Not all picture game are about gunfire and blade . There are some games that have a statement to make about real life , which is the case withLydiaand its story about child ill-treatment , neglect , and substance vilification told through a dark-skinned storybook world . Lydiaoffers a alone and often chill experience , but its subject matter might be too grim for those who play it .

Lydiais a point and click adventure star the eponymic new girl in her syndicate home . The game originate out specify in a dark world that would n’t look wrong in aTim Burton movie . It chop-chop becomes apparent that thing are n’t quite correct in Lydia ’s reality , as the player enter her bedchamber cupboard in rescript to bring down a grim fantasy realm meet with behemoth that are reflecting dark events in her tangible life . As the story get along , the player find event that transpire later in Lydia ’s life , as her personality is forge by the unthinking actions of her friends and parents .

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The gameplay loop ofLydia(what little there is ) isclearly inspired by game likeYume Nikkiand the originalLisa , as the short daughter wandering around a scary public is very much an indie staple . Lydiais more of an interactive story than something that is meant to examine the player , as the closest the game have to a puzzler is a single branching dialogue sequence where the player is ask to select the right answers , and there is no penalty for bankruptcy . The aim of the game is to just go through the tarradiddle in full , which will take roughly forty to fifty minutes to experience everything that the game has to volunteer . It should be mentioned that this brief length is reflected in the game ’s price , withLydiacosting $ 4/£3.50 at launch .

Lydiais a game with amazing optic and sound blueprint , which get by to create a tense standard pressure in a cartoon world . The music is often chilling and the off-the-wall simlish - style noises used for the characters all perfectly fetch their personality to the player without the motivation for real words . Lydiadoes an excellent job with theme and scale , to make the player finger as small as Lydia herself does in the disconsolate world in which she lives .   Screen Rant represent theNintendo Switchversion ofLydiaand there were no performance issues with the game . TheNintendo Switch has become a democratic choice for indie game , but the portable nature of the organization does n’t matter too much toLydia , as it ’s too short to weigh .

Lydiais a game that is easily put in the same category as news report - driven games with little actual gameplay , such as game likeSea of Solitude , which is a exchangeable title that deals with depression that is reflected in a phantasy world . Lydiaoffers an interesting , but brief experience that might   be too dark for some players . The plot does n’t have a tarradiddle with easy answers or a happily ever after , but rather , it is a profoundly personal tale of growing up under coarse circumstances that the developers have mention is based on personal experiences . It ’s recount that the DLC forLydiais an in - game item that will lead to a charitable donation to the Fragile Children foundation ( in a exchangeable manner toEqqo’sWeForest charitable   DLC ) , as the intention of the game is more about spread a substance and offering succor to those who may have go through its story themselves . There are a lot of caveats when it comes to recommendingLydia , as it ’s a plot that will address to mass in different way . Lydiaoffers a beautiful and chilling experience , but its dour quality and even darker story and subject matter wo n’t be for everyone .

Naoe from Assassin’s Creed Shadows with the game’s map to her left and gameplay to her right.

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Lydiais useable now on Nintendo Switch and Steam . A digital computer code for the Nintendo Switch edition of the game was provided to Screen Rant for the function of this review .

Lydia Video Game Cover

Lydia screenshot 2