The title of this game “Lost Epic” is truly all you’ll need to bring when it comes to expectations. Everything that is epic about this game is lost in a very middling affair. I’m not saying this is a bad game nor am I saying it is a good game.

Developers, Oneoreight and Team Earthwars, and publisher Oneoreight, have brought you a game of comfort. Like finding a quiet place to read a book, easing yourself into a warm bath, or lounging in the sun. You will find something comfortable in this package to enjoy. However the book will end, the bath will go cold and the sun will set.

You begin to play as a shadowy figure awakened by a voice. As you follow the voice in this shadowy form, you undergo the basic tutorial phase. You eventually arrive at a hut where you meet the owner of the voice, a witch called Cecila.

It is here you change your shadowy form into an avatar of more detail. Once that is complete Cecilia informs you that you are a chosen knight. As the chosen knight you are tasked with ridding the world of the gods in order to save humanity. ………. That’s it people, you want more? Sorry, that’s all folks. The plot is as paper-thin as a shoji.

Lost Epic is a, (Draws a deep breath) 2D action-adventure, beat ‘em up, side-scrolling, role-playing game with ‘Metroidvania’ and ‘Souls-like’ elements (pants).

Unfortunately, all these descriptors are either just an idea or a sprinkling of what the buzzword actually depicts or means. It honestly feels like Oneoreight and Team Earthwars were more interested in appealing to as many tastes as possible, rather than focusing on a core game concept. Again don’t get me wrong what we have been given is not bad, but nor is it good. It’s a comfortable feeling that eventually wanes.

Your character comes with the standard array of movements. Double jump, light, and heavy attacks, special skills/attacks, and dodging. The controls are responsive but somehow have a weird clunky feeling when being executed.

The special skills/attacks called divine skills are unlocked by using the weapon class associated with that skill. There are three weapon classes and these are swords, long swords, and bows. The crafting system allows you to improve these weapons by not only increasing their general power but by evolving them into a stronger form in that class. The crafting system for weapons also allows you to custom-make the weapon to have additional properties like fire and ice.

Confused? Well, you should be, the crafting system is so broad in its scope, playing with it is the only way to learn.

Crafting isn’t just limited to weapons. Armours, potions, accessories, cosmetics, and food are also a part of the system. All this craft-able content will have you grinding the enemies for resources like a starving bin chicken (Australian White Ibis) tearing through bins on rubbish collection day.

There are 20 standard enemies that are repeated and get a re-skin with look and weapons from the changing of a zone. Their move sets also slightly differ from zone to zone, but once you have experienced them for the first time you will not find them challenging again. Thankfully, with an adjustable in-game difficulty option, you can adjust the challenge accordingly.

Apart from crafting resources, you will also be collecting ‘Anima’. Anima is the currency you will use to pay for everything including experience to level up. Levelling up will grant you skill points to use on the skill tree found in the ‘Book of Tidings’. This 20-page book can contain over 30 plus items to unlock per page.

Though this sounds overwhelming, each page is unlocked through progression. Progression can be acquired by finding monuments, completing side missions, and defeating certain foes, including Gods. God fights are quite the spectacle as each one offers unique attacks and patterns to overcome.

When playing the game docked, all the environments, enemies, gods, and combat are vibrantly punctuated in anime-style graphics. In hand-held mode, though the graphics remain just as vibrant and punchy but they become slightly fuzzy and unfocused. The voice acting is all in Japanese with English subtitles which are very easy to read. Ambient noise, combat sounds, and music are just as pleasurable to the senses as the graphics.

All in all, Lost Epic is a game of many tools, some you’ll love and some you’ll hate. This broad smear of genres could have been a complete mess but has managed to find its way into a comfortable format. You will not be head over heels in love with this game but you will find a little something enjoyable.

Written by: Ashley Barnett-Cosgrove