The Lion's Song

78%
Game Brain Score Based on 202 reviews
  • story
  • music
  • graphics
The Lion's Song Game Cover
Impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.
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In "The Lion's Song: Episode 1 - Silence," players follow the journey of Wilma, a gifted musician student suffering from writer's block. As she struggles to overcome her creative blockage in a solitary alpine cabin, players' decisions will significantly impact her path to success. Set in early 20th century Austria, this episode highlights the themes of creativity, human connections, and aspiration.

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Windows
  • Linux
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

78%
Audience ScoreBased on 202 reviews
story51 positive mentions
grinding6 negative mentions
  • The Lion's Song features beautifully interconnected stories that captivate players and evoke strong emotions.
  • The game's art style and music create a charming and immersive atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience.
  • The characters are well-developed, and the choices made throughout the episodes significantly impact the narrative, encouraging replayability.
  • Some episodes suffer from weaker writing and pacing issues, particularly in the later chapters, which can detract from the overall experience.
  • The gameplay is slow-paced and may feel tedious for players seeking more interactive elements or puzzles.
  • Achievements can be excessively cryptic and require multiple playthroughs, making completion feel like a chore rather than an enjoyable challenge.
  • story140 mentions

    The game's story is a beautifully crafted narrative that intertwines the lives of various characters, each exploring themes of identity, inspiration, and societal expectations in early 20th century Austria. While the storytelling is engaging and thought-provoking, some players find the interface cumbersome and the gameplay somewhat simplistic, which can detract from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, many reviewers praise the emotional depth, art style, and music, making it a must-play for fans of narrative-driven games.

    • “Each story is beautifully interconnected, adding layers of complexity and intrigue that keep you engaged throughout the game.”
    • “This game is a must-play for those who appreciate thought-provoking narratives and masterfully crafted storytelling.”
    • “The story is beautifully written, the music is thoroughly engaging, and the best thing in my opinion is the art style.”
    • “It's a visual novel with a really annoying interface standing in the way of the storytelling and decisions.”
    • “If the gameplay wasn't so dry, you'd hope the story to salvage it, but considering you can complete the first chapter in less than 15 minutes, don't expect much in the way of story.”
    • “However, calling the different DLCs 'episodes' might give the false impression that there's a continuation to the story of episode 1, of which there simply isn't.”
  • music87 mentions

    The music in "The Lion's Song" is widely praised for its beauty and emotional depth, enhancing the game's storytelling and atmosphere. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, often describing it as captivating and integral to the overall experience, with many expressing a desire to purchase it separately. The combination of music, art, and narrative creates a unique and immersive experience that resonates with players long after they finish the game.

    • “The music is well suited to the mood of the story and enhances it.”
    • “The soundtrack is among the best video game music I've ever heard, and that includes the superb Final Fantasy scores.”
    • “The interplay of the style, the magnificent music, the authentic characters, and the appropriate soundscape have made the game a unique and special experience that I will never forget.”
    • “Don't expect any more music or composition.”
    • “Maybe it might be because of the formula being more tired with each episode, or the fact that later episodes even use the same set pieces, or the lack of the musical catharsis that made episode 1 so great, but either way none of the stories told after the first one manage to hit as hard.”
    • “The music?”
  • graphics44 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful art style, which features pixel graphics in sepia tones that create a charming and immersive atmosphere. Reviewers appreciate how the visuals complement the storytelling, enhancing emotional engagement and replayability through unique artistic elements. Overall, the combination of stunning visuals, thoughtful design, and atmospheric music contributes to a captivating narrative experience.

    • “The graphics, audio, and overall UI of the game provide this wonderfully artsy feel to everything, making the game feel especially charming and beautiful, kind of like a little window into the 1910s.”
    • “The atmosphere, beautiful art style, and brilliant yet simple plot make this game a truly valuable one, definitely worth experiencing.”
    • “The sepia tone, pixel style graphics are wonderfully done.”
    • “Graphics are not great, but worth the price.”
    • “Even the monochrome nature of the graphics can become stale if someone tries to attempt this.”
    • “Despite the simplicity of graphics and short duration, this game can truly and honestly be assessed as a little masterpiece.”
  • emotional22 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is highly praised, with players noting its touching storytelling, beautifully written characters, and evocative art style that create a deeply resonant experience. Many reviewers reported feeling a strong connection to the characters and experiencing moments of genuine emotion, including tears during pivotal scenes. The game's ability to address relatable human issues and evoke a sense of peace and warmth further enhances its emotional impact.

    • “It's a perfect point and click for me, and so touching.”
    • “The stories are really emotionally weighted and well written, and the art and music really support what's going on.”
    • “And it's just such a heartwarming, moody tale that portrays how well games can function without violence, touching on so many human issues that everyone can relate to.”
  • atmosphere17 mentions

    The game is praised for its captivating atmosphere, richly set in early 20th century Vienna, enhanced by beautiful pixel art and a fitting musical score. Reviewers highlight the charming art style, emotional storytelling, and well-developed characters, all contributing to an immersive and authentic experience. Overall, the atmosphere is described as enchanting and integral to the game's appeal, earning high marks from players.

    • “The setting of early 20th century Vienna provides a rich background and historical atmosphere.”
    • “The atmosphere, beautiful art style, and brilliant yet simple plot make this game a truly valuable one, definitely worth experiencing.”
    • “It is beautifully drawn and animated, superbly atmospheric and gleefully charming, full of heart, wit, and exquisitely bad puns.”
  • gameplay17 mentions

    The gameplay is generally perceived as simplistic and somewhat boring, relying heavily on point-and-click mechanics and dialogue choices that can feel repetitive. While the game features a beautiful art style and a touching narrative, many players find the lack of engaging gameplay elements and the need for excessive replaying to explore different outcomes frustrating. Despite its shortcomings, the branching dialogue system allows for some immersion in the story, making it appealing for those who prioritize narrative over gameplay complexity.

    • “This is a must-try for those that are looking for a beautiful story with a unique gameplay experience.”
    • “The gameplay, while being simply point-and-click, conveys the story to the player through their own actions, such as choosing who to paint, how to paint, or using what as the inspiration for your song.”
    • “Gameplay is very simple, kind of point-and-click style, but the branching dialogue system and choices made throughout the game allow for deep immersion into the story and help you relate to your game character.”
    • “Gameplay is boring, which is a big negative considering games are supposed to be entertaining.”
    • “If the gameplay wasn't so dry, you'd hope the story would salvage it, but considering you can complete the first chapter in less than 15 minutes, don't expect much in the way of story.”
    • “Requires a lot of replaying, but has no mechanics that make replaying less painful (like skipping text/scenes, manual saving...). It's really frustrating that the game was designed to be replayed so you can explore characters' connections in different outcomes, and choices do matter, but it's a bit butterfly-effect-esque and insanely hard/boring to navigate and explore.”
  • replayability9 mentions

    The game offers significant replayability through its branching choices and the "connections gallery," which showcases different outcomes based on player decisions. However, the absence of achievements on the Switch version and the lack of a skip function can make replaying feel tedious for completionists. Overall, while replay value is high due to the engaging structure and charming characters, it may require a commitment to fully explore all possibilities.

    • “There also exists a 'connections gallery' where you can walk inside a gallery for each episode, with different people, artworks, and objects being placed there based on the choices you have made, adding a great deal of replayability for the completionist among you.”
    • “The structure of the episodes and how they create a whole piece together and overlap is really great; there's a lot of replay value, and the setting and characters are so charming.”
    • “There are a lot of real choices in the game as well, which helps with replay value quite a lot, as you will be left with some questions and 'what ifs' floating in your mind.”
    • “It is worth noting, however, that the lack of achievements does limit replayability on the Switch version.”
    • “Still, this is a delightful game; each of the four episodes will take about an hour each, and the mild replayability isn't off-putting for the amount of creativity on display, especially for the asking price.”
    • “The game has some branching choices, and some degree of replayability due to different possible outcomes.”
  • humor8 mentions

    The humor in the game is praised for its blend of wit and emotional depth, eliciting both laughter and reflection from players. Reviewers highlight the clever storytelling and character interactions that enhance the comedic elements, making the experience both entertaining and thought-provoking. Overall, the humor is described as beautiful, funny, and intricately woven into the narrative.

    • “The copywriting and storytelling is amazing and creates four unique storylines with great characters that all connect to each other based on your decisions throughout the episodes. I found myself chuckling anytime there was a crossover later in the game.”
    • “It is funny, sweet but also sad and makes you think about a lot of aspects.”
    • “Hilarious, deep and sad at the same time.”
  • grinding6 mentions

    Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and repetitive, particularly when attempting to unlock all possible outcomes and achievements. While the short stories and overall experience are enjoyable, the slow pacing and the need to replay episodes multiple times can detract from the enjoyment. The "decide again" feature offers some flexibility, but it doesn't fully alleviate the tedium associated with exploring different choices.

    • “The short stories themselves are fine, but their execution is just tedious and boring.”
    • “Although I am well versed in that era, I found the gameplay exceedingly tedious and bereft of much meaningful content.”
    • “Still, I found it a bit tedious having to replay the episodes several times for the achievements, but overall it's a wonderful experience and somewhat worth it to see how some aspects of the story change.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

85% average critic score

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Play time

4hMedian play time
4hAverage play time
4-4hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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