Edited on: October 31, 2025
Posted on: April 4, 2022
ssling
Verified ownerGames: 746 Reviews: 23
Charming and relaxing adventure
This game is sort of a hidden gem that not many people have played or even heard of, but apparently, almost everyone who did loved or at least liked it very much. It was no different for me, who learned about its existence accidentally in 2022 and was convinced by exceptionally good opinions and its low price to try it out. It's not easy to explain what's so good about it because, on paper, it certainly doesn't look like anything extraordinary. Lost Horizon is a traditional point-and-click adventure with absolutely nothing original or groundbreaking. The "Indianajonesy" story is entertaining and even has some decent twists. Characters are very stereotypical and not particularly likable or interesting. The main protagonist is some silly, always cool and ever-joking British rascal. He has a counterpart in the person of his clever and sensible Asian not-girlfriend, who sadly got little screen time. And the main antagonist is a very cliché countess sporting a swastika. And yet, there is some irresistible charm in all this. The scope of the story is pretty big and includes many diverse locations suitable for a grand adventure, like the Himalayan mountains, an African town, Berlin during the Olympics, a castle in the German countryside, and the jungle. Gameplay mechanics are very traditional and based mostly on inventory puzzles. On rare occasions, we have to cooperate between two characters, which gets especially interesting in the endgame stage with a kind of "butterfly effect" gimmick. In contrast to the plot constantly implying the urgency of the situation, the game itself is very laid back. It's impossible to die, run out of time, or otherwise screw things up here (even when it would seem natural), which makes playing Lost Horizon a very relaxing and pleasant experience - especially combined with its not-too-high difficulty. Not often do adventure games give me such a frustration-free time. The balance is pretty much perfect here: every once in a while, I had to slow down to figure things out but never to the very common point of frustration or necessity to consult a walkthrough guide.
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