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The Lion's Song

Impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.
The Lion's Song Game Cover
89%Game Brain Score
story, music
grinding, character development
91% User Score Based on 987 reviews
Critic Score 85%Based on 3 reviews

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The Lion's Song Game Cover

About

The Lion's Song is a single player action game. It was developed by Mi'pu'mi Games GmbH and was released on July 7, 2016. It received positive reviews from critics and very positive reviews from players.

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.

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The Lion's Song screenshot
The Lion's Song screenshot
The Lion's Song screenshot
The Lion's Song screenshot
The Lion's Song screenshot
The Lion's Song screenshot
The Lion's Song screenshot
The Lion's Song screenshot
The Lion's Song screenshot
The Lion's Song screenshot
The Lion's Song screenshot
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91%
Audience ScoreBased on 987 reviews
story273 positive mentions
grinding10 negative mentions
  • Beautiful pixel art and atmospheric music enhance the storytelling experience.
  • Engaging narrative that explores themes of creativity, inspiration, and personal struggle.
  • Characters are well-developed and relatable, making players invested in their journeys.
  • Gameplay is mostly linear with limited interactivity, which may not appeal to all players.
  • Episodes are relatively short, leaving some players wanting more content.
  • Some choices may feel insignificant, leading to a lack of meaningful impact on the story.
  • story
    663 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story of "The Lion's Song" is a poignant exploration of creativity and personal struggle set in early 20th century Vienna, focusing on the lives of various artists, particularly a female composer. Players engage with the narrative through meaningful choices that affect character development and outcomes, creating a deeply immersive experience. While some find the pacing slow or the gameplay simplistic, many praise the emotional depth, beautiful art, and music that enhance the storytelling, making it a must-play for fans of narrative-driven games.

    • “The story is beautifully written, the music is thoroughly engaging and the best thing in my opinion is the art style.”
    • “The story is so good, even my mom loved playing it :)”
    • “The lion's song is a true masterpiece in video game storytelling.”
    • “The game has its charm, but it fails where it shouldn't: the story and the gameplay.”
    • “Unfortunately, the story didn't quite grab me, so I won't be playing the other episodes.”
    • “The story is totally boring and doesn't get developed in the free episode 1, so that I have no desire for the second part after the very fast achieved end.”
  • music
    506 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in "The Lion's Song" is widely praised for its beauty and emotional depth, enhancing the game's narrative and atmosphere. Players appreciate the soundtrack's ability to evoke feelings and complement the story of a young composer struggling with creative block. While the music is a standout feature, some reviews note that it can feel limited in later episodes, yet overall, it significantly contributes to the game's charm and immersive experience.

    • “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 music is gorgeous, there's little more that needs to be said about that.”
    • “The music is only okay.”
    • “The most awful is the music... don't get me wrong, it's not so bad but we're playing a game where the main character is a talented musician (very promising from what we know from the story) and her composition is what gives the name to the series so why is it so disappointing?”
    • “The game relies on music to bend the heartstrings yet it repeats the same tired notes over and over in hopes to create a sense of nostalgia that never has time to develop.”
  • graphics
    256 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of "The Lion's Song" are characterized by a unique sepia-toned pixel art style that evokes nostalgia and complements the game's storytelling. While some players appreciate the simplicity and charm of the visuals, others find them limited and occasionally difficult to interpret. Overall, the art style is praised for its ability to enhance the emotional depth of the narrative, making it a significant aspect of the game's appeal.

    • “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 art style is gorgeous, as well as the animations for it.”
    • “The pixel graphics and minimal color palette is what drew me in at first, and although the environments are static, they have a lot to offer and are fun to explore.”
    • “Graphics are not awesome, making it hard to decipher things a couple of times.”
    • “Ugly pixel graphics and no real gameplay, just slow plodding clicks to skip past the next bit of boring text is all you can look forward to here.”
    • “I'll admit, at first, I disliked the graphics.”
  • gameplay
    117 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of the game is largely criticized for its simplicity and lack of depth, primarily revolving around basic point-and-click mechanics and dialogue choices that do not significantly challenge players. While some appreciate the narrative and artistic elements, many reviewers feel that the gameplay is tedious and repetitive, often reducing the experience to mere clicking through text without engaging puzzles or meaningful interaction. Overall, the game seems to cater more to those who prioritize storytelling over gameplay complexity.

    • “This game is amazing, I love everything about it, from the mechanics to the artwork and the graphics, it's wonderful.”
    • “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.”
    • “The point & click gameplay works well with the art style to immerse you into its interesting story and characters.”
    • “The gameplay is short for each episode, and most of the action occurs in point-and-click interaction with the surroundings, or choosing certain dialogue choices.”
    • “Gameplay-wise, the mechanics are thin on the ground.”
    • “The gameplay is basically spam clicking to get through dialogue.”
  • emotional
    89 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game is widely praised for its heartfelt storytelling, relatable characters, and beautiful art style, often evoking strong feelings and even tears from players. Many reviews highlight the game's ability to connect players to the characters' struggles and journeys, making it a deeply touching experience that resonates on a personal level. However, some critics feel that the emotional impact can be undermined by simplistic gameplay mechanics, suggesting a mixed reception regarding the balance between emotional depth and interactive engagement.

    • “Portraying her as the artist she is, with all her flaws, dreams, and struggles was heartwarming, and I felt like this could've been a real story of an actual person.”
    • “The end result is that you finish the game feeling touched and emotional, as if you have unfolded something about yourself.”
    • “The story is beautiful and incredibly touching.”
  • atmosphere
    82 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and captivating qualities, enhanced by a rich early 20th-century Vienna setting, beautiful pixel art, and a poignant soundtrack. Reviewers highlight the emotional depth and charm of the narrative, noting that the art style and music significantly contribute to the overall experience. Many agree that the game effectively conveys a melancholic yet engaging atmosphere, making it a memorable and worthwhile experience.

    • “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.”
    • “The graphics, story, music, characters, and all the atmosphere is just mesmerizing.”
    • “I felt that there was a brooding atmosphere emanating from the game that made me feel with the main character.”
    • “The game takes place during four different timelines and each features four different people with different careers like a composer and an artist. The presentation is amazing; the whole game is shot entirely in a brown filter to mimic an 18th-century photograph, giving the game a sense of subtle atmosphere.”
    • “Very slow-paced, it's more about the atmosphere and about the feeling of strong characters.”
  • replayability
    28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers notable replayability due to its branching choices and interconnected episodes, encouraging players to explore different outcomes and unlock achievements. However, some players feel that the absence of quality-of-life features, like skipping cutscenes, can make repeated playthroughs feel tedious. Overall, while many appreciate the replay value for completionist goals and the engaging narrative, some find the replay incentive limited, particularly in shorter episodes.

    • “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.”
    • “The multiple response choices give this game a lot of replay value.”
    • “The replay value, however, is not that high.”
    • “After playing episode 1, I feel like there isn't much replay value to the episode.”
    • “While I've only played a little under an hour of the game, I have completed it once through, but I can already see the replay value, as there are subtle decisions to be made which can impact the end of the episode.”
  • humor
    11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is described as a blend of funny, sweet, and poignant moments that enhance the storytelling and character development. Players appreciate the clever writing and the ability to evoke laughter amidst deeper themes, with some noting the humor's intentionality and its connection to the game's emotional impact. However, a few reviews suggest that the humor may not be as prominent in certain gameplay aspects, indicating a balance between comedic and serious tones.

    • “Beautiful, funny, and entertaining <3”
    • “There's a lot to like about this game: it's gorgeous, it's humorous in parts, and there is clear intentionality throughout the game.”
    • “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.”
  • grinding
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly when pursuing all achievements, as it requires multiple playthroughs and can involve repetitive decision-making. While some appreciate the overall experience and story variations, the lack of fast-forward options and slow pacing contribute to a sense of monotony. Overall, the grinding is seen as a necessary but frustrating part of the gameplay.

    • “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.”
    • “It does, however, get tedious with no fast forward button.”
  • character development
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game is praised for its outstanding storytelling, allowing players to feel deeply connected to the characters and their motivations. However, some reviews highlight a lack of cohesive narrative and poor writing, which detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the effectiveness of character development seems to vary significantly among players.

    • “The character development throughout the episode is outstanding and is one of the best storytelling games I've had the pleasure to play.”
    • “The art was very nice, but there was absolutely no story, and the character development, writing, and gameplay were kind of awful.”
    • “Once you decide to put your heart into the character development, you feel like you're part of this short story and that you are actually a reason for what and why the character acts the way she does.”
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85%Critics’ scoreBased on 3 critic reviews
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9h Median play time
7h Average play time
4-10h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

The Lion's Song is a action game.

The Lion's Song is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac OS, Windows and others.

On average players spend around 7 hours playing The Lion's Song.

The Lion's Song was released on July 7, 2016.

The Lion's Song was developed by Mi'pu'mi Games GmbH.

The Lion's Song has received positive reviews from players and positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

The Lion's Song is a single player game.

Similar games include Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth, Kentucky Route Zero, The Crown of Leaves, The Cat Lady, The Detail and others.