Lone Survivor Review

Some obtrusive game mechanics mar this otherwise intense and intriguing experience

Posted by Tim Reid on July 24, 2012 - 7:46pm EST

There is no voice acting in Lone Survivor, rather all of the text is delivered through text based speech-bubbles. This system works well here and is probably a better option than bad voice acting. You find notes scattered about the game that might refer to a location that will then show up on your map as a question mark. You must navigate through the building to get to these places where something usually happens, such as encountering a person. The apartment complex is often very dark, and you must use a flashlight to scan dark areas for supplies. Of course, monsters can see the light, and will come running when you switch it on. This creates a great sense of risk/reward as you decide whether or not it is worth it to quickly turn your light on to see if any food or ammo are hidden in a dark corner.

Sometimes, when a monster sees you, it makes sense to run to the next door and escape. These chases are frantic and intense, and as the monsters roam the halls in unpredictable patterns, you might burst through a door only to find another monster sitting on the other side, initiating another fight-or-flight sequence. These moments, and those when the game's penchant for weird, uncanny encounters pop up, never allow you to feel safe. The synth-heavy soundtrack is great, and helps propagate an atmosphere of fear and paranoia. These factors are pulled off well enough to make the slight cost of admission seem worthwhile, although some of the more obtrusive mechanics like the need to eat and sleep will frequently pull you out of the experience.

Lone Survivor might not be a lean, mean fear machine like Amnesia: The Dark Descent, but its distinct visuals and great audio give it enough of an uncanny-valley vibe to make it worth checking out. The basic and often awkward gameplay might get in the way of the game's better aspects, but once you get used to these minor annoyances, you might just end up loving Lone Survivor for its intriguing story and unique atmosphere.

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Our ratings for Lone Survivor on PC out of 100 (Ratings FAQ)

Presentation

Great use of pixilated visuals to create ambiguous scenes; creepy sound track and good sound design are frustrated by clunky menus and a confusing map.

Gameplay

Very basic gameplay with a few annoying mechanics like frequent eating and sleeping. Chases, however, are terrifying and exploration compelling.

Single Player

Short but intense, a good story and an ever-present sense of paranoia and intrigue make Long Survivor a game worth playing.

Multiplayer

None

Performance

(Show PC Specs)

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo e7200 @ 3.1ghz
GPU: Powercolor Radeon HD 5850 PCS+
RAM: 4GB DDR2
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit

Frame rates are a non-issue due to the basic visuals, although issues with the controls crop up during firefights.

Overall

Once you get used to the confusing map and some annoying mechanics, Lone Survivor proves an intense and intriguing experience for its duration of a few hours.