REVIEW: Metropolis: Lux Obscura PS4

 
I’ll set the record straight from the start. This type of game has no place on a console as far as I’m concerned. For me it should be only available through mobile phones or handheld consoles at a push. That being said, let me move swiftly along.
I wanted to hate this game from the start. Think of a time where your Facebook news feed was flooded with game requests from Candy Crush and how annoying that game became, whether you played it or not it still managed to get into the lives of most, If you did play it then that’s what you can expect from Metropolis: Lux Obscura. The basis of the game is to move pieces around a board and match them into rows of 3 or more.

So as you can see from the above screenshot, the sweets of Candy Crush have been replaced with other things. All have a place within the game. The general idea is to beat an AI opponent by matching the items. Certain things will do damage to them, some to you and then of course there is health replenishment for yourself.
Now, I said that I wanted to hate the game from the start, but in all honesty I couldn’t. The game is nothing taxing to us gamers and once you move past the idea of the game and look deeper you can see the hardwork that has gone into the backdrop.
Metropolis: Lux Obscura is a match 3 puzzle game, but it also has a Film Noir/Comic Book-style aesthetic and a criminal plot which is what makes the game for me.
So, basic plot I hear you ask?
You play as John Lockhart, a criminal type that was imprisoned for the supposed murder of his best friend. He’s back on the Streets now and looking for his old crush and some way to make money and maybe set things right. It’s not long before he gets involved in all kinds of fights and has to bloody his fists again though.

The game is relatively short; each playthrough will take about 30 minutes or so to complete and is told through comic book scenes which I really liked. There are various endings which you can achieve and what I like is that they may or may not be favourable for our hero.
There are things which do let the game down however. As a voice actor myself, one of the things I tend to focus on within a game is exactly that, and whoever has voiced for this game is questionable to say the least. Luckily our main character gets the most lines and his voice over works. Others, not so much so and they do stand out from the game spoiling it for me. I also came across some annoying glitches which can hopefully be rectified in the near future such as tiles disappearing from the screen and then after a few more moves the entire game would freeze loosing my cursor and forcing me to have to quit out and start it back up. Luckily the game saves all the time in the background so you don’t loose any progress.

As you progress through the game and beat enemies you can start to power up some of your attributes which does come in very useful.
My final thoughts on this game are simple. Its cheap and cheerful. It’s not fantastic, but its also not one of the worst budget games you will find out there. Ktulhu Solutions have done a relatively nice job with this one, its certainly pleasing to the eye. A strong 7/10 from me as a boring game has been easily saved by some amazing comic book art, just please find some new Voice Actors.. I am available
 
Please note, AIR Entertainment were provided with a review copy of this game by Sometimes You and this has not in any way swayed my review