QuickTequila’s fast paced platform shooter Lovely Planet makes its way to Xbox One and comes complete with a cute looking exterior but tough as nails center. Once you get past the simply flat textured graphics and colourful music you’ll find a game which is big on challenge and small or even non-existent on anything else. There’s no story to wade through or characters to interact with it’s just you, an automatic weapon and a jump button.
At the game’s start it’s pretty easy to suss out what’s required. Shoot the red bad guys, or red blobs or anything that’s red whilst avoiding touching it. Failure to adhere to this simple rule means a quick teleport back to the start of the level. That’s actually not a bad thing because the levels are numerous but short and sweet, so the respawn doesn’t really slow things down. You’ll basically learn by trial and error and once you’ve nailed what’s required, then steaming through a level can be accomplished very quickly. The game obviously throws in more challenge as you progress through each world and by the time you’ve reached even the second major area you’ll start to grasp what’s expected of you and keep trying again and again.
Players are faced with enemies that shoot, apples that explode when they hit the ground, dangerous spikes, precarious chasms and all sorts of strange things which need to be taken care of. There’s a handy lock-on button when in range but mostly you’ll need to learn to take pot shots from afar and “sharpish” due to how quickly things can escalate.
It’s hard to say how enjoyable Lovely Planet is even in the face of some chillingly upbeat music which will have you tapping your feet along quite readily. The problem lies in the fact that if you’ve little patience not long after embarking on the journey it won’t only be the enemies that are red coloured. There’s a lot of frustration here as precise timing is required, and whilst controls might be better suited to a mouse and keyboard from the PC original game, an Xbox One controller feels like it’s at a disadvantage. So, you’ve got to be able to stomach the pitfalls and just keep pressing on which is hard but ultimately rewarding especially if you’re stuck for a while and then finally crack it.
There’s enough to strive for here on a personal level as you compete to gain stars for speed, killing all enemies and 100% accuracy – a besting one’s own times. You can replay any level at will in case you missed a star and they don’t all have to be done in one run. In a nutshell there’s enough to do here across six worlds and the hundreds of levels on offer to keep the most determined entertained.
So…is Lovely Planet a game to be recommended? Well, on one side it’s a fun distraction, cheap to purchase and simple enough to play in short bursts. However, it is also an acquired taste and for those who lack the patience might find the appeal wearing off pretty fast if a particular level seems impossible to pass. Die hard gamers who are glutton for punishment and up for any challenge will find a neat game here despite the game’s cutesy presentation. Anyone else will probably give up at the first major obstacle and head for less demanding pastures.
Review code supplied by Microsoft Xbox.
