Kowloon's Curse: Lost Report

Wow… honestly, I started playing this on a whim since I loved the stuff the dev was teasing on their twitter for Kowloon’s Curse and didn’t expect to write a review at first, but for a prequel to the real deal that’s from what I’ve gathered supposed to only be a taste of what’s to come Kowloon’s Curse: Lost Report has quite a lot more to offer than you’d initially think. Speaking from experience since I got all the achievements and saw everything there was to see. Firstly like everyone else before me I have to praise the visuals and atmosphere. Perfectly captures the beauty of Dreamcast/PS1 era games while managing to keep a unique feel of its own, especially with the surreal setting inspired by the infamous Kowloon Walled City. Speaking of the setting, the size of the world and the amount of content was much larger than anticipated and probably the biggest surprise this game managed to throw my way, but what truly makes it unique and charming besides the apparent labyrinthine design are its inhabitants and the ridiculous/hilarious yet sometimes brutally realistic ways in which they interact with said world and each other. There’s barely anything like it, the closest thing I can think of is some interactions I’ve seen from Suda51 games like The Silver Case. Clearly a project you can’t really slap any genre label on and one that draws inspiration from a plethora of varying sources (some of which are even referenced like Serial Experiments Lain). Considering its length, the story behind it with all the side content and random interactions leaves you with enough resolution to make you satisfied and more than enough mystery to make you [i]itching[/i] for more. Although the world itself is the biggest selling point for me, I wouldn’t dare ignore the main plot contained within it which is the story of Tony and Sergio. I’ll be frank, for the better half of my 1st playthrough I wasn’t sure how I felt about [spoiler]Sergio[/spoiler], but now that I’m done with everything and I’m looking back on it he is [spoiler]an annoyingly flawed guy, but with insecurities and issues shaped by the brutal world around him which is something I can get behind and more importantly someone whose aspirations I can relate on a deeply personal level.[/spoiler] Since I mentioned playthroughs – replayability! For a game this short I was surprised to see choices that matter being implemented at all. Don’t expect anything crazy, but it’s cool that it’s there. AND THE SOUNDTRACK. ABSOLUTELY. SLAPS! No huge complaints, only a few nitpicks which can easily be justified by remembering this is a relatively small free prequel for a larger project. The movement system is a bold choice and one I do respect, but traversing a world this big like that can become a bit tedious once you’ve already been a few times in some areas. Could be fixed with a sprint option? Regarding side content, two of the “skill check areas” ended up being pretty underwhelming and I just wish there was more to get/learn from them, especially in the form of more implications on the world given through lengthy dialogue or visual storytelling. While the story itself is great and does the job, some of the dialogue lines felt a bit off. Not in the sense that they were too vague or cryptic (there’s a lot of that here and I wouldn’t want it any other way), but more like that the wording felt kind of awkward. Overall, an absolute gem with so much soul put into it. Have been and will be keeping a keen eye on everything Studio [notes.] has got cooking up for Kowloon’s Curse. As a not-so-wise man once said: [h1]IT'S ALL ABOUT THE SMOCAINE BABY![/h1]