The Count Lucanor

85%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,122 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

85%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,122 reviews
story206 positive mentions
grinding14 negative mentions
  • The game features a captivating story that combines elements of horror and dark humor, reminiscent of classic fairy tales.
  • The pixel art and cutscenes are beautifully crafted, enhancing the overall atmosphere and immersion of the game.
  • The gameplay encourages exploration and offers multiple endings, providing a rewarding experience for players.
  • The character movement is very slow, which can be frustrating during gameplay, especially when trying to evade enemies.
  • The save system requires coins, which can lead to pressure and potential loss of progress if not managed carefully.
  • Some players found the enemy AI to be unpredictable and occasionally glitchy, detracting from the overall experience.
  • story545 mentions

    The story of "The Count Lucanor" is a captivating blend of fairy-tale charm and darker themes, following young Hans as he embarks on a quest for wealth and self-discovery. Players appreciate its engaging narrative, rich character development, and multiple endings, which encourage exploration and replayability. While some find the pacing slow and the mechanics cumbersome, the overall storytelling is praised for its depth, humor, and emotional resonance, making it a memorable experience in the horror-adventure genre.

    • “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.”
    • “With a wonderful story to experience, memorable and unique characters to meet, a trap-laden, monster-infested castle to explore, and multiple endings to discover, the Count Lucanor delivers a satisfyingly scary adventure.”
    • “The speed at which you move and the blandness of the story.”
    • “This is a game with just enough story branches, missable content, and different endings that it makes me curious what all the unresolved ends are for my particular playthrough; but the process of actually playing it is arduous enough that there's no way I'm going to attempt another run.”
    • “The story is entirely forgettable.”
  • gameplay278 mentions

    The gameplay of the game is characterized by a mix of exploration, puzzle-solving, and stealth mechanics, with a focus on light and darkness as a key element. While many players find the puzzles engaging and the atmosphere immersive, there are significant criticisms regarding the save mechanics, which can be frustrating and buggy. Overall, the gameplay offers a unique experience with multiple endings, but its short length and some mechanical issues prevent it from being a top-tier title.

    • “The game's gameplay loop and puzzles are fun to think through.”
    • “The gameplay is straightforward and decently varied.”
    • “The stealth mechanics are very entertaining and the puzzles aren't frustrating at all.”
    • “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 about what happened to all your saves.”
    • “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.”
  • graphics202 mentions

    The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming pixel art style that effectively contributes to its unique atmosphere and storytelling. While some players appreciate the retro aesthetic and detailed cutscenes, others note that the simplicity of the graphics may not appeal to everyone. Overall, the visuals are praised for their ability to enhance the game's tone, blending horror and humor while maintaining a cohesive artistic vision.

    • “The graphics and animation are incredible.”
    • “The pixel graphics are simple but beautiful, a perfect fit for the style the devs 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.”
    • “Gripes are that it's short (not a huge problem, and generally a good problem to have given that it means you want more of something, and i'm aware some people consider this a point in favour of a game), i'm not a fan of some of the character sprites (particularly the 'super low res pixel sprites with noodle arms' aesthetic so many indie games go for), the camera is mildly nauseating with how it swings pretty far in the direction of even the slightest character movement and the male protagonist is too pretty.”
  • music173 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its atmospheric qualities and the integration of chiptuned Bach compositions that enhance the overall experience. While some players found the soundtrack to be beautiful and fitting for the game's themes, others criticized it for being simplistic or lacking variety. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the game's ambiance, evoking both charm and creepiness, making it a notable aspect of the gameplay.

    • “Lovely soundtrack that now plays in my dreams and the freaky stuff starts happening really early on, gotta love them goats.”
    • “The music and the overall atmosphere are great and kind of give you the creeps.”
    • “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.”
    • “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 quite honest. But at least the choices are tasteful.”
    • “Count Lucanor has very little actual music; it saves it mainly for some intro and ending scenes, as well as the cutscenes.”
    • “Most exploration takes place without any music, which is generally reserved for conversations and safe spots in the castle.”
  • atmosphere165 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its captivating blend of beauty and eeriness, effectively creating a fairy-tale-like yet unsettling environment. Players appreciate the strong art direction, immersive sound design, and the ability to evoke tension and curiosity throughout the exploration. While the game may not rely on jump scares, its psychological and atmospheric elements contribute to a deeply engaging experience that keeps players intrigued and on edge.

    • “Fantastic animated cutscenes and a wonderful fairy-tale atmosphere.”
    • “The atmosphere is psychological scary, and I always wanted to see what was next.”
    • “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.”
    • “At the beginning it seems very naive and happy but then some crazy stuff happens, and the atmosphere just becomes very gloomy; most of the places are really dark and you only have candles that light the way in front of you, and when you hear breathing in places where you see just a few meters ahead of you, it just sends chills down your spine.”
  • humor73 mentions

    The game effectively blends humor with horror, featuring quirky characters, witty dialogue, and a charming pixel-art style that enhances its fairy-tale atmosphere. Players appreciate the balance between lighthearted moments and darker themes, with many noting the clever use of dark humor that adds depth to the experience. Overall, the humor is described as both entertaining and integral to the game's narrative, making it a delightful yet unsettling adventure.

    • “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.”
  • replayability36 mentions

    The game offers significant replayability due to its multiple endings and varied gameplay outcomes, encouraging players to explore different choices and paths. While the initial playthrough lasts around 3-6 hours, the short length prevents tedium and enhances the desire to replay. Overall, players find the combination of puzzles, hidden achievements, and the impact of their decisions adds to the game's charm and replay value.

    • “Replayability as you can finish it a couple of times to get all endings and hidden achievements.”
    • “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.”
    • “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.”
    • “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.”
    • “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.”
    • “+ some replayability, but it's not terribly in-depth.”
  • emotional16 mentions

    The game masterfully blends wholesome character development with horror elements, creating an emotionally engaging experience that is both heartwarming and heart-wrenching. Players can expect a mix of fun puzzles, spooky scenes, and impactful choices that deepen the emotional narrative, especially as the story shifts from dark humor to a more intense atmosphere. The high-quality sound design and detailed visuals further enhance the emotional depth, making for a memorable survival horror experience.

    • “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.”
  • grinding14 mentions

    Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience. While the environments and puzzles initially engage players, the repetitive nature of backtracking and chest collection can become tedious. However, the game's short length and smooth gameplay help mitigate this, making it feel less burdensome and enhancing replayability through optional quests.

    • “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”
  • stability10 mentions

    The game's stability is mixed; while many players report smooth performance and polished graphics, there are notable issues such as freezing during streaming, minor glitches in movement input, and inconsistent hitboxes. Overall, it seems to function well for solo play, but can be frustrating for those attempting to record or stream.

    • “One major issue if you decide to stream/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 the already mentioned rather lukewarm endings, or some minor glitches concerning movement input with the controller or some janky hitboxes of traps.”
    • “It's worth not being stingy, but even then, I found myself boredly playing scenes over and over again where I died due to buggy gameplay.”
  • character development8 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 is engaging and sets the stage for potential growth, some players feel that the characters lack redeeming qualities, which diminishes their investment in their journeys. Overall, the art style and character design inspire creativity, but the depth of character development may need further exploration.

    • “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.”
    • “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, because otherwise I'm practically thrilled when bad things happen to them.”
  • optimization6 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization is mixed; while some users praise its great cost performance and consistent performance across various Intel processors, others point out significant performance issues that detract from the experience, particularly in "The Count Lucanor." In contrast, titles like "Metal Slug 3" on the Nintendo Switch demonstrate optimal performance, highlighting inconsistencies in optimization across different games.

    • “Great cost performance, I recommend this game.”
    • “No performance differences between Sandy Bridge, Haswell, and Kaby Lake Intel processors.”
    • “Metal Slug 3 is on the Nintendo Switch and runs perfectly, so there is no reason why The Count Lucanor suffers from some egregious performance issues.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

76% average critic score

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Play time

5hMedian play time
8hAverage play time
4-15hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs

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