Lone Demo

Few video games have managed to become as popular as Counter-Strike did, which is that much more impressive when you consider the fact that it’s actually a glorified Half-Life mod. But even with that in mind, it’s still a great achievement, especially because it provided so many people with a way to have fun and compete with other gamers from all over the world.

Lone is a monosyllabic experiment designed to test what would happen if you removed a few elements from the original Counter-Strike, with the sole purpose of making the experience simpler and more manageable. In this case, the removed elements include one of the graphic engine’s dimensions, which translates into an old-fashioned top-down perspective and a less personal interaction with the enemies.

The multiplayer part dodged the draft as well, which means that you can only discharge your gun into the poorly programmed AI. It wouldn’t be a fatal flaw in and by itself, because many other shooters opted out of the multiplayer fan club, but the one at hand simply had no wiggle room to exclude such an important part, especially when you glimpse at what’s left.

In fact, there’s barely anything of value left to entertain the crowds. You only have one gun to play with, which is actually an overpowered shotgun capable of taking anyone out regardless of distance. The maps change every time you manage to win, but you wouldn’t be able to tell if the game wouldn’t display a message to inform you. Hence, the experience gets repetitive in a rush, and there’s no escaping it.

Lastly, you’ll find no solace in the visual quality either. The 2D engine is not a death sentence, because people still manage to use art and make up for the lack of a third dimension, but it’s just not the case here. There are only two tilesets to admire, and none of them is easy on the eyes. To top things off, bugs are part of deal as well, just in case you doubted the game’s ability to get any worse.

In the end, Lone is truly going to end up alone, because no one is willing to accept all of its flaws in return for so little. Hence, you might want to try something else instead, or maybe just make do with a walk in the park.