Lenrual

This is a highly abstract, artsy, and unusual game that tells you nothing through text, with everything communicated through visuals. After a short introduction that teaches you how to interact with characters, you find yourself in a strange city filled with characters who all look very similar. When you talk to them, you have to repeat a pattern across a grid, which is simple enough. Some tiles are blocked by eye tiles, but these can be broken by pushing into them several times. After talking to enough characters, they start following you, and you eventually become some sort of leader that everyone you touch will follow. At this point, the objective is to move through the city along a fairly linear path and activate switches. The switches come in groups of three, and you need to step on all of them within a few seconds by using your dash. Eventually, this leads you to one of the three paintings. You are then sent back into the city, where you can repeat the same process. However, this only gives you access to one of the paintings, and you need to explore the city and figure out how to reach the other two. This is extremely difficult without a walkthrough because the required s…

This is a small, at first intentionally confusing exploration puzzle / metroidbrainia game, played from a first person perspective with no narration. You meet aliens; to say more would probably be a spoiler. Even the trailer technically has spoilers. If you like this type of game, you will probably like this one! I found it on the metroidbrainia subreddit where there was some discussion if it qualified, but I think it does (some discussion below under a spoiler tag). I took about two and a half hours to get all achievements and the credits roll (and a few additional minutes to tweak the controller setup - see below). I don't think I figured out everything, though I probably did figure out most things. It is VERY atmospheric. I loved hanging out in this place and slowly figuring out what was going on. The atmosphere was the strongest part of the game, some of it was just genuinely beautiful and touching to a degree I did not expect. Some of the earlier reviews say there is no save system, but this has since then been added (and I really do think that was a good decision). It autosaves! Don't press the save icon in the main menu, because that actually deletes your save. (I don't t…

This review is especially made for those who like to get all the achievements in games. Minor spoilers ahead. Lenrual is a short indie game that takes place in a surreal world inhabited by strange creatures that reminded me of the ghosts of spirited away, but in an urban setting like Tokyo, with busy streets and several shops. You have to solve puzzles, communicate with these ghosts, interact with other items scattered across the city and play some mini games to complete the game’s three paintings (objectives). The unusual and unique thing about this game is that nothing is explained to you, not even the most basic game mechanics, you have to figure out everything for yourself. This will seem complicated at first but after a while you’ll start to understand at least part of what you have to do and fortunately there is a guide you can follow if you get stuck. The game uses the Unity engine and most of the NPCs are very simplified, except for a few that have more prominent roles in the tasks you need to complete. The environments are also simple but manages to create an interesting ambiance and beautiful light effects brighten up this usually dark world. The gameplay isn’t part…

Lenrual is a short and unconventional puzzle adventure that places discovery ahead of constant instruction. Developed and published by Jonathan Guite, it presents a compact open environment where an ordinary evening gradually develops into something far stranger. Rather than relying on traditional quest markers or a rigid sequence of objectives, the experience encourages players to wander, investigate suspicious details, speak with unusual inhabitants, and experiment with the environment until its underlying rules begin to make sense. The small scale of the world works particularly well with this approach. Instead of filling a huge map with disposable activities, Lenrual creates an area that players can gradually memorize. A location or object that appears meaningless during the first few minutes may become important after discovering another clue elsewhere. Revisiting familiar places with new information becomes an essential part of progression, giving exploration a satisfying sense of purpose despite the game's relatively brief duration. Puzzles are intentionally cryptic, and the game offers very little hand-holding. Solving its mysteries often depends on observation and experi…

Lenrual is a lovely puzzle game about navigating the underworld? It's very cryptic and implied and figuring out what to do usually is more of a puzzle than actually doing it but that's where the fun lies! Plus it's weird and pretty... if short! Pros: -It's a beautiful game (Uses low end graphics with clever design to make it look spectacular. Dingy stone buildings of the city with gold neon that pops, some areas can be quite ornate, incredible ghost design where some are cute, some are elegant, some are funny. The astral effect is great too... at worst some areas are dingy without the neon lights) -Nice whimsical musical accents but usually you'll be hearing the crowds (You are in a crowded ghost city after all). Thus it's mysterious but in a non-sinister way -Lovely and cryptic (Mechanically the puzzles are simple but figuring out what to actually do has enough challenge to be satisfying). You should be able to figure it out though... don't worry -The light up ghost board is a lovely interactive element (Use it to draw patterns and talk to ghosts... closest thing the game has to a HUD) -Incredibly creative, fit for purpose in its short length Maybes: -Very imp…

Great vibes and a few genuine a-ha moments. Beatable in ~1hr but genuinely worth it.