As a big fan of Astalon, I was surprised to learn that Matt Kap and his compatriots at LABS Works were releasing another game. And it was releasing in only two days!! I figured I had to scramble, but the game ended up only being a few hours long, if that, so here we are! Lovish has an odd name and, even more oddly, it’s a throwback to certain games of the 80s where a knight climbs a tower and fights enemies and avoids traps along the way. It’s short but sweet and surprisingly funny, so I enjoyed myself a fair amount as I played it. Just don’t expect a new astounding Metroidvania this time!
Lovish is about a knight named Solomon, who is really more of a villain than anything. Solomon is in love with Princess Tsuna, but she‘s in love with the Demon Lord (yes, this trope again.) So he sets out to climb the Demon Lord’s tower to “rescue” her with the power of his love helmet that he’s used to make nearly everyone he meets love him. It’s pretty messed up, but that’s the point. There are really only major story sequences at the beginning and very end of the game, but there are lots of laugh-out-loud moments outside of them.
The game is divided into seven worlds with ten floors each. Every floor is a single screen that tasks you with simply leaving via the exit. The tenth floor of each world is a boss battle that you’ll need to beat, but most of these aren’t too tough. Lovish as a whole isn’t a particularly tough game, although a few of the levels are quite challenging and the final boss can be a right pain. As this is a throwback to games from the 80s, gameplay is extremely simple. Solomon can move, jump, and swing his sword. Movement is floaty but endearingly so. The controls feel great, though, and exploring the tower is a fun time.
The levels have coins to find, which you can spend in the shop. You can purchase some new abilities too, such as a dash, an upward slash, a downward jump slash, and adding a lightning projectile to your sword. One of the most unique elements of Lovish, though, is that you start the game with 200 HP. These mostly function as lives, since you die in a single hit by default (unless you buy an expensive item that lets you take an extra hit that won’t cost you a life.) I’m not actually sure what happens if you lose all of your HP, since I finished the game with about 70 left.
Another unique characteristic is that, each time you finish a level, a random event plays out. So many of these are as funny as they are ridiculous. Sometimes, guest characters or references to famous characters pop up. Maybe you’ll get some extra coins, lose some health, or get warped to a completely different level that rewards you with a unique item. There are a fair number of items to obtain, too, although I’m not sure how to get all of them just yet. Once you beat the game, you can even skip these. Even though you can finish it in just a few hours, there’s a fair amount more to do afterward if you so choose.
Lovish has over 240 collectible crowns, with each level having multiple. Some are hidden in the walls, one requires you to beat the level under a set time, and another is attained by beating the level without killing any enemies. Crowns open up doors that have extras beyond them, but I’ve only opened the first one so far. It had an interesting, albeit pointless reward, but I’m curious to see what else there is. Some levels also have hidden warps to challenge levels that net you a dark moon collectible, but I’m also not sure what these do. There’s definitely enough here for the game to last you longer than you might think.
This is simply an enjoyable little throwback that you can get through in an afternoon. It’s got cute, colourful visuals, lots of great humour, and some intriguing mysteries, so it’s easy to recommend. But its short length and retro-focused structure won’t be for everyone, especially those expecting another game like Astalon. Still, I’m glad I learned of its existence in time to get this review out!
Lovish: Short but sweet, Lovish is another entertaining throwback from LABS Works. – Andrew Farrell
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