I'm not a fan of most things about Lona, especially the tags and the engine (oh god the engine), but I've found myself actually interested in the game and the setting. It's a good 8/10 game with NSFW content of a varying quality, so it's worth checking out even if you're into more vanilla stuff.
Starting with gameplay, it feels fleshed out and I don't think I've ran into any bugs at all. There are some translations missing here and there, but they are tucked away and are for something minor, at least in the first city.
I was expecting to see drawn-out JRPG turn-based combats with crazy numbers and obscure stats. I was surprised to see straightforward real-time combat. It's not exactly fluid, but it works well and has some depth to it. I wish there was more equipment, but every piece of clothing is actually shown on Lona's portrait, so, obviously, it's going to take some time to add any new attire.
Speaking of art, the art style is really good. I'm actually looking forward to seeing every new portrait. It's Darkest Dungeon but anime, so it's pretty fresh looking. And having every character status actually show on Lona's portrait is nice and immersive. I guess the rule of "the more fucked up it is, the better it's drawn" works here.
But that's not to say this game doesn't have problems.
The real-time combat is nice, but it can get so chaotic I wish I could play it one step at a time. As expected, the combat is brutal, but it often feels like the game (or the engine) lacks smoothness that would make it more enjoyable.
The AI can be very frantic and rarely leaves you time to react, but the tools you have require some time to use even if you are somewhat used to them. Think of a Souls-like, but with tank controls. It's less about reaction and movement and more about positioning and spam. That combined with the stamina system can make you lose pretty regularly.
The other thing that bothers me is Lona herself. It's not that big of a deal overall, but she often behaves like a naive sidekick girl from a light fantasy Isekai. Her poses and lines don't match the setting at all. She doesn't come off as kind or hoping, she comes off as naive and oblivious because of exaggerated emotions. She's too cheery, too confused, too... everything. The intro directly tells us that she has nothing left, and this overacting doesn't come off as being broken. Especially since there are moments where she acts appropriately, so it feels like I'm watching her alter ego or true self finally coming out.
She's based on a trope, but this trope clashes with how Lona (or any person) would actually act in a setting like this. I hope that with time her character will be fleshed out to better fit the narrative.
It takes time for these problems to reaveal themselves, but the first and overall impressions from this game are positive for me. Lona is definitely worth checking out even at this stage of development.
Starting with gameplay, it feels fleshed out and I don't think I've ran into any bugs at all. There are some translations missing here and there, but they are tucked away and are for something minor, at least in the first city.
I was expecting to see drawn-out JRPG turn-based combats with crazy numbers and obscure stats. I was surprised to see straightforward real-time combat. It's not exactly fluid, but it works well and has some depth to it. I wish there was more equipment, but every piece of clothing is actually shown on Lona's portrait, so, obviously, it's going to take some time to add any new attire.
Speaking of art, the art style is really good. I'm actually looking forward to seeing every new portrait. It's Darkest Dungeon but anime, so it's pretty fresh looking. And having every character status actually show on Lona's portrait is nice and immersive. I guess the rule of "the more fucked up it is, the better it's drawn" works here.
But that's not to say this game doesn't have problems.
The real-time combat is nice, but it can get so chaotic I wish I could play it one step at a time. As expected, the combat is brutal, but it often feels like the game (or the engine) lacks smoothness that would make it more enjoyable.
The AI can be very frantic and rarely leaves you time to react, but the tools you have require some time to use even if you are somewhat used to them. Think of a Souls-like, but with tank controls. It's less about reaction and movement and more about positioning and spam. That combined with the stamina system can make you lose pretty regularly.
The other thing that bothers me is Lona herself. It's not that big of a deal overall, but she often behaves like a naive sidekick girl from a light fantasy Isekai. Her poses and lines don't match the setting at all. She doesn't come off as kind or hoping, she comes off as naive and oblivious because of exaggerated emotions. She's too cheery, too confused, too... everything. The intro directly tells us that she has nothing left, and this overacting doesn't come off as being broken. Especially since there are moments where she acts appropriately, so it feels like I'm watching her alter ego or true self finally coming out.
She's based on a trope, but this trope clashes with how Lona (or any person) would actually act in a setting like this. I hope that with time her character will be fleshed out to better fit the narrative.
It takes time for these problems to reaveal themselves, but the first and overall impressions from this game are positive for me. Lona is definitely worth checking out even at this stage of development.