Lost to Time Reviews

Its awesome sauceee

Weird controls that aren't explained. The most frustrating start to a game I've had in a while.

It's not good as I expected two years ago, when I got its demo... in many aspects, not good. But I still like its pixel graphics. And maybe its story. Soul-like warning ！！ Score 5/10 Not suggested to buy it without a 50% discount.

I have roughly 15 hours into this game and it is one of the most interesting 2D soulslikes I think I've ever played. The game is tough and full of secrets. I do think the only thing truly holding this game back are the controls. They're... interesting. Some of this can be solved/overwritten with Steam controls but certain things are tied together so there are still some limitations. This is absolutely a hidden gem/diamond in the rough. I would love to see more people get their hands on it. It is an incredibly inventive game and I hope to see more from this dev.

Lost to Time is a 2D souls-like metroidvania that tells us a story about Chrona and the world around her. The game has a strong focus on encouraging player exploration and making everyone's playthrough feel different from others. It is thanks to the way this game handles player choice regarding the story and tons of optional content including but not excluded to: items, locations, magi, abilities and even bosses. However, this approach is not without flaws, for because of it I (and the very few people I saw play the game) had quite a hard time during the beginning of the game. Tip: if you don't know where to go, look for a place you can't reach and work your way there, or if that doesn't work then try to explore locations you haven't been to yet even if that means risking dying [b]The graphics[/b] The gothic themed graphics represent the world of Lost to Time very well and personally strike me as beautiful [b]Controls[/b] The control scheme is quite different from other games (you have to hover over with your mouse and press Q to interact or press Ctrl to stop time for example) though I personally had no trouble getting used to it [b]The difficulty[/b] The game can feel really challenging at times, though most of the time you can make it through after several tries. And even if you are unable to do so, then there are quite a few ways to gain the upper hand and sometimes even an alternative path altogether [b]The story[/b] Lost to Time features quite a deep story with several twists to it. The story is told in a several manners such as: -The architecture -Descriptions of items -Lore drops after certain key moments -Character dialogue Certain fragments of the lore require the player to finish the game in a particular way to achieve a certain ending and personally is enough to keep me replaying the game over and over again [b]Replayability[/b] The game has a New Game+ feature which allows you to keep all of your magi, some of your levels and some of your items whilst restarting from the very start. The enemies (unfortunately) do seem to increase in strength relative to the level you start with in NG+, but so is the amount of souls dropped by them. So far I have finished the game 2 times and during the 2nd playthrough there was no point in time where I felt as if the game is "tedious", because once I got to know the game, speedrunning through content I already am familiar with was a breeze, while I still managed to discover new things. [b]The Demo[/b] The demo features 2 of about 7+ locations which do seem to play out about the same as in the full version. There are quite a few more oversights in the demo than in full game (one of which allows you to finish the demo whilst skipping a large portion of it), but in general, if you enjoyed the demo, you'll probably enjoy the full game too. [b]The Price[/b] Personally, I feel like the game is worth it's full price, though even if you can't afford it, from what I've seen it seems to go on a sale about every 1-2 months. [b]In Conclusion[/b] Lost to Time is quite an interesting experience and I'd argue is quite a niche one. Unlike many other games you aren't being guided from start to finish towards the end of the game making it not-so-friendly for newcomers, however other aspects of the game (such as the combat and replayability) were enough to keep me invested for all the 40+ hours I've spent on it and more to come. [b]So if you enjoy soulslike and metroidvania games and are ready to approach the game with a bit of patience and an open mind, I believe you'll enjoy it[/b]

Combat: Lost to Time has challenging but rewarding controls. It does not have hyperfast gameplay that does 'what you tell it, when you tell it'. You don't "make" a move in Lost to Time, you commit to one. If you press that button, expect to lose all control for the next second or so. As much as it pissed me off, I don't think I can say that it is unfair. If you put no thought into your moves, not only will you die, but you will be pissed the entire time you're dying. Yes that boss will stun lock you, but it is entirely your fault if you let it. Exploration: Lost to Time has very little direction, leaning heavily into exploration. As such, it is a game that will require the player to have a high level of patience to make progress (which is further enhanced by the incredibly limited fast travel). The directionless gameplay doesn't stop at exploration, it extends all the way to combat and puzzle solving. Although that could be seen as a negative, I personally love it. It is something that I have never seen in any game (likely due to it turning away a vast majority of people), but the level of satisfaction gained from making any progress; from learning any one mechanic, is just so indescribably high. Lost to Time takes some of my favorite elements in games and makes a frustrating yet satisfying experience, which is not worth missing out on.

If you are the first to come up with a new unique control layout that no game before has used, then maybe that's cause it's bad. Giving no tutorial at all at the start of the game isn't helpful either. The level layout is aweful, dropping down random cliffs to progress if there also is fall damage then that is horrible. Through trial and error I found out that if you fall to your death there is a pipe you can jump into where you can speak to a dying person that will finally give you a way to attack. Then I tried that on the supposed to lose boss and discover it does basically no damage. Can't stop time because I am out of "tide" a resource that is not visible on screen. It is actually amazing how much with the game is wrong. I only played 15 min and I could already talk for hours about every single bad design decision.