Quite simple, but charming for it. The notorious bump combat system really isn't all that hard to get a grasp on, and you can save anywhere and at anytime so it's not like figuring it out is a huge inconvenience. That said, still all you're doing is basically running around a lot. You move pretty fast and the energetic music makes it feel pretty fun and exciting, but it is just running in the end. Fortunately the game isn't that long. Progressing is a matter of the typical old school JRPG "talk to everyone, piece together what to do from what they say," only sometimes you get an NPC with anime art so you know what they're saying is REALLY important. The ending is a massive super gigantic pain in the ass- the difficulty spike is absurd. But overall it's still a fun game. OH and it leads right into YS II, if you didn't know. They're basically one game split up- that's why they come together now.
Here's where the series kinda of finds its footing- not that the first game is bad, but... well, wrong review for that. Everything clicks very well here: the map is tweaked to not be so frustratingly huge, there actually IS a map, fast travel is normal... All the good thigns about the original have been preserved and/or expanded. Transformations are present and interesting, the characters and humor are here and even better/more vocal, and dat music. The gameplay leans a bit closer to metroidvania with this entry: it's not a perfect candidate for the label if you're being strict, but between new forms unlocking new areas of the map, the subweapons, Only real criticism I can find is the length. This is not a long game, even
I feel like many people read something to the effect of "a modern revamp of classic Wizardry titles" and thought that meant Wiz 6 or 7. But this is very much just Wizardry 1-3 with an automap and a thick, thick coat of weaboo paint. There are a few quality of life additions like an automap, on-the-spot leveling, and spell descriptions, but LoLS is unabashedly old-school in a lot of aspects that some may consider best left in the past. LoLS features timeless classics such as: -Cancel spamming character creation to get enough bonus points so that your fighter doesn't start with 5 HP. -Having both your mages murdered by a trapped chest, even though your thief told you there were no traps. Also the chest is empty. -D A R K Z O N E -Cryptic wall-hints that you're convinced don't mean anything, even after you've cleared the game six times. -Vancian Magic! -Stats randomly going down when you level up, because you deserve it. The visuals are kind of pasted together and lack variety- but this is grid dungeon crawler, so it doesn't really effect anything unless you're a stickler for that kind of thing. Oh, and your party is going to look like the cast of some hentai, unless you avoid putting any women in, in which case it will look like the cast of some gay hentai. Despite the above, I very much enjoy this game. If you're a fan of the original CRPG dungeon crawlers, check it out.
