Game Review: The Count Lucanor


A while ago, I pledged money to a Kickstarter campaign for a game called Hunt the Night. One of the updates to that Kickstarter announced a collaboration with a game called The Count Lucanor by Baroque Decay, stating a character from the game would be a boss. Intrigued, I decided to check out The Count Lucanor to see what kind of game it was.



The Count Lucanor tells the story of a little boy named Hans. Hans and his mother live in poverty, and Hans becomes sick and tired of said life. He decides to set off on his own to find treasure, and his search soon takes him to the castle of Count Lucanor. There, he meets a kobold who informs him that the Count is seeking an heir, and that anyone who completes the Count's challenge can inherit his wealth. Unfortunately for Hans, the castle is full of nasty traps and vicious monsters eager to take a bite out of him.



I love the atmosphere and setting of this game. The Count Lucanor reads and plays like an old fairytale, with all the gruesome goodness that comes with it. It has a colorful cast of characters that really add to the fairytale setting, such as the deranged decapitated head of a shepherd and a man who was cursed to be a pig. The monsters themselves have simple but effective designs, and running into them gives the good type of unnerving experience even with the pixel art used for the game.



The game mechanics do a good job emphasizing the unsettling nature of the castle. The darkness of the castle often hides monsters, and some monsters can draw you towards them if they see you. One particular mechanic that felt odd at first but soon grew on me is using coins to save your game. You have a limited amount of coins that can also be used to buy helpful items, so you'll find yourself wondering if you should save your coins to buy that one item for your quest or to save your progress since the monsters are out and about.



The game itself is not very long, but I would still recommend it to anyone who enjoys horror and fantasy. The story is simple but interesting, the pixel art gives the game a nice aesthetic, and the atmosphere is fantastic. Anyone looking for a casual game to play should check this out.

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