This review for Lapis x Labyrinth was done on the Playstation 4. A code provided by the developer was given to RoKtheReaper.com for review of this product; this does not impact his personal viewpoint regarding this game as it is completely unbiased.
GAME OVERVIEWStack, raid, and GET PAID! The dungeon-diving action RPG Lapis x Labyrinth puts you at the center of a high-octane treasure-hunting quest, where the danger is great and the rewards are even greater! Do you have what it takes to smash through hordes of monsters and traps to gain riches beyond your imagination?
When a struggling village falls on hard times and is in desperate need of wealth, there’s only one solution: gather your comrades, venture into the labyrinth below the Golden Forest, and claim the piles of gold and treasures hidden within! You will need all your courage and wits to survive the dangers ahead, but the treasures that await you are well worth it!
Customize your team with over 4,000 unique combinations, then use the creative stacking mechanic to perform synchronized attacks. When you’ve racked up enough destruction, unleash the explosive power of Fever Mode to really make the cash flow!
With 8 different character classes, engaging monster encounters, and stylish, over-the-top visuals, this adventure has everything you need to make it rain!
When you first start up the game you will be treated to a screen which has three available slots to save games; each slot records your Guild Level, Playtime, and Completion percentage.
The first screen after new game is an explanation; you are told that you are the party manage and are responsible for a small party. You must first assign a leader and a member in the character creation process. You have 8 character class/jobs to choose from at the beginning, and a few options among those character choices
- ENTER NAME — Allows you to pick a character name that can be up to 12 letters long; has the ability to select uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and certain symbols.
- CLASS — Displays the current class of your character.
- DYE — Allows one key part of your character to be changed to a different color; 4 choices are available.
- HAIR — Gives the player 2 choices for hair; the default and one alternative.
- VOICE — Your characters voice when talking and attacking; 10 different options to choose from, half being male and the other female.
- HUNTER — Descendant of a shadow-dwelling clan. Wounds sustained from her precious knives erase enemies out of existence. A graceful close-range sorceress.
- NECROMANCER — She’s mastered the forbidden arts. Toys with opponents with synchronized attacks from her familiars. Magic spells stop foes from approaching.
- SHIELDER – Wields an impenetrable shield. His tough, bulky body is capable of withstanding any attack. Exceptional at both offense and defense.
- MAID — A legendary housemaid. has a smile warmer than the sun, but deadlier than a demon. She excels at weakening enemies.
- GUNNER — An outlaw who wanders the badlands. Overwhelms foes with a flurry of bullets from his custom-made dual pistols. Boasts peerless ranged combat prowess.
- WITCH — A mage with unknown origins. No being is capable of standing against teh wrath of her ancient magic. She blankets wide areas with her spells.
- DESTROYER — A dark swordsman cloaked in mystery. A single strike from his greatsword can topple even giants. Has low speed, but immense power.
- BISHOP — A devout missionary and godly servant. Underestimate her physical strength, and you’ll pay more than just alms. Versatile class who can heal and attack.
The main menu for Lapis x Labyrinth on the game gives you access to some great options for the game itself.
- STATUS — Tells you all the current stats of your entire party added in; Base HP, Base Attack, Resistances, etc.
- PARTY — All of the current characters you have to make a complete party. All of their individual stats are listed to the side to help you pick which four characters are best suited to the current task.
- EQUIPS — Current loadouts for all characters which include their Weapon, Armor, Artifacts, and Other (which is a fancy word for snacks that can be used between floors on a quest).
- ITEM — All current available weapons, artifacts, etc.
- OPTION — Include basic gaming options like Sound FX, Voice Volume, etc.
- SAVE — Allows you to save manually to any of the three available save slots.
Something that should be noted is that Lapis x Labyrinth gives the player a tutorial which can be accessed at any point within the game. This basic tutorial goes over the basic fighting mechanics and the necessary requirements to clear a floor.
Something that I did not like is that the little tooltips that appear in the form of pages you have to confirm you have read to move on, are not kept within some type of “Help” index that can be accessed from the main menu. If you have forgotten something or did not quite remember what you have just read, you are going to be out of luck.
Something that should be noted is your progression; some of these options i talk about will be unlocked from progressing further into the game. They allow you to do a variety of things which will be necessary to power up your party to make it through the difficulty of later levels.
FIGHTING- BASIC ATTACK — A standard attack that can be repeated up to 5 times.
- ACTION GAUGE — Allows the use of class skills as well as using your party members for Assists Orders.
- EX GAUGE — Allows you to activate EX Orders.
- JUMP — Can perform a standard jump, then up to 4 additional mid-air jumps using party members as stepping stones.
This game allows you to get stronger through the use of collecting treasures from your adventures; you equip them and become stronger as far as your base damage, base defense, and enchantments which gives you buffs, resistances, and affinity towards certain creature types.
As you progress through the game, you are also going to get access to more content that expands as you complete quests given to you by the guild. You will gain access to places like
- EXCHANGE SHOP — Allows you to trade items you have found on adventures for items to increase things like your Base HP, Base Attack, and heightened resistance to certain attacks.
- LUNCH SHOP — Gives you the option of meals which are automatically applied between floors in a quest; these meals have different effect such as healing, attack enhancement, and even curing status effects.
- DOJO — Allows you to train up individual party members to attack higher Base HP, Base Attack, etc.
There are more than this available as you continue through the game (I do not want to spoil them all!), but the game has you looking forward to something whenever you reach another milestone. This progression system allows you to continue grinding with a clear goals in mind. In my opinion, having things in place to encourage grinding and make it rewardable adds to the overall replay value of the game.
Lapis x Labyrinth is quite hectic within its actual gameplay; you have different party members to choose from (up to 4 max), which all have different attacks, assists orders, and playstyles.
You take on contracts from the guild, each contract has monsters of at least the base level of the contract (such as monsters will be level 3+). Your goal is to get through the level by rushing through and destroying purple gems. Purple gems fill a gauge (shown in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen) which powers gates that allow access to new areas and eventually leaving the floor resulting in it being cleared.
Each stage gives you 5 minutes exactly to get through, this time limit is heavily enforced by a giant purple creature which teleports to your location and instantly defeats your entire party with only the slightest touch. Rushing through the stages frantically becomes the norm as you are in a rush to navigate the maze-like floors and get out before the time limit reachers zero. Thankfully, this ghost seems to appear in front of you in the direction you are going; if you know where to go and are careful not to move into places where you cannot switch directions, you can often times make it to the end by purposely manipulating where it will pop up.
Thankfully the game feels fine as long as you are powering up your characters, switching them out when they are getting low, and you are doing your best not to be touched. The hectic gameplay can be absolutely addicting, but sometime your greed to get as much treasure as possible and get all the gems can sometimes win you a date with the giant purple death ghost.
Besides all of the key elements, there are a few things I want to bring up about Lapis x Labyrinth; mainly the aesthetic and sound.
The world is absolutely beautiful, the designs of the backgrounds have an aesthetic similar to that of Dragon’s Crown, and I love it. In fact, everything about this games artistic approach with the chibi characters and even the menu layout. I feel like they took extra care to make the game as colorful, playful, and cute as they could to promote an atmosphere of fun and they definitely sold it.
Sound is something else I want to point out; from the music of regular dungeons aiding in your frantic adventuring to the bursting music that comes forth during fever time, Lapis x Labyrinth nails it. Simple things like this definitely adds to the overall experience in a meaningful way.
Lapis x Labyrinth is a fun game bursting with personality; the $30 price tag assigned to it is definitely worth every last penny in the amount of enjoyment you will get for such a bargain price.
Leveling up your characters, unlocking new areas to better power up your party, and growing better at fighting and navigation makes the game exciting to master. Working up your treasure counter and building up fever time to easily turn the labyrinth denizens into mincemeat is definitely something that can be hard to stop once you get going.
Beautiful aesthetics, characters bursting with cuteness, and an overall feel off a micro-RPG give this game a unique identity I have not seen before. While I do feel like this game would be lacking it it were full price, that is not the case and does well to justify its asking price and is packed with enough content to satisfy any would-be purchaser.
I recommend this game for anyone who is curious about it, you will not be disappointed and will find yourself anxiously navigating through the labyrinth for the sake of the adventuring town’s Guild in search of treasure, new enemies, and to create the strongest party you can.
Thanks for reading!
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