The Lonesome Guild Review (PC)

Where indie games already had the disadvantage of having a small budget for marketing, it’s becoming easier for new ones to slip under the radar thanks to a flood of new and upcoming indie games on the market. Not to mention that so many of the recently released indie games have caught the wandering eyes of many gamers. Case in point: Hades, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Diablo, and Balatro. 

What smaller chance then do smaller entries like The Lonesome Guild have? It might be the exact and perfectly fitting action RPG for you, but it fails ever to cross your sights. Don’t worry, though, as it’s precisely our job to bring the hottest, new indies to your attention. And not only inform you of their existence, but also analyze how worthwhile it is to grab a copy of the game for yourself. 

Without further ado, here’s what we thought about developer Tiny Bull Studios and publisher Don’t Nod’s The Lonesome Guild.

End of Times

It’s the story that will likely grab your attention the most. In a fantasy world called Eterra, a comet suddenly crashes onto the surface. The said comet turns out to be a being who doesn’t recall who they are or what their purpose is. The being soon receives the moniker, Ghost. As you explore the curious and lore-rich world of Eterra, you get in touch with the mysterious red mist hovering over the land. 

Your first encounter with your soon-to-be companion, DaVinci, reveals that the red mist is Loneliness: a vicious, dark force that brings out the worst in Eterra’s people. It becomes clear then what your mission is: to rid the world of Loneliness and save it from itself. But you’ll need help doing so, which DaVinci is glad to be of service. And later, four more playable characters will join your party.

Exploring Eterra is a decent time, thanks mainly to the world’s aesthetic and design. Warm orange and bright colors bring a sense of relaxation. It feels like tagging along on a storybook adventure, gradually learning about the history and lore of this inviting world. Much of the exploration is of large sections of the map, segmented into rooms of sorts. Every room has its stashed-away chests, puzzles, and side quests given by the NPCs you meet. 

Little Bit Further

Exploration and the unraveling of the story are all warm and cute, but it certainly could have been pushed just a little bit further. On the exploration front, sure, the red mist hovering over the land has its spark of intrigue. And the barrenness of some regions helps show the environmental effect the red mist may be causing to the world. But there certainly could have been more environmental detail to further flesh out worldbuilding. 

It’s the same with the story, where the premise definitely has its intrigue. Loneliness as a super villain, not only consuming the people but the world, too, is definitely an interesting concept. Even in the real world, loneliness can cause devastating damage to the emotional and physical well-being of people and the world around them. But that effect is often hidden, and rarely seen or explored in the way The Lonesome Guild tries to. 

And the way the story “saves the world” is also very touching. Friendship, the developers agree, is the answer to fighting loneliness. But it takes effort, and intentional conversation and rapport built over time. Here’s where your party’s six playable characters come in, where they begin their journey as strangers. However, every chat by the resting point’s campfire to renew their health is an opportunity to bond and grow closer.

Mr. Lonely

But as the story continues, the emotional impact and mature themes I was expecting get lost in the dialogue and storytelling. The writing and lack of voice acting fail to bring home the heaviness loneliness can feel. Neither does the resolve of friendship and connectedness feel meaningfully explored. Simply having one-on-one chats with your party members raises their relationship rank. And that simply feels, well, too simplistic. 

The chats reveal the unique traits and personalities of the characters. And they are also a way to learn the history, including the emotional and moral dilemmas, of these characters. But in terms of their growth and how they manage to evolve from feeling hopeless to hopeful, it feels shallowly explored. It’s not that the chats themselves are entirely terrible. But they certainly could have been better emotionally crafted to truly immerse you in the journeys of the cast. 

And the same applies to the overall story, as your party gradually fights enemies who’ve succumbed to loneliness. It’d have been interesting to witness the world heal physically, in flowers blooming and color restoring. Something that shows progress deeper and more impactful than at present. As is, the focus on the lore and relationships feels a little heavy-handed, like they were thrown into the mix just because.

Party of Six

Ghost will always be an active party member in battle. So, it’s up to you to choose three other playable characters whose team composition works well. You’re not stuck with your choice, though, as you can always swap out characters and experiment with different team combos and synergies. 

Unfortunately, the uniqueness of the strengths and weaknesses of each character isn’t as strong as I’d hoped. And that would have consequently encouraged experimentation and even replayability. In any case, characters have individual skill trees, which are unlocked the more Ghost has one-on-one chats with them by the campfire, and raises their relationship rank.

As you unlock new skills and abilities and upgrade your stats, you’ll have more toys to play with in battle. In the beginning, the upgrades don’t feel as significant. However, the impact is definitely felt more towards the end. Meanwhile, the skills and abilities start out varied among characters. But toward the end, they tend to become similar across the board. 

This Means War

You’ll quickly find your favorite characters. Mr Fox, perhaps, because of his ease of control on the battlefield. Or Chaska, whose damage carries more impact. The others may provide an incentive to use them when merged with Ghost for the Embezled state effect. It’s a temporary enhanced state of dealing more damage and an increase in stats. There’s also an Ultimate meter that fills as your party deals damage. Once full, it unleashes a powerful “room-clearing” attack. 

So, there are nuances to The Lonesome Guild’s combat, albeit not necessarily new. At its most basic level, all you need to do is master timely dodges and attacks. And these will be from mostly telegraphed enemy attacks; you’ll put some effort into learning. Otherwise, combat shouldn’t be too difficult to learn and master, and you might even make it to the end without dying.

Puzzles follow a similar concept: straightforward, but also not too easy, so as not to require any thought or skill. Some will take a few seconds to decipher, others might take a beat. Overall, though, you’ll often use Ghost to switch a lever, for instance, while another character searches for another lever to pull. Or pushing obstacles, with each character usually splitting up to do their part. 

Potential for Greatness

“Splitting up” doesn’t quite fit into the theme of building friendship and connectedness. It’s the biggest message The Lonesome Guild tells, and would have definitely taken the story, combat, and puzzle-solving to the next level if friendship and togetherness were integrated across the board.

In the story showing how different characters can find common ground, in combat through powerful synergies and combos you can discover by teaming up characters, and in puzzle-solving, where characters coordinate lever-pulling and help each other push blocks. 

Is The Lonesome Guild creative and innovative in its approach to friendship versus loneliness? Would it be an entry worth recommending to you? Worth multiple run-throughs?

Verdict

I want to say yes, because The Lonesome Guild does have its moments of warmth and charming segments. It feels unique in its art style and plot, as indie games tend to surprise us. But the execution definitely falters compared to the myriad action RPGs you might be better off playing. The story doesn’t quite hit the emotional impact you might expect from an important story such as this. Neither does the combat or puzzle-solving, which feel like a walk in the park. It works, but does it push genre conventions? Does it test your skill and incentivize you to play more and more?

Probably best to grab a copy of The Lonesome Guild with caution that it may not blow your mind away like you might hope it does. That’s not to say that you’ll dislike your entire experience, but that you’ll definitely leave its presence wishing the developers had pushed their ideas and implementation just a little bit further. Otherwise, I can’t say whether The Lonesome Guild has enough to stand on its own two feet, to withstand the floodgates of the myriad of new and upcoming indie and other games alike.