Lost in Bardo Demo

Philosophy is not usually a part of video games, given the fact that most of them are designed for you to have fun, not to think about life and its meaning. On the other hand, there are plenty of games out there that rely on the story and deeper concepts, you just have to be prepared to exchange a bit of fun in order to get them.

Lost in Bardo is a point & click adventure game that features a variety of interesting puzzles, as well as an intriguing overall plot that has yet to be revealed in its entirety in the demo at hand. However, it’s quite obvious that there’s potential when it comes to the quality of the writing and the dialog, but so far everything is kept at a minimum.

It all revolves around Sam, a young girl who finds herself transported to a different world as she leaves her room one day. This world is a bit scary and dangerous, given the fact that Sam is a prisoner the moment she steps through the make-believe portal. However, there’s always humor in the air, which makes the whole thing a lot easier to take in.

Just like in most point & click games, your goal is to solve puzzles by interacting with the environments and various items that help you along. Sometimes it’s difficult to say what items go where, but then again that’s the beauty of puzzle games. The puzzles actually make sense in the context of the story, such as when you have to make soup and use the right ingredients.

Lastly, the graphics are worth a mention too, mainly because the artwork is gorgeous and the sprites are very expressive. Don’t expect anything too modern, on the other hand, since the whole thing is designed to look retro and maybe appeal to slightly older gamers. The interface is as classic as it gets too, since all you have to do is click around and use the inventory to make use of your items.

In the end, Lost in Bardo features a bit of Buddhist philosophy as well, so you might learn a thing or two along the way. The game as a whole feels quite polished and enjoyable, especially if you are a fan of the genre.