Oscura: Lost Light
- February 24, 2015
- Chocolate Liberation Front
- 4h median play time
The control issues of Oscura Lost Light make the game very frustrating!
Get on SteamOscura, the apprentice lighthouse keeper, has destroyed the Aurora Stone, sending shards across the Driftlands and plunging them into darkness and danger. It’s up to Oscura to find the shards of the stone and restore light to the Driftlands before creatures of the dark can destroy it.
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Reviews
- The game features decent level design and responsive controls, making the platforming experience enjoyable.
- The use of different powers adds a unique mechanic to the gameplay, allowing for creative problem-solving.
- The game has a visually appealing aesthetic, with a shadowy art style that is reminiscent of Limbo.
- The game is short and can be completed quickly, leading to a lack of replay value and depth.
- Many players found the controls to be imprecise and frustrating, leading to frequent deaths and a sense of unfair difficulty.
- The overall experience feels generic and uninspired, lacking originality and a compelling story.
- gameplay32 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Oscura: Lost Light is a mixed bag, featuring a blend of physics-based puzzle platforming reminiscent of Limbo, with some players appreciating the clever mechanics and responsive controls, while others find it frustrating due to imprecise jumping and repetitive elements. The game offers a variety of challenges and level designs that keep the experience engaging, but the reliance on a limited set of powers and occasional dullness in gameplay detracts from its overall appeal. Despite these criticisms, many players enjoy the short levels and the combination of platforming and puzzle-solving elements, making it a decent, if not groundbreaking, platformer.
“This is a fun little puzzle platformer with a good mechanic: you use different colored light for different effects.”
“Each level challenges your puzzle-solving skills and reactions in this modern adventure built upon the time-honored mechanics of classic platformers.”
“The game's platforming gameplay mixed with powers is pretty well done, as mastery of certain powers such as the gravity power can fling you to new parts and get past hazards that you'd never expect.”
“Unfortunately, the gameplay is frustrating.”
“Difficult gameplay is compensated for by lots of checkpoints, but they often start in frustrating places, making you needlessly have to pull levers over and over as you make each attempt.”
“The only flaw of the game is the jump mechanic, which is not nearly as responsive as it should be.”
- graphics20 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are generally well-received, featuring a unique shadowy aesthetic reminiscent of titles like Limbo, with each level showcasing distinct background colors. While the visuals are appealing and contribute to the overall style, some players note that the environments can become repetitive over time. However, the lack of advanced graphical options and settings is a drawback for some users.
“The art is good; each level is a different background color, with the foreground being silhouetted like Limbo, making a really nice aesthetic.”
“Nice graphics and style.”
“Art style borrows a bit from other games but it certainly does its own thing.”
“The dark aesthetics work against the game's controls, which are otherwise really well done and low on frustration.”
“The graphics and music are nothing to write home about, but considering it's a single developer game, I didn't expect AAA standards.”
“It would be nice to have more graphical options, as the game is fairly easy to run with its simple graphics.”
- music15 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the well-composed soundtrack that complements the atmosphere, while others find it repetitive and occasionally annoying. A common complaint is the lack of an option to mute the music without also silencing all sound effects. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as decent, enhancing the gameplay experience despite some distractions and limitations.
“This is one of those games that makes me realize how important a good soundtrack is to a game.”
“I loved the soundtrack and all the artistic style of the game.”
“+good soundtrack that definitely complements the game.”
“The music is awful new-agey stuff and muting it mutes all sound.”
“I would’ve appreciated allowing the user to turn the music off and allow the sound effects.”
“Additionally, the sound effects and music have a quality feel to them with some weird distortions and 'fuzzy' sounds (don't know if that's just me though).”
- story14 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally viewed as weak and lacking depth, with many reviewers rating it around 5/10. Players embark on a quest to recover light crystals after a mishap at a lighthouse, but the narrative is criticized for being underdeveloped and not engaging enough to elevate the overall experience. While some find it sufficient to maintain interest, the consensus is that the story does not stand out and could benefit from stronger writing and resolution.
“This game's story, from what I can tell, is about being an apprentice of the great lighthouse, the only thing that protects your entire world from darkness. You screw up, it breaks, and now you get to go on an epic quest to find the light crystals that were in the lighthouse.”
“In addition, there is an interesting story - narrative.”
“The game has a pretty good story as well from what I have played of it so far.”
“The supposed 'story' behind the game is abysmal, so if you have read that this game has an interesting story, I am sorry but they are trying to fool you, believe me.”
“Also, there is not really much story at all.”
“Would have recommended it with better resolution support, stronger audio, or a better storyline.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the game to have good replayability due to features like a death counter, collectibles, and a best time to beat. However, some users expressed a desire for a leaderboard to enhance competitive replay value further.
“I think the game has pretty good replayability, since there is a counter for your number of deaths, collectibles to get, and a 'best time' to beat.”
“Adds to the replayability, though I would have liked to see a leaderboard.”
“The game lacks significant replayability; once you've completed it, there's little incentive to return.”
“While the initial playthrough is enjoyable, the lack of varied outcomes makes replaying feel redundant.”
“I found the replayability to be quite low, as the game doesn't offer enough new content or challenges on subsequent runs.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in the game is visually appealing, with beautiful environments that enhance the experience. However, the music, while atmospheric, often goes unnoticed due to the focus on challenging platforming, leading to a less immersive overall atmosphere.
“The atmosphere is beautiful, the platforming is challenging, and I was completely immersed in the experience.”
“The music is atmospheric and pretty good, though I didn't notice it half the time with all the platforming distracting me.”
“It doesn't have a thick atmosphere to draw you in, which is something these kinds of games need.”
“The environment feels lifeless and fails to create any sense of immersion.”
“There’s a lack of distinct ambiance; everything feels flat and uninspired.”
- character development3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Character development has been criticized for its poor design, with many users finding the character aesthetics to be unsettling and unappealing, which detracts from the overall experience and makes players want to avoid encounters with enemies.
“In addition, the character design is also very poor.”
“Character designs are really scary and generally make you want to run away from the enemies.”
“Character design is really spooky and generally makes you want to run away from the enemies.”
