The Lost and The Wicked

About

"The Lost and The Wicked" is a brutal twin-stick shooter set in a nightmarish world, where you must fight off monstrous creatures and uncover your past. With hectic gameplay, a unique grunge art style, and an original soundtrack, this psycho-thriller explores themes of regret, fear, and confronting your past. Unlock new weapons and abilities as you progress through the story, challenging faster and stronger enemies. Please note that the game contains intense violence and is intended for mature audiences.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

79%

Audience ScoreBased on 28 reviews

gameplay8 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

The game features a unique art style and an engaging soundtrack that enhances the overall atmosphere.
Gameplay is satisfying and addictive, with a variety of powers and upgrades that allow for different playstyles.
The narrative is intriguing and immersive, complemented by interactive cutscenes that add depth to the experience.

The game suffers from repetitive gameplay and a lack of variety in level design, leading to a grindy experience.
Weapon balance is poor, with many being underpowered, making progression feel tedious.
The writing can be overly heavy-handed and detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.

gameplay
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
54%
13%
The gameplay is characterized as a twin-stick shooter with minimal graphics and simple mechanics, making it easy to pick up and play. While the core gameplay loop is satisfying and engaging, it tends to become repetitive, especially in the later levels, and some players feel it lacks depth and variety. However, the inclusion of meta-progression, powers, and upgrades adds a layer of strategy, and the overall experience is enhanced by a compelling story and sound design.
- “However, the game is easy to pick up and put down, and the gameplay itself is satisfying with screen-shake accompanying plenty of guns and enemies exploding into money.”
- “The limited gun use is an interesting mechanic I initially struggled with, but after a few stages, or deaths, you quickly learn to understand and utilize the tech to its fullest potential.”
- “Although the playtime is short, the story is magnificent, the score is expertly crafted, and the gameplay is engaging, making this an underrated gem.”
- “The gameplay is lacking in substance and becomes repetitive quickly.”
- “Has a decent Hotline Miami-esque aesthetic and gameplay loop, but the gameplay is just really subpar.”
- “Honestly, by the time you truly understand all the mechanics, particularly the three I've previously mentioned, you've reached the second last and/or last level.”
story
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
33%
25%
The story is praised for its allegorical depth and atmospheric qualities, effectively enhancing the overall experience despite some repetitive gameplay. Reviewers highlight the creative plot, immersive world-building, and fitting musical score, though some express concerns about the main character's dialogues and the game's value relative to its price. Overall, the narrative is considered a standout feature that elevates the game, making it an underrated gem.
- “The gameplay loop does get repetitive by the last few levels, but the allegorical and mysterious story kept me playing for the five hours it took me to complete the game.”
- “Although the playtime is short, the story is magnificent, the score is expertly crafted, the gameplay is engaging, and this is an underrated gem.”
- “"A tragic and dark story told via psychedelic horror set-pieces, otherworldly enemies, melancholy mini-game events, and despairing revelation."”
- “Here is where I have my one and only complaint, and it's not even regarding the plot or world-building specifically, but instead the main character's monologues and dialogues.”
- “A tragic and dark story told via psychedelic horror set-pieces, otherworldly enemies, melancholy mini-game events, and despairing revelations.”
- “I thought the gameplay was okay, but the story really helped to elevate it; it's just a bit too expensive for what it offers. Obviously, I didn't buy it, but if I did, I would expect a little more skill and stage variety, or at least more replay value around existing content.”
music
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
37%
27%
The game's music is praised for its surreal style and effective ambiance, enhancing the overall experience. Reviewers highlight the thoughtful composition of the soundtrack and sound design, noting that it complements the narrative and gameplay, particularly during boss fights. The combination of simple visuals and melancholy music creates a captivating atmosphere, making it a standout feature for fans of the genre.
- “This game ventures into a surreal style of music and ambiance that not enough games explore.”
- “The music and sound design is really fun and extremely well made.”
- “This is not to say the audio is simplistic, as that would be greatly unfair to the amount of time it must've taken to compose the supporting soundtrack, main soundtrack, gun effects, enemy sounds, etc.”
- “An ongoing theme presented throughout the title is the idea of 'less is more,' and this is also evident in the soundtrack, score, and sound design.”
- “I like the simple visuals combined with the melancholy music.”
graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a minimalistic yet refreshing art style that complements its engaging story and melancholic music. While some players appreciate the unique visuals and the ability to create diverse content with simple designs, others find the overall aesthetic reminiscent of titles like Hotline Miami, though opinions on the gameplay quality vary. Overall, the visuals are praised for their thoughtfulness and ability to enhance the game's atmosphere.
- “Visuals and sound: wonderful”
- “Similarly, coinciding with the brilliant story, the world building presents, just like the art style and score, a subtle, almost realistic environment greatly juxtaposed by our protagonist's constant decaying, borderline schizophrenic mental state.”
- “Refreshing art style and really thought out features.”
- “A twin-stick shooter with mostly minimal graphics and simple gameplay mechanics, as well as meta-progression.”
- “Has a decent Hotline Miami-esque aesthetic and gameplay loop, but the gameplay is just really subpar.”
- “From the mechanics, the rough-around-the-edges effects and art style, the HUD display, and the in-your-face gunplay.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a significant drawback, as it often feels tedious and repetitive, particularly due to underpowered weapons and poorly scaling upgrades. While the gameplay is enjoyable, the necessity to grind for money detracts from the overall experience, making the game feel longer than its intended 3-4 hour duration.
- “Despite the game being a roguelite, it suffers heavily from weapons being vastly underpowered except for a few cases. The game feels rather grindy, and the ability to swap abilities on the keyboard was horrendous. The upgrades scale terribly, and despite being listed as a 3-4 hour game, you'll easily spend that time alone grinding for money.”
- “Gameplay: very fun but tedious at points.”
- “The story was cool, but the gameplay got far too repetitive and tedious after about the 10th 'kill them all' level that you run into.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
100%
The game is criticized for its short playtime of 2.5 to 3 hours and a lack of replay value, with players suggesting the addition of achievements, upgrade features, and a new game+ mode to enhance replayability. While the story adds some value, many feel that the overall experience does not justify the price, as it lacks sufficient skill and stage variety to encourage multiple playthroughs.
- “The gameplay is solid, but the story truly elevates the experience. I would have appreciated more skill and stage variety to enhance the replay value of the existing content.”
- “The game offers a lot of different paths and choices, making each playthrough feel unique and engaging.”
- “With multiple endings and various character builds, I find myself coming back to explore all the possibilities.”
- “It is a bit short, about 2.5 to 3 hours with no replay value. You should consider adding some content support like achievements, more upgrade features in the hub world, and perhaps a new game+ (and if you do, add just a little bit of new content on the second playthrough to make it worthwhile).”
- “I thought the gameplay was okay, but the story really helped to elevate it. It's just a bit too expensive for what it offers. Obviously, I didn't buy it, but if I did, I would expect a little more skill and stage variety, or at least more replay value around existing content.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers highlight that the game's atmosphere is significantly enhanced by its engaging story and cohesive elements, creating an immersive experience that captivates players.
- “What stuck out to me was how everything contributed to the atmosphere of the game itself.”
- “The story so far is very interesting and is very atmospheric, like so much else of the game.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development received a mixed response, with a score of 7/10 for character designs, indicating that while the designs are generally appealing, they may lack depth or complexity in their development throughout the game.