LONE RUIN Reviews

LONE RUIN is ranked in the 51st percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
6 / 10
Jan 11, 2023

Lone Ruin is a solid roguelike twin-stick shooter, though this style and form has been done better elsewhere. There's a decent challenge and some replayability to be found as you repeatedly venture into the ruined city, but its brevity and lack of narrative drive fall short of the genre's greats.

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Shacknews
Top Critic
9 / 10
Jan 11, 2023

Lone Ruin will test your patience, but let’s all be grateful the arcade action comes without the arcade cost. The “just one more try” gameplay benefits greatly from the snappy load screens and menus, even on the Nintendo Switch version, making it easier to recommend this brutally difficult and magical indie hit from Super Rare Games.

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7.8 / 10.0
Jan 11, 2023

Lone Ruin is an action roguelike with an intense gameplay loop, the kind of game that you want to keep coming back to. A shame that, even for an indie game, it's not particularly rich content-wise.

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65 / 100
Jan 21, 2023

If this review feels shorter than usual, that’s for a good reason. A talented roguelite enthusiast can see the end credits in around an hour. The initial weapon selection is refreshing, yes. I also love the color palette used throughout the game. But beyond that, this is a bog standard roguelite. Random assortments of enemies attack with increasing ferocity. The bosses require practice and experimentation to master. Your success is determined by repetition and fortuitous reward drops at the end of every stage. Honestly, the short runtime might be an upside, depending on what you’re looking for. Roguelite players may find Lone Ruin rather disappointing. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a short, arcade-style experience, maybe give this game a shot.

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Unscored
Jan 19, 2023
Lone Ruin | Review in 3 Minutes - YouTube video thumbnail
7 / 10
Jan 11, 2023

Those of you who just want a straight, no-nonsense twin-stick shooter will find a lot to love about Lone Ruin, while those looking for a more ambitious project may want to look elsewhere. Tight controls, dark aesthetics, tough-but-fair gameplay, and a diverse collection of weapons and upgrades all come together to make this one a worthwhile purchase, with the caveat that it's also about as basic as a twin-stick shooter can get, which limits its staying power somewhat. We'd give Lone Ruin a light recommendation for anyone who considers themselves a twin-stick fan, though this may perhaps be one to wait for a sale.

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8 / 10.0
Jan 12, 2023

Lone Ruin is a hardcore, action-packed roguelike game to its core, and it absolutely shines on the Switch. If more content is added later on, this could be an early front-runner for the top indie game of 2023.

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6.9 / 10.0
Jan 15, 2023

Lone Ruin is a spell-based roguelike twin-stick shooter with a focus on replayability, but it doesn't always deliver on its promises.

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7 / 10.0
Jan 16, 2023

Lone Ruin is a stylish good time while it lasts, but players will want more before too long.

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8 / 10.0
Jan 29, 2023

Overall, Lone Ruin is a tough twin-stick shooter that hits the spot. The runs are quick and satisfying, with leaderboards and multiple weapons to encourage replay. It looks great and plays smoothly; just don't get too comfortable because it will all be over soon. Until you play again.

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Jan 13, 2023

It’s unfortunate that Lone Ruin came about two years after the jokes about every indie doing a pixel roguelike became exhausting. It’s well-made and undeniably entertaining, but there’s so much competition in this space and the developers didn’t seem overly concerned with doing something that would actually differentiate their game. So yes. This is a mechanically very solid production that I can recommend to people that like difficult action roguelikes. Unfortunately, I’ll also likely forget about it by the time the next one of these comes along, and that’s probably sometime next week.

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7.5 / 10.0
Jan 31, 2023

Lone Ruin is a beautiful and addictive game where you can choose your path and power-ups as you progress through these abandoned ruins fighting off numerous enemies. Unfortunately, the game is quite short, especially if you aren't interested in getting a high score on the Leaderboard.

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8 / 10.0
Jan 12, 2023

If starting all over again drives you up the wall, then Lone Ruin probably isn’t for you. For everyone else, it’s a frenetic, fun and highly replayable outing that’ll have you coming back for more. But if you do find a strange meteor in your backyard, do the sensible thing and toss it in next door’s wheelie bin.

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7 / 10.0
Jan 11, 2023

If you enjoy twin-stick shooting and roguelikes then you'll certainly dig Lone Ruin. It may not be the most expansive example of the genre but what's here is still fun so if you decide to give it a go, let me know and I'll see you on the leaderboards! 😄

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Jan 11, 2023

LONE RUIN is good fun for however long you’re able to give it. It’s a shame that it’s rather shallow offerings across two modes can’t be more than a couple of hours. Coming off Hell is Other Demons, I was hoping for more with Cuddle Monster Games, and the reality is that we got less. LONE RUIN is visually stunning, has a variety of spells and character builds to make, but doesn’t have the longevity to keep you coming back for more.

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7 / 10.0
Jan 11, 2023

While Lone Ruin is currently sparse on content, there's some solid gameplay foundations here that could be built upon in the future.

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6 / 10
Jan 11, 2023

It offers a decent amount of challenge and flexibility to find a playstyle that best suits you. But for casual players, who may have only dipped their toes in the genre, it may prove challenging to keep your attention for extended periods of time.

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8 / 10.0
Jan 12, 2023

Lone Ruin nails the brief on what makes an appreciable roguelike – combining a slick and sexy aesthetic with a core gameplay loop that can be rapidly picked up, but is deep enough to beg for mastery.

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5 / 10.0
Jan 5, 2023

LONE RUIN is a game that's simply too short for its own good. A lack of content means the experience is over long before it ever should be, and any additional difficulty modes and a survival mode don't do enough to justify the small scope. The experience is saved somewhat by good gameplay and a great spells/upgrades system, though not enough to call this one a real must-play.

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6 / 10
Jan 11, 2023

Lone Ruin is a solid addition to the roguelike genre, especially for those in need of a challenge. It’s got a strong art direction that enhances the darker mood the game is going for. The boss fights are an easy highlight as the developers really get to flex their muscles with those but the gameplay loop isn’t quite good enough, or long enough, to thrive otherwise. The weaker abilities and items render some attempts futile without me even doing anything wrong and success largely feels down to luck rather than my own choices for the most part.

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