Lovely Planet is probably the weirdest FPS you will play this year. Not only does it have extraordinary graphical style, but it is at least ten times more hectic than it looks from the screenshots. Developed by QuickTequila Computer Video Games it has dropped on Steam recently. When I started playing there was no Steam reviews on it so I had absolutely no idea what to expect. I took a break after the first hour and saw that the reviews started popping up. Almost every single one of them were positive. Honestly I wasn’t really surprised by that. Here is why.
Is this a dream?
Before getting into the gameplay I feel that it is necessary to talk about graphics. On the other hand there is no point in talking about realistic graphics. This is not Crysis 3. This game does not have super fancy graphics. It does however has a super weird aesthetic. Everything from the simplest of enemies, to the pink M4-s sticking out of the ground looks absolutely out of this word. To top that there is even a big influence of Asian style thrown into the mix aswell. Everything is vivid, colorful and blends in nicely with the flow of the game. I have to admit that some people will look at the pictures and just turn away in disgust. Let them do their thing. They won’t enjoy Lovely Planet anyway.
Fastest FPS of the year?
The gameplay is very simple, yet punishing sometimes. You only have two objectives: kill all baddies and get to the end. To make it even more easy you only have one weapon. Sounds simple enough, huh? Well it would be if the game was not a speed runner. Yes, this is an FPS focused on speed running. The levels will be the same every time, every bullet, every enemy, and every object will be the same place as last time. All it takes is trial and error to complete the levels and get faster. A LOT of trial and error. You die in one hit. All it takes is just a step in the wrong direction and you are back at the start. The first few levels will be a cakewalk, but as the game progresses forward, more enemy types are introduced, and some levels can get really frustrating.
Luckily the only weapon you are armed with feels extremely satisfying to use. I was really worried that the combat can be the downfall of this title. With only one gun available, it could easily have been the case.
Everything is just so fast in this game that there is really no time to rest. As you try the levels over and over again you will barely have chance to catch your breath. I would even go as far to say that style aside, this feels like the original Unreal Tournament or Quake 3 Arena.
I think that the only really missing feature is a proper leaderboard. There is one time for World Record and that is it. It would be nice to at least get a global leaderboard. It would be even better to get a leaderboard that can be filtered, so you can compare your time on country level, or have a little speed run competition with your friends.
Asian blues
All of this is paired with an orchestral, very eastern sounding music. Most of the songs are not very adrenaline pumping, but I think that it might not be such a bad thing, because the game is already pretty hectic even with a chilly soundtrack. Have to say it is not really my kind of music, but some of my friends who listen to anime soundtracks and such, are usually listening to something very similar to this. I could not really say how good it is on that level, but I have no complaints. It suits the whole style of the game perfectly.
Verdict
Lovely Planet is a very competent and fast shooter. It will not take that long to complete the game, but it will surely make you very stressed on some of the levels. The game is available at a very generous price. I would recommend this to anyone who has no problem with the aesthetic, and who loves Quake 3 Arena or UT. On the other hand I would probably not recommend it to someone who grew up on the modern generation of shooters. They will probably miss objective markers and won’t understand why is it enjoyable to play levels that can be completed in 10-20 seconds.
Lovely Planet is out now on Steam.
