[h1]This game was reviewed using a code sent by the developer.[/h1]
Lumber Island – That Special Place is an adventure horror game developed by a single man named Dean Forge using the Unity5 engine. The game was released in October 2015 on Steam.
The game is played in first person as you explore a derelict island which was once a lush forest,, hence the name Lumber Island. The game gives no real indication on how to progress out when you begin. You are essentially left to your own devices and have to work out everything yourself. You find clues scattered around the island that point you in the right direction of where to go next or how to progress, but no real in your face objectives. Your character is only armed with a lighter or a flash light in the later levels. Thankfully this isn’t one of those games where you have to manage your batteries or fuel reserves, allowing you to light your way to your hearts content. Each of the four or so levels have one enemy in – these enemies will kill you as soon as they come into contact with you. You can only run from them in order to escape your demise; you have no form of fighting back. Most of the game focuses on finding keys and opening doors to the next level; this is cleverly masked by other tasks to make it not seem so dull though.
Due to the game not giving you any clear clues on how to progress at points; you do get the feel that you should be looking to progress just a little bit further than last time when you die. Yes you start right from the beginning from the level, but you can soon catch-up to where you died since you now know how you got there, so you can skip out the time wandering around trying to work out what to do. I really liked that the game gives you no aims – the way it words the clues and notes scattered around means you actually have to read them and take in the information for you to actually understand what is happening. For those that have played Penumbra, this game has very similar traits to that in this sense.
Graphically, Lumber Island does look really good. As it is running on the Unity5 engine you would expect it to be as of a certain standard, but it does go beyond that standard. The lighting in the game could be done a little bit better; but the poor lighting also adds to the horror effects of the game. The animation of objects and characters in the game are all done well; I had no problems there. I did notice a few texture glitches in walls though, there is a faint flicker where the textures join up, only a slight issue but still can be easily resolved.
The story in this game is fairly interesting as well, it has a lot of flash back scenes which do become a bit confusing, but it adds to the story as a whole. You can really immerse yourself in the story with the amount of notes and reports around each of the levels; I would highly recommend people take the time to read them to get the most out of the plot here.
Lumber Island’s soundtrack is one of the most horrifying I have heard; it keeps you on edge constantly. Whilst playing people actually had to leave the room because of the music playing in the background was freaking them out so much. On top of the soundtrack, the sound effects also play a huge role in horror games; there aren’t massive amounts of them, but the ones which are in, are produced very well and add to the atmosphere.
As I have said before, the game gives you no clear objectives, so this can lead to times when you are literally walking around the levels with no clue on what you need to do next. This will probably put a lot of people off straight away, but if you can look past that element, the game actually still has a bit of difficulty when it comes to the enemies you have to overcome. Some of them will rely on you being quick on your feet in order to escape them, the scene in the third level is one of the most memorable horror scenes I can think of in recent memory, and took a number of retries in order for me to actually pass it.
Lumber Island’s level design is fantastic, the first stage especially, you have so much to explore and find in the world, whilst also dealing with the main plot. Some of the areas on the map bear no importance to the main story but are still there for you to see and enjoy. A lot of care has gone into creating each of these levels to a really high standard.
I finished the game in just over three hours; this was done completely blind with no aids from walkthroughs, so I was actually quite pleased I managed to do it! The game is completely linear though, so once you finish it, there is no need for a second play through.
Technically, Lumber Island is a sound game. Yes I wasn’t able to push out 4k graphics with settings on full, but this is a really punishing game on the graphics, but I was able to get a constant 60 FPS when in 1080p on full graphics. A keyboard and mouse was used to play the game due to the first person nature, and the game is definitely best played in a dark room to add to the effect.
Lumber Island is a real hidden gem in the Steam store; you really wouldn’t think this was made by just one man, and I applaud him for creating such a great game. The price of £3,99 is absolutely perfect for this type of game. Yes it can be completed in three hours, but would you rather experience a really well done indie title, or have that foot long sub? I know which I would choose….
[b][u] Tom's Score Card[/u][/b]
1) Stay away
2) Not Recommended
3) Only recommended when on sale
[b][u] 4) Recommended[/u][/b]
5) Highly recommended
6) This is a must play
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