Left-Hand Path

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep3Hyd3BbTE This game first came onto my radar what feels like years ago... like maybe even as far back as DK2 years ago, but it really caught my attention back then for its dark, Gothic style aesthetic which really made it stand out as a game that looked like a cross between a horror and adventure. Having sadly lost track of the game for all this time, I was pretty stoked to stumble across it as a full release on the Steam store, and now finally I can say that a cross between a horror and adventure game was a pretty bang on guess. The game takes a huge amount of inspiration from Dark Souls, not just aesthetically but also with regards to the gameplay in certain ways; and that's no bad thing. The difficulty is high and oftentimes death comes fast and unexpectedly, but like Dark Souls, when you die you respawn back at the last checkpoint, but all the enemies respawn too, so in that way you learn the levels through trial and error, making a mental map of ambush enemies locations and the learning best strategies for defeating certain enemy types.You even collect souls, or husks as they are called in this game as a form of currency that can be used to level up, and if you die you have the opportunity to reclaim your lost husks from your corpse. Besides leveling up there is also an RPG element to the game with the inclusion of some limited interactions with NPCs, just like Souls, and also a huge amount of lore to be discovered about the world, for those who enjoy that kind of thing. The horror element of the game kind of has three components to it: Firstly, the environments themselves are spooky, and very well done at creating a tense atmosphere. Then, there is the general dread of interacting with the creatures of the game. Ghouls and other creepy undead will lurch out of the shadows and lumber towards you, causing a general panic. And then finally, the fact that some creatures do pounce out of darkness due to their strategic placing, means that there is a jump scare horror element. In general, I hate jump scares, but the developer has actually included what he calls a low terror mode in the options, which increases the view distance and somewhat moves monster spawn locations so they are less starting. As someone who hates horror games, I really appreciated this mode being available so that I could just enjoy playing the game without worrying about taking a heart attack. In low terror mode the game was still creepy as hell, though a little part of me did wonder if I was missing out on playing the game "as it was meant to be played" so to speak. The main gameplay element of the game is in its spellcasting and this is something that does really well. Casting spells is interesting; you cast spells using hand to create gestures, similar to Black and White, and then cast the spell from your staff. I must say of all of your spellcasting games I've played so far Left-Hand Path has the most forgiving shape recognition in casting. Spells are found in tomes throughout the world and finding new spells is quite exciting as you build up your rolodex of castables. There is also the possibility of discovering rituals in tomes, which involve multistep spellcasting to fire off bigger spells that usually have a function towards progressing through a level. Graphically the game looks great. The textures are not particularly amazing, but overall the tone is rich and moody. The lighting greatly enhances the atmospheric with how it works with light sources to make shadows dance on the walls, and since the majority of times the light source is your staff, this really makes exploring the creepy environments all that more immersive. The audio in the game are good; monsters sounds are ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ creepy, though I wish the spell sounds had a little more umpfh to them. There's the occasional audio bug to be ironed out, particularly with monsters deaths, sometimes the death audio gets clipped short. The soundtrack is not overtly musical but rather more ambient pieces that set the mood with eerie drones and the like. Oftentimes the environments are ominously silent, which works well for enhancing the suspense to when you inevitable hear creepy sounds coming from the darkness. The voice acting in the game is particularly good in the oddest of ways. NPC voices sound very average Joe, using authentic British accents. But I loved this because it gives the game a little unique quirkiness to its identity, which is very refreshing from the dime a dozen RPGs that have actors spouting theatrical fantasy English. The weakest part of the game for me is the animations. Right now they feel like they could use a little extra polish across the board. With every enemy I've encountered so far, it feels like they sort of beeline straight towards you and kind of blob on top of you with generic looking attack animations. As well as that, hitting enemies with spells feels hollow, since they don't have any real reaction to the spell impacts. It can end up feeling like you're just tickling the enemy with a feather; If you've ever played a magic user in Skyrim, you will have a good idea of what I mean as it is very similar to that. Similarly the death animations feel a bit underwhelming and there was some buginess with enemies clipping through the ground on death. Overall, the animations are perfectly functional, but not stand out. As I say, they could just use just a bit of polish. Locomotion in the game is available through teleport or trackpad movement, and smooth turning is being added as a new feature. The trackpad movement made me super woozy, even more than usual, and I don't quite know why. Teleport on the other hand minimized VR sickness altogether, so if maybe you will have a more solid stomach than me for the trackpad in this game. One thing I think might annoy some players however, is the game kind of encourages teleport spamming as a means of evasion in combat. Not a big deal for me, but I know how some VR players feel about teleport. Overall, Left-Hand Path is great fun and tries something a bit different. I would definitely love to see the game continue to receive some layers of polish. Also worth pointing out that this isn't just some VR experience; with 15 hours of content this is a real game, so if you wanna play a wizard game with the vibe Dark Souls, this game may just be your cup of tea.

I enjoyed this. Progression routes become waaaaay too obscure towards the end of the game though, and I eventually gave up at the end of Samuel at a part of the level which I would NEVER have figured out if it weren't for discussion forums. We need more games like this. But they also need more polish. w

Good game but sadly developer died. Hope the best for the family.

Great game. Really like the immersion of the game and the mechanics are good too. Good flow to the game. Takes a liitle practice but the better you get the better the game will feel. I'm a rift user with 3 sensor setup.

PROS - This game is a new and refreshing experience, albeit a terrifying one at times. First VR where you get to BE a dark wizard type, referencing your tome of spells and casting against evil dead things. Beware the wraith screams, will make blood curdle. CONS - A little glitchy at times, but easy to get used to. Mechanics take practice, but maybe that’s a PRO!

This is quite a good game. I bought it long ago, and wasn't impressed at the time. I decided to come back and give it another go, and I'm awfully glad I did. It's a difficult game which keeps you thinking and moving. Somethings in the game could be explained a tad better, but at it's core you feel very much like a magician using their magic to get by. The influence of Dark Souls is very clear in many of the design choices, though in a way that works well. Highly recommended.

This one has a steep learning curve and expects you to look around for clues and remember layouts of the levels. It takes some level and game design from Dark Souls. When you die, you go back to the beginning or one of the few checkpoints. You can collect your husks from your corpse and use them for upgrades. As you move through the game, if you hunt for clues, you get rewarded with lore and most importantly more spells. Lesser magic requires you draw a rune in the air to activate the magic. A circle counter-clockwise will give you a force bolt, while a half moon counter clock will give you a charged lightning staff that you can hit your opponents with. Greater magics require you draw a magic circle to stand in to charge the greater spell. There are also rituals that involve the magic circle. I'm just getting into it, but its very satisfying. I've found the runes to be pretty forgiving to draw, but you're definately going to have to practice at it just to remember the ones you need in a pinch. I spent some time fleeing from a husk repeatedly casting the firelight spell instead of the force projectile, for instance. Activation of the ritual spells and greater magic seems to be a little weird. The instructions need to be a little more clear and have different defined actions. Trying to do the magma bash, i accidentally started a ritual, then walked around with the magma bash spell effects for a while. Spell mechanics need to be just a little bit tighter. On the regular settings, its pretty dark and tense. Enemies are always just outside of your light range, but you can hear them. I might end up trying the terror free mode for a more comfortable experience. Overall, extremely good so far.

ok game with good content, it is worthwhile of you dont expect too much I wasnt exctly blown away with the graphics, but good gameplay, has a basic narrative/story, does what it needs to do to provide a good gameplay experience