The Count Lucanor

93%
Game Brain Score Based on 554 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
The Count Lucanor Game Cover
A thoroughly enjoyable survival horror title that can provide good scares and a great atmosphere.
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"The Count Lucanor" is a survival horror story set in a fantasy world, where you play as Hans on a quest to uncover the castle's sordid secrets and obtain treasure. The game features a retro-style inspired by classics like The Legend of Zelda and Silent Hill, with important decisions, alternative endings, and puzzles to solve. You can light your path with candles, meet colorful characters, and beware of the horror lurking beneath the surface.

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Linux
  • Play​Station
  • Play​station Vita
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

93%
Audience ScoreBased on 554 reviews
story100 positive mentions
grinding7 negative mentions
  • The game features a captivating story that combines elements of horror and dark fairy tales, keeping players engaged throughout.
  • The pixel art and cutscenes are beautifully crafted, enhancing the overall atmosphere and immersion of the game.
  • The puzzles are well-designed and offer multiple solutions, encouraging exploration and replayability.
  • The character movement is slow, which can be frustrating during tense moments when trying to evade enemies.
  • The save system requires coins, which can lead to anxiety about resource management and potential loss of progress.
  • Some players may find the enemy AI unpredictable and frustrating, leading to cheap deaths and repeated gameplay.
  • story269 mentions

    The story of "The Count Lucanor" is a captivating blend of fairy-tale charm and darker themes, following young Hans on a quest filled with moral lessons and unexpected twists. Players appreciate its engaging narrative, well-developed characters, and the atmospheric presentation that enhances the overall experience, despite some critiques regarding pacing and predictability. With multiple endings and a mix of humor and horror, the game offers a rich storytelling experience that resonates with fans of classic fairy tales and modern horror alike.

    • “The story is captivating and it keeps getting better along the way.”
    • “A charming little survival horror game with a fairy-tale inspired story that doesn't shy away from the darker and scarier aspects of those stories.”
    • “The story, the characters, and the graphics are what make this game an enjoyable experience.”
    • “The speed at which you move and the blandness of the story.”
    • “The story isn't amazing, but it's cute enough.”
    • “The story is entirely forgettable.”
  • gameplay139 mentions

    The gameplay of the game is characterized by a mix of exploration, puzzle-solving, and stealth mechanics, often set in a dark, atmospheric environment. While many players appreciate the engaging puzzles and the unique light/darkness mechanic, frustrations arise from the save system, which is seen as poorly implemented and buggy. Overall, the gameplay is enjoyable and offers replayability through multiple endings, but its short length and some mechanical issues detract from the experience.

    • “The gameplay loop and puzzles are fun to think through.”
    • “The gameplay is straightforward and decently varied.”
    • “The gameplay is one of this game's strong points.”
    • “I wanted to like it, I tried and I'm still thinking of giving it another chance, but the save system is really bad. You never get properly introduced to the save mechanic, and it's bugged and can fail to save your progress, leaving you frustrated.”
    • “The gameplay is not fun enough to go for 4 hours straight.”
    • “The downside: the enemy AI can be frustrating; you can accidentally aggro or get trapped in annoying ways that slow down the gameplay.”
  • graphics100 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful pixel art style, which effectively enhances the overall atmosphere and storytelling. While some reviewers note that the visuals may not be groundbreaking, they appreciate the charm and detail that contribute to the game's unique aesthetic and emotional impact. The combination of simple yet effective graphics, along with well-executed cutscenes and sound design, creates an engaging experience that resonates with fans of retro and indie games.

    • “The visuals, the sound, the scenes, all of it builds in favor of the game's tone, but never feels cruel, and expertly plays on this thin line between horror and comedy, managing both at once marvelously.”
    • “The pixel graphics are simple but beautiful, a perfect fit for the style the developers were going for.”
    • “The atmosphere, music, and visuals are very well-done.”
    • “Yeah, the graphics aren't going to win any awards.”
    • “The worst thing about it is the tired pixel-art style.”
    • “Im not gonna bother detailing pros and contras because they are the typical you already expect from these kind of games (good atmosphere, too short, etc.), the one thing i will mention is that the contrast between the simplistic overworld sprites and the pretty chinese cartoon artwork for the dialog/cutscenes kinda leaves you wishing the sprites looked a little more detailed.”
  • music86 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its atmospheric qualities and the tasteful integration of classical pieces, particularly Bach, into the soundtrack. While some found the music to be haunting and fitting for the game's themes, others criticized it for being simplistic or lacking variety. Overall, the soundtrack enhances the game's ambiance, contributing to both its charm and creepiness.

    • “The music and the overall atmosphere are great and kind of give you the creeps.”
    • “The music is charming and fits the overall theme of the game.”
    • “From the expressive pixel art to the soundtrack which evokes a gothic fairytale, the game feels faithful to its inspirations.”
    • “The soundtrack is just borrowed music (Bach in this case), which I don't like because some of those pieces are grander works than this entire game, to be honest. But at least the choices are tasteful.”
    • “Most exploration takes place without any music, which is generally reserved for conversations and safe spots in the castle.”
    • “Count Lucanor has very little actual music; it saves it mainly for some intro and ending scenes, as well as the cutscenes.”
  • atmosphere82 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its captivating blend of beautiful art, eerie sound design, and a compelling narrative that evokes a fairy-tale quality while maintaining a sense of unease. Players appreciate the game's ability to create tension and immersion through its dark, gothic settings and unsettling imagery, often enhanced by a haunting soundtrack. While some critiques mention pacing and simplicity in gameplay, the overall consensus highlights the game's strong atmospheric presence as a key strength.

    • “The music and the overall atmosphere are great and kind of give you the creeps.”
    • “A wonderful little game that captures a creepy yet charming atmosphere that holds a mystery to discover.”
    • “The atmosphere was sufficiently creepy until I figured all tricks and kinks out to circumvent most danger and all the game's mechanics.”
    • “The atmosphere isn't really scary per se: it is certainly unsettling, disturbing even, with twisted and grotesque imagery, but the bizarre characters and surreal moments are more in the vein of a spooky fairytale.”
    • “The tense and foreboding atmosphere gets more and more grim as the story continues, and I found myself truly savoring it, as the world dove deeper into a surreal nightmare.”
  • humor36 mentions

    The humor in the game is a standout feature, blending dark and quirky elements that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the clever dialogue, funny characters, and the ability to balance humor with creepy moments, creating a unique atmosphere reminiscent of classic 8-bit adventure games. While the game maintains a light-hearted tone, it also delves into darker themes, ensuring that the humor complements the narrative's twists and turns.

    • “This game can be creepy, cute, and funny at the same time.”
    • “Interesting puzzles, funny characters and dialogues, well-done pixel art, and a chiptune soundtrack.”
    • “The game does a really good job setting the story's tone, injecting it with humor and horror.”
  • replayability18 mentions

    The game offers significant replayability due to its multiple endings, varied puzzle solutions, and the impact of player choices on the narrative. While the initial playthrough lasts around 3-6 hours, the potential for different outcomes encourages players to revisit the game. Overall, it strikes a balance between being concise and engaging, making it appealing for those who enjoy exploring different paths and endings.

    • “Replayability is great as you can finish it a couple of times to get all endings and hidden achievements.”
    • “It's not very long, 3-5 hours for a first playthrough, but many of the puzzles can be solved in different ways and produce different outcomes, which creates a good amount of replayability.”
    • “Overall, I thought this was a highly enjoyable game, and one that has replay value to explore different endings and gameplay based on your actions.”
    • “It's not a particularly long game, maybe 3-5 hours depending on how thoroughly you explore, but with multiple endings, it lends itself well to replay value - and even with a single playthrough, the game shines brightly in every category, from the ways your choices can affect the rest of your playthrough, to the world building and lore, to the Resident Evil-style gradual exploration of a single environment, and everything in between.”
    • “You might play through this game once or twice, a third time for very hardcore players, but I can't see any more than that.”
    • “One goal here, of course, is to increase replay value, but the other one is to make players care about their actions and deepen the mood.”
  • emotional8 mentions

    The game masterfully blends wholesome character development with horror elements, creating an emotionally engaging experience that culminates in heart-wrenching choices and plot twists. Players appreciate the detailed emotional visuals and high-quality sound design, which enhance the storytelling despite the absence of voice acting. Overall, the game offers a unique mix of warmth and creepiness, leaving a lasting emotional impact.

    • “The game had a fun cast of characters, fun puzzles that weren't too difficult to do, and the interesting scenes were heart-wrenching and spooky to witness!”
    • “However, a fair warning: the story drops its dark humor and gets exponentially creepier near the end, and most of the endings involve a rather heart-wrenching choice.”
    • “The music has that church organ feel which is very addictive to listen to and adds a surprisingly deep emotional touch to character dialogues in the absence of voice acting.”
  • grinding7 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while the environments and puzzles initially engage, they can become tedious due to repetitive backtracking and the need to revisit areas. However, the smooth gameplay and charming characters help mitigate some of the tedium, and the game's short length, combined with optional quests, enhances replayability. Overall, the grinding is present but not overwhelmingly detrimental to the experience.

    • “The environments seem mysterious at first, but once you realize that every room in the castle contains a few chests and one major puzzle, it becomes tedious.”
    • “The backtracking is ok, but moving that slowly makes it tedious.”
    • “Pretty tedious”
  • stability5 mentions

    The game's stability is mixed; while it runs smoothly for solo play, users report frequent freezing issues when streaming or recording, along with minor glitches affecting movement and hitboxes. Overall, the game features appealing graphics but suffers from occasional bugs that can disrupt gameplay.

    • “One major issue if you decide to stream or record the game is that it freezes on OBS but not on your screen a lot. If you just want to play it on your own, it's all good.”
    • “It has some minor flaws, as already mentioned, rather lukewarm endings, or some minor glitches concerning movement input with the controller and some janky hitboxes of traps.”
    • “I found myself boredly playing scenes over and over again where I died due to buggy gameplay.”
  • character development4 mentions

    Character development in the game is marked by intriguing and visually captivating designs that blend humor and horror, creating a charming world. While the narrative starts off engagingly, some players feel that the characters lack redeeming qualities, which diminishes emotional investment in their journeys. Overall, the art style and character design inspire creativity, but the depth of character development may leave some wanting more.

    • “Great art style, surprisingly funny at times, great horror, very good level and character design, charming world, etc. The narrative was also fairly interesting to follow, and it eases you into the game with a non-horror opening segment.”
    • “Maybe they're setting up his character development for later, but an important part of intriguing characters is that they have redeeming qualities, because otherwise I'm practically thrilled when bad things happen to them.”
    • “The character designs are fun to look at and made me want to doodle them while I was playing!”
    • “Maybe they're setting up his character development for later, but an important part of intriguing characters is that they have redeeming qualities. Otherwise, I'm practically thrilled when bad things happen to them.”
    • “Some of the character designs are fascinating and eerie.”
  • optimization2 mentions

    The game is praised for its great cost performance and shows consistent optimization across various Intel processor generations, including Sandy Bridge, Haswell, and Kaby Lake, with no noticeable performance differences.

    • “Great cost performance, I recommend this game.”
    • “No performance differences between Sandy Bridge, Haswell, and Kaby Lake Intel processors.”
    • “There are no performance differences between Sandy Bridge, Haswell, and Kaby Lake Intel processors.”
    • “The game fails to utilize the capabilities of modern hardware effectively.”
    • “Optimization seems non-existent, leading to frustrating frame rates on high-end systems.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

76% average critic score

Buy The Count Lucanor

Play time

5hMedian play time
8hAverage play time
4-15hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs

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