Land of Lamia Preview - You'd Better Not Go Alone - [INDIEGAMING]

I feel really bad for Thomas and Lily, what with them being stuck in my incompetent care while being trapped in a children's book. Land of Lamia is not an easy place for kids, especially when they're receiving directions from me. I don't want to talk about how much time I spent thinking my way through the game's puzzles or the amount of times I got one of them killed by sending them on the wrong path. Land of Lamia is about children being left in the wilderness to fend for themselves, and, to that theme, the player is dumped in that same wilderness, alone and confused. Clues are there to help you along, but this is not an easy world to survive in.

Thomas and Lily never stray far from each other, both being controlled by the same movement keys. The difficult part is that Lily is always in a rush and moves faster than her big brother, and you have to factor that in while moving them around. You can counter that by holding a button to make Thomas run, but if he gets too far from his sister, he will lock in place and you'll have to guide her back to him. That little difference in movement rate seems like such a small thing, but developer Eddy Games quickly puts these controls to devious work.

In the first area of the preview build, I found myself in a maze. If one of the characters stepped off the rock path within, they would be turned to stone and I would have to go back to the start. Doing this while contending with two different movement rates is quite challenging, as you always have to factor both people into your next move. The maze winds and turns in circles, weaving through twisting passages where you can easily wander off the path. If you let Lily get ahead of you, you may not be able to navigate a tight turn without pushing her off the edge. If you run, you may leave her so far behind that turning will also move her off the side. It's so simple, and yet I had to really think on how I approached a TURN in order to get through it.

I tried cheating to get ahead of Lily, and it worked for a while. I'd get Thomas so far ahead that I'd be given the chance to guide Lily through rough spots until she caught up to him. Not especially effective, but it helped in some nastier spots. This storybook world is inhabited by monsters, though, some nice and some not. One of the unkind versions popped up on the opening path as I worked my way through the maze, forcing me to play quickly and making it so my cheating plan to ditch Lily no longer worked. Let's not get into how many times I died, here. Suffice to say that something as simple as varied movement speeds was used to create some high challenge and tension, and all right at the beginning of the game.

Land of Lamia isn't just about guiding those kids around, as it also focuses on puzzles. Hard ones. The kinds you need paper and pencils for. At the start of each area, you're given a page from your book (which is the inspiration for your current level), and on it are hand-written clues that you'll need to solve the puzzles. They start simple, but you'll often have to look at this page, the notes, and then examine the level around you to see how they all interact. I was stumped by many of these for some time, but enjoyed the mixture of exploration and deep thought they encouraged. The pieces felt intuitive to put together once I actually figured them out, and yet learning the trick is still only the first step. They require a lot of work to solve, requiring much more than flicking switches or choosing the correct option. They really tie the game together well, requiring deep thought along with reflexes and curiosity.

It's a lovely world to explore while you think over the puzzles. The lush forest is sprinkled with ivy-covered statues and strange markings, showing signs of a civilization that's been lost as the forest retook the land. Everything is so much larger than the two children, leaving them seeming even more vulnerable and alone. There is also a dark tinge to everything - this bleak atmosphere that makes you feel like dangerous things are watching. Two kids lost in the woods is bad enough, but the colors and designs of the forest make it feel even more foreboding. The music strengthens that sensation. It's very quiet, playing long, disconcerting songs that soothe you, but also sound just the tiniest bit off, creating this sense of discomfort. The visuals and sound together create this strange mood that opens you up to discovering storybook worlds, but also hints at hidden dangers within.

Land of Lamia is quite hard, but as it is only just entering Steam Early Access, that's to be expected. The developer is hashing out puzzle and gameplay challenges as more players try the game, tweaking things as you read this. As is, Land of Lamia is an eerie world filled with danger, one that will provide a lot of challenge to anyone looking to really exercise their mind and reflexes. The control scheme is simplicity itself, but managing the two movement styles while also solving puzzles gives the game a high, satisfying challenge. With great visuals, sound, and challenging puzzles, Land of Lamia promises to be an intriguing place to explore as it moves through its development. If you're a better caretaker than I am, that is.

Land of Lamia is available for $5.99 on Steam Early Access. For more information on the game and Eddy Games, you can head to the developer's site or follow them on Facebook, YouTube, and Google +.

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