Not too long ago people viewed mobile games as a bit of a joke. One of the standout games that appeared to take the platform by storm in 2012 was Puzzle and Dragons, which later saw a Nintendo version on 3DS in 2015. The main mechanic of this game is matching up tiles in rows of three or more. This is not the first game to utilize this mechanic, and it’s far from having been the last, but it brought the style of gameplay to the forefront for many. While not something you’d likely find in AAA games outside of the odd minigame, it’s easy to pick up, so it’s nice to see what kind of variations developers apply to it.

Metropolis: Lux Obscura is a motion comic with some minor decision making containing several different story beats and endings depending on your choices; the main gameplay mechanic surrounding the story are match 3 battles. Almost every section you come across will involve a battle, each of which will play out differently. Enemies will attack you after a certain amount of turns, and you must deplete their health before they do yours or its game over. The tiles you match will do damage to the enemy, damage you, heal you, or increase your damage multiplier. Failing isn’t too big of a deal, as the game saves after each milestone and you can continue to attempt the story as many times as necessary. Each completed battle also allows you to choose from a selection of different upgrades, which may increase health, strengthen the tiles used, in addition to other factors.

The battles are by no means unique, but I found myself enjoying them about as much as you can. The upgrades are a nice touch, and being given the opportunity of getting more gear such as your gun to use in battle is a neat idea. If you’ve never played a game in this vein, you may find this to be a breath of fresh air. For anyone that is familiar with match 3 games, there’s not a whole lot of reason to jump into this, as the narrative isn’t all that compelling.

The story is told in a noir fashion and does not shy away from being lewd. However, the “mature” content is not presented in a way that actually creates a riveting experience for a mature audience. Instead, it feels as though it’s there for the sake of getting an M rating on a match 3 game. The game can be completed in less than an hour for any given ending, and in that time you don’t really gain any connection with the characters. In my first playthrough one of the main characters went from being dismissive and rude in one scene to crying and essentially wanting to run away with me in the next one or two. I appreciate that it doesn’t beat around the bush, but when the story is this shallow, it almost feels as if it shouldn’t be there in the first place.

Between missions you’re provided a map of the city, and while you are able to choose where you go, there is often times only one or two places highlighted that you can choose. Honestly, this creates a sense of choice when there isn’t any and is more frustrating than anything. Even when certain areas are partially lit up, you are not able to go there.

As far as matching games go, this is far from the worst you can play. But then again, you can play many better ones for free. It’s an interesting concept that would fare much better if the story was fleshed out and you were given a reason to care about the characters you interacted with, but is a bit disappointing in its current state.

4 out of 10

Pros

• Upgrade System
• Multiple Story Paths

Cons

• Shallow Characters
• Weak Story
• False Sense of Freedom

Metropolis: Lux Obscura was developed by Ktulhu Solutions and published by Sometimes You. It previously released on PC in 2017 and launches on PS Vita and NS April 4th, 2018. The game was provided to us for review on PS Vita and NS. For more on Metropolis: Lux Obscura, check out the game’s official site.

 

Here at GBG we use a rating method that you are more than likely familiar with – a scale of 1 to 10. For clarification, we intend on using the entire scale: 1-4 is something you should probably avoid paying for; 5-7 is something that is worth playing, but probably not at full price; 8-10 is a great title that you can feel confident about buying. If you have any questions or comments about how we rate a game, please let us know.

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