Lost in Random test: the latest EA Originals has almost everything to make us turn the map

The EA Originals label is definitely in good shape lately. After the very solid It Takes Two and the entertaining fort Knockout city, here comes Lost in Random. But the new title from the Zoink studio (Fe, Ghost Giant) in turn succeeds in making a critical dice roll?

Lost in Random test: the latest EA Originals has almost everything to make us turn the map See the awardRead the conclusionLost in Random

A universe and an artistic direction at the top...
Pair and Décisse, an adorable duo that works
Excellent writing and translation
A nice combat system...

...a little wasted by a technique that lacks ambition and means
Map and follow-up of perfectible quests
I hope you have nothing against hallways
...but some clashes are endless

Lost in Random has been tested on PC (Origin) thanks to a code provided by the publisher. It is available on PC (Steam, Origin), PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch since September 10.

Friends in Wonderland

Maybe it's age, maybe it's weariness or mistrust, maybe it's the period, or maybe it's all of the above, but the more time passes and less game announcements generate a "wow" effect for yours truly. Quite rare are the titles that make me instantly want to lay my hands on it today. And then came Lost in Random, for which I hastened to register my name before someone else from the editorial staff came to put their dirty hands on it to carry out the test.

It must be said that I have a weakness for adventure games, and especially that with its solid artistic direction with a dark and neat aesthetic reminiscent of works like Coraline or The Nightmare Before Christmas, to name the most obvious , there is enough to fall in love very quickly. But I get carried away.

In Lost in Random, you play Paire, a young girl who has neither her tongue nor her slingshot in her pocket, residing in the world of Aléa. In the latter, at age 12 each child must roll a dice to find out which of the 6 kingdoms he will be sent to spend the rest of his life. But when her big sister, Impaire, rolls a 6, and is sent to Sixtopia, which seems to be the best kingdom alongside the evil Queen who oversees everything, our heroine smells that something is wrong (or card in sleeve, or loaded dice, to spin the metaphor like a clumsy).

From the poor kingdom of the Unards, Paire will then set off to find her. On her way she will come across Décisse, a mysterious talking dice as adorable as it is powerful, capable of invoking strange powers.

Each of the kingdoms crossed will be an opportunity to meet characters and experience events related to the face of the corresponding die (in the kingdom of 2 everyone has a double personality, in the kingdom of 3 a civil war between 3 factions takes place, etc.). If at first glance the idea may seem a bit forced, in order to multiply dad's puns and jokes around the theme of the game and randomness, the whole thing is actually quite finely written (and very well translated ) and works without ever overdoing it.

We regularly giggle very willingly, or on the contrary we have a lump in our throats at what the world of Aléa and its often mistreated and unhappy inhabitants tell us with accuracy. Lost in Random is certainly a tale, but a sad and morose tale, and certain passages are certainly tragic and difficult.

As in any good adventure game, Paire will be forced into the heart of many events and fates of other characters in the middle of its journey. This goes unsurprisingly through main and secondary quests (admittedly not always introduced very finely, but let's move on), small light puzzles and fights.

One gameplay one of six

The fights also representing a good part of the big dozen hours it takes to see the end of the game, let's talk about it. Based on light real-time beat 'em up, Lost in Random also features a card system and active pause.

To be able to hope to beat his opponents, usually placed in arenas, Paire must first use his slingshot to hit enemy weak points which will drop crystals. Collecting these then allows you to draw up to 5 cards from a customizable deck made up of a maximum of 15 cards. The deckbuilding aspect is therefore quite light, especially since there are only about thirty cards in total. Consulting your hand of cards then pauses the fight, and, depending on the number obtained by casting Decide at that moment and which translates into "card tokens" (in other words mana points), it is possible to use its cards with various costs and types (summon weapons, heal themselves, cast spells, etc.).

JVFR

On paper and in the first hours, this active/pause mix works well and modifying the cards in your deck (obtained via quests or a merchant) allows you to really change your way of playing. Unfortunately, and despite some somewhat original boss fights and special arenas where you also have to advance a pawn on a board while fighting your opponents, weariness quickly shows up.

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The fault in particular with many fights of an absurd length. Too many enemies that appear, weapons that can break a little quickly, slingshot/crystal mechanics quickly tedious, number of cards in hand/deck too low, bestiary not very thick... Lost in Random sins on a few points that it would be fortunately quite easy to correct. Also, a few extra cards for a little more variety would be nice, especially since some are so strong that it's hard to try other things.

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The body card salesman...uh...here you go

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Buying cards allows you to expand your deck and...

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...unlock new maps

Where, on the other hand, the die is already thrown (ohohoh) for Lost in Random, it is at the level of its lack of means/ambitions. If the artistic direction, the sound design, the music (composed by The Synthetic Orchestra to whom we owe that of The Stanley Parable!) and the writing make it possible to convey many things by offering a truly pleasant universe, it is Too bad to see an EA Originals game, and therefore normally endowed with a certain budget, so much to be stingy on certain elements.

Especially just behind a certain Psychonauts 2 which gives itself the means, or even It Takes Two and its levels, each crazier visually than the other. Very low number of NPC models, minimal animations and light staging, striking landscapes not that many, dubbing of Pair not always there... hard not to see a crazy potential there limited by a lack of means .

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More than once, I began to imagine an adaptation of Lost in Random in an animated series, which would make it possible to pay even better homage to its universe and its successful characters. Or a more ambitious sequel.

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Finally on the grievances, despite its desire to remain accessible in its difficulty - the fights are rarely very hard and will especially test your patience, while the few puzzles do not break a duck's three legs -, Lost in Random would have deserved to be clearer in its quest tracking, and especially its map.

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Do you know where I am? Because I don't.

While there are a few signposts and visual landmarks, don't expect a minimap, compass, or even a "you are here" on the map, which won't help you find your way around realms much. yet composed of corridors (if you like exploration, sorry for you). With my deplorable sense of direction, I wandered around in circles a lot in Lost in Random, and even solved quests by pure chance, lost. Which is consistent with the title, you tell me.

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Lost in Random : l'avis de JVFR

Lost in Random oozes charm, both in its writing and its artistic direction or even its music, it is undeniable. Zoink's title also has good ideas, both in substance and form, starting with its combat system, which unfortunately could be improved. By correcting a few small elements to make it all less long and frustrating and thus better enjoy its solid universe, we can then pass it other small failures that are difficult to forgive, particularly on the technical side. Fortunately, Paire and Décisse regularly grow "ooow" which makes it possible to forget these faults.

Lost in Random

Imperfect, but absolutely charming. This is how Lost in Random could be succinctly summarized. Full of qualities and personality, the title has many minor flaws with which it will be necessary to do (or wait for possible balancing), but which we finally manage to easily forget as the proposed adventure seduces at almost every turn.