Despite it being one of my favourite genres, it’s been a while since I have been able to sink my teeth into an outstanding platformer. If this is the case for you too, then don’t hold your breath for The Lost Light of Sisu. While some of its features really are great, the game is littered with a host of minor issues that ensure whatever excitement you feel when playing never reaches more than a lazy simmer.

Developer: Solvarg

Publisher: Solvarg

3.5 Hours Played // Review Copy Provided // $9.99

The game starts out simply enough: the first few levels introduce the basic controls and mechanics, while stylised, blocky graphics set the scene. Your objective within each level is to collect cubes which together activate the exit portal and return you to a level-select planet. The collectible cubes provide various upgrades to your movement and abilities, allowing you to access hard-to-reach platforms and perform special manoeuvres. There’s flexibility regarding the order in which you complete the levels, and three boss stages for an extra challenge. Simple, straightforward – what’s not to love?

And at first, I was indeed delighted by the game. The stylised graphics are pleasant and the understated audio (percussion and nature sounds) is unusual and peaceful. Most importantly, the gameplay starts out with a lot of promise. It’s a lot of fun learning the mechanics: not only can you get more powerful upgrades by collecting multiple cubes of the same colour, upgrades of different kinds stack as well. It was immediately clear that a) this formula had a lot of potential, and b) zooming around with multiple speed upgrades was stupidly fun, if somewhat difficult to control.

A platformer with promise. It’s pretty, too.

However, within a handful of levels, I found my delight waning. The Lost Light of Sisu is brimming with issues that simply prevent it from reaching its full potential.

For starters, due to the fact that upgrades do not carry over between levels, you begin every level in the same way: movement is sluggish, and you can barely jump. Your default state is underpowered by design in order to make room for your upgrades. This never makes the start of new stages particularly enjoyable. On the flip side, this blank-slate approach does allow for you to complete levels in any order, which, while not a design choice I’m ever really that fond of, is something that many gamers do appreciate.

Similarly, due to the core mechanic of constantly acquiring and losing upgrades, it’s impossible to get used to the controls. As soon as you acclimatise to your faster speed and greater jump distance, you’ll collect a new upgrade and the cycle starts again. This really messes with your muscle memory over the course of the game, and it prevents the gameplay from ever really becoming fluid.

And, on the topic of controls, basic movement is not the greatest. It takes a while for your cube to reach “full speed” when running. This can be incredibly frustrating when trying to avoid obstacles with perfect timing. This inertia also means that once you have momentum, it’s tricky to stop with any sort of precision. Since at times it feels that the levels have not been designed with any sort of standard jump distance in mind, overshooting platforms is frustratingly easy. I would often have to reverse my movement in mid-air in order to land on platforms and not roll straight off the edge.

This is where things started to get interesting.

Additionally, while the game prides itself on being able to combine your abilities in different ways, it’s brought down by the deliberate choice to only offer two upgrades (increased jump and movement speed) in the first half of the game. As a result, the early levels quickly feel like bland repetitions of the same two ideas. There is, after all, only a certain number of ways you can combine two upgrades. Let me tell you, it’s not high.

Nevertheless, while I did find the first world rather repetitive due to the limited mechanics on offer, my enjoyment ramped up again in the second. This was thanks to a collection of new features, upgrades, and challenges that allowed gameplay to get off the ground. The addition of triple-jumps and a downwards dash allowed for greater exploration within each level. Likewise, new obstacles such as slippery ice, snowballs, force fields, and additional enemies completely revitalised the gameplay. It never quite felt seamless, but I was certainly able to appreciate the level design a lot more.

The final boss stage.

Unfortunately, though, The Lost Light of Sisu never reaches a point where I could say I truly loved it. Throughout it all, minor issues just keep popping up. The audio that initially seems quirky and interesting quickly becomes bland and boring, certain mechanics are simply not explained, and the decision to put the most challenging boss battle first is, frankly, baffling. Similarly, the plot can’t seem to decide whether it exists or not; there are scraps that might be open to interpretation, but despite the perfect setting (and even the perfect title!) for some sort of mild plotline, the game doesn’t do anything with these. In this sense, The Lost Light of Sisu feels somewhat incomplete. It’s almost there, but the game is simply missing the key elements that might take it to the next level.

In short, The Lost Light of Sisu isn’t a terrible game, but neither is it a great one. There are admittedly some awesome ideas on display, but it does feel as though the game could have been so much more. Is it worth your time? It’s not earth-shattering by a long shot. However, it might be good to pick up to pass the time while you’re waiting for the next Celeste.

Thanks for reading! If you’re looking for a game to scratch that platformer itch, have you tried Semblance? A puzzle platformer I reviewed last year, I couldn’t recommend it more. Otherwise, come join our Discord server to talk all things Nindie. And as always, don’t forget to follow us on Twitter – you can find me here.