The Lantern of the Laughless Saint

I spent 3 hours walking at the beach, leveling magic, killing high-level enemies with cheesy tactics and gathering loot. And then I walked to town to talk to all kind of weirdos, sell my loot, buy spells so I could go at the beach again. Thanks, guys, as an overworked health scientist with good memories of playing Morrowind at release when I was still a student this is just what I needed.

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It's a great Morrowind-like. Quirky, weird and delightfully unhinged in both what the gameplay lets you do and some of the questlines. No handholding at all; get ready to spend a long time looking around. Loved it.

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There's a lot in this game that doesn't work right now - bugs, broken mechanics. But I like it anyway. There's something in game's world that is so dear to me. Characters, books about world, unraveling secrets of the Island. Visual style (sky is so pretty!). I set my hopes high that developers will have their time and make this game a beautiful piece!

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The Lantern of the Laughless Saint (or LOLS) is an open-world action RPG. Run around a mysterious island completing sometimes vague quests for eccentric strangers. Kill everything that lives and everything that moves (as long as it doesn't speak). Collect new weapons and spells and armor and increase your skills and spend perk points. You've played an RPG before, I assume. You will see many comparisons to Morrowind but I wonder how many of these people have actually played Morrowind. Sure, there are giant mushrooms and cat people and the magic system is pulled directly from Morrowind but beyond that...this game is actually more like Oblivion or Skyrim with a Morrowind and (in my opinion) Dark Souls 1 coat of paint. Okay, enough name-dropping. How does the game stand on its own? On very shaky legs, but it has come a long way even since launch. Combat could use improvements. Many encounters are just you and an enemy swapping blows like Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots. Magic-users and archers will run away from you and good luck hitting them with spells or arrows of your own. There is a decent selection of weapons and you will find enchanted variants that have cool-looking effects. One positive thing I will say about the combat is that archery is very punchy and satisfying. Delicious, meaty arrow strikes. Mmm. The magic system has a lot of variety and does, as previously stated, take a LOT from Morrowind. It feels and looks pretty destructive, which is how magic should feel in my opinion. Quests are hit-or-miss. Some are very simple fetch or murder-for-hire quests ala most RPGs ever. Other quests seem almost undoable for getting lost in the main mega dungeon on the island. Admittedly, I haven't done a huge number of quests. I won't say much about the story or lore so as to avoid spoilers and also because it is presented in Dark Souls 1 fashion and I don't understand it very well. Seems interesting, though, if you feel like reading through lore books and listening to NPCs talk about things without much context. The only major complaint I have regards how buggy multiplayer seems to be. I joined a multiplayer game with my sister and we had fun running around and questing, but once the session ended and she loaded up her character all of her items and XP were gone. She had to start over. If multiplayer is improved alongside the rest of the game this could be an amazing time with friends. I have rambled enough. Despite my gripes I have kind of fallen in love with this game and would recommend it if you are a fan of Elder Scrolls games and want to play something a little off the beaten path that still has a long development ahead. You might find you are easily immersed in this weird world and that you want to explore more of it. That's how I was left feeling.