RemiLore Lost Girl in the Lands of Lore is top-down, action, beat-em-up rogue-lite video game that uses an anime art style to deliver a peppy, upbeat aesthetic. RemiLore straddles a few genres and never really does any of them justice.

The story is not particularly compelling as the characters are simple tropes of the clueless student who stumbles into the plot and a cranky “wise man” who comes along for the journey. The banter between the two is the freshest feeling part of the game, but often I was consumed with the battles to fully be engaged with them.

The weapons and levels are all procedurally generated, which keeps the game fresh and the weapons give you a variety of choices from the super serious to the whimsical (a flamingo lawn ornament, perhaps). The diversity is slightly limited by the skill each one contains. Every weapon comes with a skill that Lore (the book) uses while in combat. He can set fire to enemies, freeze enemies, slow time, fire an array of bullets, etc.  Once you level these up, it can ease battles tremendously, but if the skill isn’t on the weapon you want to use, oh well, keep shopping.

That’s where the originality ends with the game. The mecha minions aren’t particularly inspired and you never truly approach a battle any differently. I did like that each room graded you on how fast you beat it, how much damage you took, and how high your combo was.  These gradings at least shifted me out of my comfort zone, forcing me to fight faster. Those grades then affect how many chests you get to open at the end. Unfortunately, you mostly get stuff you’ve gotten dozens of times prior and have discarded.

For currency, you are collecting desserts, which are plentiful; great for upgrading, but the upgrades never feel all that impactful on Remi’s abilities, only on Lore’s magic skills.  I also found it frustrating at how willing the game is prepared to blow away your progress for dying or for simply exiting out to the main menu.

RemiLore Lost Girl in the Lands of Lore Review Final Thoughts:

Overall, RemiLore Lost Girl in the Lands of Lore (from Gematsu) has a lot of potential to be a great game but doesn’t really deliver on any of it. It is definitely not worth the price tag on release date. Though I will say that for a rogue-lite, RemiLore is very accessible for new players to the genre and easy to understand and play.

RemiLore Lost Girl in the Lands of Lore on PS4

6

RemiLore Review Score

6.0/10

PROS:

  • Fun weapons
  • Dessert collectibles

CONS:

  • Skills tied to weapon
  • Battles feel rote