Lost Awakening Review: Handmade and Charming

Lost Awakening is a point-and-click adventure game made by Hambug Games with a lot of weird and trippy stuff.  The game on its own is very simple. It is about solving puzzles by bringing and getting two objects to interact with each other. It does not go around throwing moon logic like classic adventure games like Monkey Island. But at the same time, it tries to bring back a similar dry humour with its puns. The game’s voice actor sounds like he is half awake, and it all seems to be on purpose.

The gameplay is simple, and the story is non-sensical and is to be experienced rather than described. Lost Awakening is a game which I feel intends to make its players feel like they are going on an acid trip. The music, gameplay, art, and the story/scenario all play into that theme. There is a crudeness to how the game presents itself, which makes it very weird and unique with its dry humour.

Lost Awakening is available on Steam for $2.99.

Story – An Acid Trip

The player wakes up near a beach and has to roam along on an Island, which does not make logical sense, but it makes sense in a drug trip kind of way. Players are greeted with a deadpan monotone delivery of the voice of our main character. The delivery is quiet, and, as said, it feels like the character is half asleep. The scenarios are bizarre. With every place and new character you meet, you realise one thing. This a game and a story taking place in the mind of a drunk or stoned man. But that is just my interpretation of it.

Waking Up

But if you are a gamer looking for a more coherent story, it is not here. The game mostly delivers its deadpan humour and is very charming for it. The story can be said to be literally non-existent, but thematically, it is pretty strong. Tying itself together well enough that one pulls through its story run time.

Gameplay – Point and Click

There is honestly not much to say in this section. The game is a point-and-click adventure. Players point and click at the objects they want to use and interact with. One can add these objects to other objects in their simple inventory and interact with them there. For example, the first puzzle comes with a bottle with a map-like object. This can be opened to show you the clue for the puzzle. 

Deadpan Writing

As you point and click, these interactions are all the player does in the game. It is a simple game and does not overstay its mechanics as it goes along. The puzzles can get a bit esoteric as it goes on, adding to the difficulty, but they are not too hard to figure out. You need to be in the mindset that this is a drug trip or a dream, and it will be clear. It is basic, and it works for this game.

Graphics and Sound – Crude and Fitting

The game has a hand-drawn style of graphics to it. I do not mean this in a hand-drawn animation of high quality as such, but rather a child drawing with all they can. It is crude and simple but very clear in how it is. This is an art style which works for the setting of the game very well, as it blurs reality.

Menu

The music is similar and is complimentary. It is some bongo tracks and such changing depending on the mood. All the images shown here are very aspects of the game as I would actually recommend this game to anyone who has an interest in it. The menus are simple and functional for a short experience.

Hambug Games provided the Steam code for the game.