lacking the immersive horror elements that defined the first installment. Overall, the sequel struggles to maintain a cohesive and engaging atmosphere, often feeling disjointed and less impactful.
- “The atmosphere is spot-on with eerie soundscapes and detailed visuals that make everything feel delightfully unsettling.”
- “With expanded gameplay and a chilling atmosphere, it offers a haunting sequel.”
- “The plot makes sense, there's a decent amount of content and replayability, it's a beautifully atmospheric game and it stands alone in its style.”
- “Compared to Lucius 1, this one fails to keep the old creepy occult atmosphere, dumps the only tutorial poorly, and immersion-breaking; overall, it just feels silly and edgy.”
- “These flaws can sometimes undermine the horror atmosphere the game works hard to build, making it feel more like a chaotic sandbox than a tightly controlled thriller.”
- “The atmosphere is ruined when you suddenly get picked up by your arm and you ragdoll around and glitch through the wall and floor.”
replayability
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
58%
18%
Overall, the game offers significant replayability due to its variety of ways to eliminate targets and multiple approaches to completing levels, making it more engaging than its predecessor. While some players noted limitations, such as the inability to carry over experience points in new playthroughs, many found the diverse gameplay options and collectibles to enhance the overall replay value. Despite a less compelling story, the fun and sandbox nature of the game contribute to its lasting appeal.
- “In terms of variety, Lucius II offers a plethora of ways to eliminate your targets, adding depth and replayability to the experience.”
- “There's far more replay value here compared to the first game.”
- “According to Steam, there are only about four more missions before the game is complete, but replay value is pretty high – there are collectibles to gather, kills to try out, skills to obtain, and cars to get hit by, so I can see myself playing this one for a while.”
- “Not as replayable as it could have been... thought I could start again with all XP points, apparently not.”
- “Lack of replayability.”
- “Not very replayable but still fun.”
grinding
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
93%
The grinding aspect of the game has been widely criticized for its tedious and repetitive gameplay, with many players noting a lack of variety in tasks and a significant downgrade from its predecessor. Users report that the experience becomes monotonous, with limited creative options for gameplay and numerous bugs that detract from enjoyment. Overall, the grinding feels more like a chore than a rewarding challenge, leading to a frustrating experience.
- “The game can feel a bit grindy at times, but the rewards make it worth it.”
- “Grinding in this game is satisfying, as it allows you to really develop your character.”
- “While there are moments of grinding, the progression feels rewarding and keeps you engaged.”
- “The gameplay loses its flavor over time and becomes tedious work.”
- “This is a truly tedious and awful experience, wrought with bugs and gameplay errors that make it a chore to even attempt to finish.”
- “While you can kill people in a lot of different ways, it does get tedious, repetitive, and very boring very quickly.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
Character development in the game is a mixed bag; while some players find the protagonist Lucius to be well-developed and engaging, others criticize the narrative for its lack of emotional depth and coherence, citing unexplained character motivations and unresolved plot threads. Overall, the experience may appeal to those interested in a unique perspective on evil, but it falls short for those seeking complex character arcs.
- “Story and character development: Lucius' character and story are deeply fleshed out and engaging.”
- “Not because of the occult and somewhat taboo source material, but because the narrative presents too many loose ends, features inexplicable character development that is never elaborated on ('because this devil-dude told me to') and somehow never reaches the peak of 'bad sequel' b-movie cringe, which would have excused most of this atrocious garbage.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The emotional aspect of the game is generally lacking, with reviewers noting a weak plot and underdeveloped characters that fail to evoke strong feelings. While the unique perspective of playing as evil can be engaging, technical issues and a boring storyline detract from the overall emotional experience.
- “The story is incredibly boring and lacks any emotional depth.”
- “There are so many bugs, and the storyline fails to engage emotionally.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game is criticized as a cash grab aimed at fans of the original, with players expressing frustration over numerous bugs and misleading advertising regarding the open world features.
- “Cash grab for fans of the original game.”
- “This game is riddled with bugs, and the open world advertisement is a lie.”