Lux, City of Secrets

So this one was seriously disappointing. I enjoyed the first book of the series, it was rough around the edges but the MC was likable and the mystery interesting if nothing else. The second book in the series was easily three times its length and so full of different things to do and see and characters to interact with. I was really excited when I saw this come up today. Especially since I hadnt seen an update to the second book to put the save system in place, that would have clued me in to play through everything again, and have a save ready to go. Still this game offers you the option to import your MC from book one or two! So i did have my favorite character ready to go minus his adventure in the second book, and as a bonus since my cute stable boy didnt get a chance to leave me like he did in the 2nd book, He was here with me in this book too! And thats about all the positives I have to say about this. It seems the author took a page from another cya author and decided it was time to make the MC a victim of constant failure. It doesnt matter where i went, or what i did, i was knocked out, beat, lied to and tricked. Not because I wasn't thinking things through or staying true to my character, but because that is the way it was written. IE choices dont matter because "these things are going to happen." Exercise in frustration, and railroaded plot =( Also dont be fooled by the amount of words written. This game is even shorter than the first one, and only serves to set up the failures that trap you into the stories plot without advancing it, or giving the player any sense of accomplishment at all. 2.6 hours was my play time, I read slower than most, AND I spent 30 mins of that time away from the computer getting dinner ready to cook. There appears to be alot of replayability to the story, despite its extremely short length, just because of the number of character routes your character could have taken to get to this book. That said, do you really want to play through it that many times, knowing that no matter what you do, your going to suck, because plot line? Oh and of course we have to wait for the next book to hopefuly not suck again. Final verdict, pass until next book is written, and check the reviews for it first to make sure its not another railroaded failure fest.

[h1][b][i]Looking at some negative reviews, I cannot but ask, “Guys, did we even play the same game?”[/i][/b][/h1] [h1]Short Background Story (skip the first 3 paragraphs if you only want pros and cons)[/h1] I bought Lux, City of Secrets (Lux for short) for my phone on the very first day of its release. Did not have any free time to start playing it right away, though. Some time later, I saw the game on Steam and bought it there too [i](for some reason, CoG newsletter mentioned only releases for Android and Apple, so Stem version came as a huge surprise to me)[/i]. I will not lie: when I first saw so many negative reviews there, they really discouraged me from playing. I have very little free time, so it is important for me to spend it on quality stuff. Now imagine my surprise when I actually sat down and played the game…and did not find even half of the drawbacks mentioned by others! I do not have a habit of trashing other people’s reviews and opinion, and I am not going to start it now. But there are several important things I would like to address and clarify for the sake of fairness. [b][u]Pros:[/u][/b] [list] [*]A really well-written story that is carefully connected with other books in the series. The author brings you back to some events from the past and shows how they affect your situation in present too; [*]In addition to the interesting plot, there is also solid world building – you can easily picture culture, politics, religion and history of Lux, as well as other cities, towns and villages around it. This also includes various organizations inside Lux itself; [*]Many choices that not only affect the story, but also let you develop your character in any way you like, as well as roleplay properly; [*]Lots of memorable characters with distinctive personalities and a good selection of romantic interests (many of them come from previous parts, by the way); [*]Lots of professions to choose from, including several that are unique to this specific chapter in the story (such as Slayer, Priest, etc.); [*]Compared to the previous parts, The City of Secrets offers several major cases at the same time, and it is completely up to you which one to pursue. Just remember: you cannot have your cake and eat it too. [*]A brothel. With its own lutes, drugs and angel boys. Do with this information whatever you want. [/list] [b][u]Neutral:[/u][/b] [list] [*]As far as romance is concerned, I will be honest: there is barely any except for several interactions. I assume it is because the first part of two books just sets the scene and brings back some characters to the protagonist’s life. A nice touch is that it also allows you to decide whether you have changed your attitude to them or not. So, if you want to get out of a stale relationship and pursue something new, the road is open for you, sweetheart; [*]I strongly recommend playing other installments – Evertree Inn and Sordwin. Or you might either miss on some important info (maybe even content) or just feel confused, a lot. Also, you will feel less connected to the characters; [*]As I have mentioned before, this adventure will leave you with a feeling that it is just a beginning for something way more grandeur rather that a self-sustained story. [/list] [b][u]Cons (disputable):[/u][/b] [list] [*]Quite short if we consider just one playthrough (took me about 4-5 hours) – also definitely feels much shorter that Sordwin (the second part of the series). In addition, Lux ends with a major cliffhanger which can be a problem for some players (in particular those who would not like to wait for year(s) to see the final); [*]The stats system needs some time to get used to and preferably careful studying if you ever want to succeed [i](hint: there is a very nifty guide book inside the game itself that you MUST read to better understand professions)[/i]. Evertree Saga relies on your skills way more than, for example, Wayhaven Chronicles – but less than The Lost Heir series (as there are less stats to manage). Another important aspect is careful time management as you have a lot of things to do. [/list] [h1]Some (Possibly Smart) Thoughts[/h1] An amazing thing about this series is that you can notice obvious connections between all of its parts, so the story flow goes really smoothly. I am very pleased to see that my hard work in Evertree Inn and Sordwin is actually paying off. It is a very rewarding type of gameplay that considers ALL important choices you have made – from just character’s background and aspirations to major world-changing events. I also will never understand why people hate failures in games so much. I have already said it in my other review (for The Soul Stone War): nobody can be perfect. It is absolutely OK to make mistakes – and this is true not only for real people, but also fictional ones. What is more, you do not even fail that much in this game! I can name only one real problem that happens closer to the end. If you manage your stats and time properly and work on your stronger skills, there is literally nothing stopping you from completing missions successfully. I ended my very first playthrough with a) high reputation among several organizations (but the brothel hates me *sob*), b) a good friend with his own story line, c) a problematic but oh so enticing love interest [i](I always fall for guys like Orion, I cannot help it!)[/i], and d) a pretty good priest career with one finished case and several on the way. And I have not even had to pay the rent yet! Does it sound like and underpowered character to you? There is only one major drawback that I fully agree with at this point: the game is short compared to the previous part and does feel like a set up for an even bigger and greater story rather than a separate title that has a satisfying end. If you do not want to leave the story on a major cliffhanger, then better put Lux on your wishlist and wait for the second chapter. [h1]To Sum Up[/h1] I am very sad to see such a low rating for this game. It deserves better! Honestly, the reviews do not do Lux justice. Yes, it is true that it is short. But it is only part one of two games that will conclude the series, and it already offers great replayability. Also, to avoid confusion I would like to stress once again that the announced length of Lux comes mainly from the various paths you can take rather than just one playthrough as some might have thought at first. To sum up, maybe I am too lenient again, but please, give The City of Secrets a chance. If you are still not sure whether to buy it or not, wait for the second part and play both installments one after another to get the full picture and no cliffhangers. Just do not skip the game completely as it is well worth you time and money. [h1][url=http://store.steampowered.com/curator/32296668-Casual-Game-Reviews/] More reviews on our Curator Page[/url][/h1]

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed reading it; it was well written and offers a plethora of choices which really tailor your experience but when I discovered it was ending I was super surprised because it felt like it was just ramping up... but it was over. I realise this is part 1 of 2, but this is still a standalone game. To me, it doesn't really feel like it. I don't generally post reviews but I have to say that I was sadly disappointed with this release. I really liked Evertree and adored Sordwin even more, each book getting better and longer than the last, and when I heard that Sordwin's sequel would be releasing I was super excited, expecting something even bigger and better than Sordwin. Lux, City of Secrets is, unfortunately, not better and certainly not bigger. In fact, I think it's even smaller than Evertree Inn. Despite the fact that the Steam page says it's 500k words, each play-through is significantly less than that. I think the problem lies in the fact that there are, what... 9(?) career paths? Two per skill-set plus the investigator career. With soooo much variation you're bound to be left with so much content unavailable in a play-through. Another thing that irritated me was how few opportunities you had to accomplish the multitude of things your MC has to do: career, investigation and the adventure errands. Combined with the Energy mechanic (which I find more frustrating than anything), you're very limited in multiple ways. By giving the story an extra day or two to play out, this would not only lengthen the story but also allow you to get done more of what you wanted to accomplish. If you're looking to develop a relationship with Orion or Hayden (the 2 that I've had in my play-throughs), the only way to do that is to neglect your other responsibilities... why shouldn't you be able to have both? I recognise that a lot of hard work was put into writing this and it shows, but it's a little disappointing especially in light of how amazing Sordwin was to play. I really hope that Lux, City of Lies is much longer, even at the cost of less customised stories. I also hope that it won't be a long wait :)

I was eager for a continuation, but this tries way too hard to give you 'hard' choices that your character cannot succeed in no matter your choices, and doesn't follow through on any of the plot hooks it sets up. It really feels like the author tried to go far too wide in making paths for the different home/profession options, meaning a huge wordcount but an individual play-through barely touches on the majority of the content. I played through with a character save that had been through both of the prior games, and even taking my time and doubling back a full playthrough was just under 2 hours. Worth playing if you're looking for what feels like a prequel to a larger game, but not really a great standalone.

推荐第四部出来后再打！！不然会憋死在结尾！！！ 这部实在是支线有点多，而且很多都是两相冲突的，我一周目这儿也想参一脚那儿也想参一脚，全部在做无效时间管理，最后整一个手忙脚乱云里雾里，光挣房租了（买房一时爽，交房租愁断肠）！二周目就开始学会做取舍，做人不能太贪心.jpg感情线的部分依然很喜欢，就是卡在了让我抓耳挠腮的地方，所以下一部到底什么时候能读到！ 三周目完：Orion/Oriona线真的写得太香了…………直接成为本人目前心里排名第一的拉灯场景；；

I've played Evertree Inn. I've played Sordwin. But this game is kinda disappointing (for me). Well, don't get me wrong. I still like the story. I also appreciate the author for taking the time to make this game. But, yeah somehow this is my personal opinion for the game: Pros: - Some of the characters that we met/we save in the previous two books are in here! I'm relieved to know their fate and meet the MC again. - Connected from Evertree Inn and Sordwin. We can continue our story from the previous books! - Well-written and more description about Lux City and also the game world (if you read the in-game books item), so it's easier for us to understand the situation in the game world. - More romance story with whom the MC chooses in the previous books. Cons: - Cliffhanger. Sorry, I just don't like this very much. - You need to play Evertree Inn and Sordwin if you want to get a better romance story. - The story is too short because of the branching storyline. It says 440.000 words but there are so many branching paths, It makes the overall main story is just too short. I've finished only in 2-3 hours. In the end, the stories are still good. I still like it. But I don't recommend to buy this game until the part 2 come out if you don't like cliffhanger like me.

Wouldn't recommend this book, compared to the rest of IF I had played it is very short. It's action takes place during few days and you aren't able to do much in this time(just 2 or 3 activities per day). In addition to this the lenght of a playthrough is disappointing too. There is energy mechanic in this book, becouse of this the character have to rest heavily during very limited time they have to accomplish theirs objectives, if they don't do this enought theirs actions have much bigger chance of failure. Sadly, this can be quite frustrating.

Evertree系列永远滴神！！！！！ 故事线非常非常丰富，内容绝对大值，很有意思！[spoiler]战士笔试好难[/spoiler]（[strike]任务接取：这波不能我全都要了，呜呜[/strike]）非常现实，每天都在凑房租的路上奔走，这就是人生吧（沧桑） 虽然但是，结尾有点儿仓促··· ···[strike]而且游戏真的太短了吧，虽然每个角色分支剧情都很丰富但是我一个档只能选这么多··· ···[/strike]虽然知道还会有下一部，但是这个结尾，它真的就是[b]戛然而止[/b]··· ···嗯，希望赶紧出第二部吧，衔接衔接，这真的整的我有点儿不大舒服··· ···因为在现在看来好像无论怎么选择道路都结局不怎么样，基本每条支线都走过了，但是看不出来跟主线有什么太大的关系（特别是[spoiler]精灵小哥哥的那两个任务[/spoiler]），搞得我整个人就很焦虑你知道吧，然后职业道路现在也感觉好像跟剧情没啥太大的关系··· ··· [strike]吐槽：任务日常----必须马上翻书[/strike] [strike]再次吐槽：身为战斗法师的我用的最多的魔法居然是开锁和读心请问这是不是搞错了什么[/strike] 总的来说还是强烈推荐！

Enjoyable third part of the trilogy for me. A well realised world with lots of colour and fun characters. As another review has said there are a LOT of potential threads to follow, meaning you can't do everything you want to do and a single playthrough seems shorter than the word count might suggest. Already looking forward to the next part.

Reviewing (mostly) every game (or DLC) in my library, part 318: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆☆ (7/10) Man, what a bummer. Book 1 and Book 2 has built upon the foundations of each other, and I think the author's excellent prose and use of a Clue system is unrivaled. So, I thought this sequel would be bigger, deeper, and more satisfying. And to be clear: the writing is still great, the atmosphere is compelling, and there are a ton of branching paths to explore. But in trying to go wide,[i] Lux [/i]feels shallow. What’s here is good—but what isn’t here might matter more. 🥇[b] Pros:[/b] [list] [*]Fantastic writing and immersive tone. No complaints about the prose. It’s vivid, stylish, and brings Lux to life as a gritty, sprawling, mysterious city full of secrets. The setting is well realized and layered with enough history, flavor, and tension that it feels like an RPG city hub... if only you had time to explore it. [*]Genuinely high replay value. The amount of choice is impressive. There are a crazy amount of career paths, romance options, alliances, branching investigations, and multiple approaches to the same scenes. It’s clear a lot of work went into letting players tailor their character and story. If you're the type to replay IFs 3+ times, [i]Lux [/i]gives you the routes for it. [*]Strong connections to the previous games. You can import your save from [i]Sordwin,[/i] and it’s a delight to see characters from earlier stories again—alive, changed, and part of this bigger narrative. Some returning NPCs genuinely surprised me and made me nostalgic. The continuity is one thing the game gets right. [*]Expanded worldbuilding. I really liked how you can collect books and lore items to flesh out the world. The city feels big and lived-in, and there are good bits of flavor text that expand your understanding of the political factions and history. [/list] 🤫[b] Cons:[/b] [list] [*]Way, way too short for how much it tries to do. The Steam page says it’s 500,000 words... and I believe that’s true overall. But individual playthroughs barely scratch the surface. Each route is so deeply siloed that it feels like you’re getting only a small slice of the game per run. My first playthrough was around 2–3 hours. I was shocked when the credits rolled—it felt like the plot had just started picking up. [*]The energy mechanic is more frustrating than fun. You only get a couple actions per day, and you’re constantly managing rest or risk. It’s meant to be a tension system, but it mostly just feels limiting. Want to check in with your job and investigate a clue and pursue a romance? Nope. You’ll collapse. There’s a point where realism hurts the story, and this is it. [*]Too many branches, not enough time. There are so many career paths, and they all seem to have cool, tailored content. But with the story being so short, it means you only see a tiny sliver of that content each time. I actually wish the author had chosen fewer paths and written deeper into them, or just added a few more days to breathe. [*]Gameplay pacing feels rushed and boxed in. You only have a few days in Lux, and while you can do multiple things, most paths are closed off the moment you make a choice. The sense of adventure is dulled by the structure; you don’t feel like you're exploring a city, you feel like you’re speedrunning it. And then it’s over. [*] The romance options are decent, but undercut by the structure. All the love interests are compelling, but if you actually want to deepen your relationship with them, you basically have to ignore your job, the mystery, or the plot. It feels weirdly punishing to want to do both. A better structure or longer story could’ve balanced this better. [*]Ends on a cliffhanger. I get that this is part one of two, but [i]Lux [/i]doesn’t feel like a standalone story. It just stops. It’s hard to recommend on its own because you don’t get a satisfying arc or resolution. Just a long setup and then… wait until next time. [/list] [hr] If you enjoyed this review, please check out my curator page to find more: [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45814768-Verdict-Play-or-Pass/]Verdict: Play or Pass. [/url] Also, please leave a like and visit [url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/Indie_Gems]IndieGems[/url] and our YouTube channel for more reviews like this one. [/hr]