Lucah: Born of a Dream takes us to a broken, distorted wood in this week’s IGP First Look, having us face twisted nightmare creatures in combat that demands you be cunning and careful.
The game immediately sets an eerie mood with its scratched art style and unsettling music. Sound effects that hum in unnatural ways fill your ears. Creatures shiver and shift before your eyes, their movements unnatural. Nothing seems quite right creating an air of hostility as you wander. Few things aim to give you any comfort, creating a sensation of loneliness and fear that works wonders with the game’s ruthless combat system.
You have a heavy and light swing, but both will chew through a great deal of your stamina, leaving you vulnerable for a few seconds. Still, not being able to attack is only a problem if you’re still alive, and the enemies in this game hit hard. It’s more about knowing when to swing in this action game, rather than trying to rush through the enemy’s attack. Given that you can dodge roll into enemy attacks to parry them, you’re definitely encouraged to find the right moment to strike. Making good use of that dodge roll, as well as your various combat styles, will be vital to surviving this hostile place.
This challenging combat style is quite compelling, often drawing me back in for a further attempt (and I did beat that first boss eventually, didn’t I?). It’s the sort of feeling where you know you’re to blame, and that with a bit more care, you could overcome what’s challenging you. That combined with the game’s strikingly unsettling use of visuals and sound makes for a game well worth looking into. I’m happy to keep progressing through Lucah: Born of a Dream. You know, if I can stop getting overly excited and attacking when I shouldn’t.
Lucah: Born of a Dream is available now on the Nintendo Switch, Itch.io, and Steam.
About The Author
