Game: LOK Digital
Genre: Puzzle
System: Steam (Windows)
Developers Publishers: Letibus Design, Icedrop Games |Draknek & Friends
Controller Support: Yes
Price: US $ 13.49 | UK £11.51 | EU € 13,31
Release Date: December 11th, 2024
A review code was provided with many thanks to Draknek & Friends.
How does one describe a game that blends the relaxation of word-search puzzles with the mystique of Chants of Sennar? Because that’s still not quite it. LOK Digital is more than the former and less than the latter, while still illuminating these mysterious little inkblot lives. It’s a riddle that’s been known to fans of paper and pencil puzzle games, with the best version of itself available in a spiffy spiral-bound book with a reusable sheet you can scrawl on. Designed by Slovenian artist Blaz Urban Gracar, the world of LOK is a head-scratcher offered with only a few guidelines to get you started. From there, you’re on your own.
It sounds intimidating at first, and without any foreknowledge, opening up the Steam page of the game may present you with a strong moment: ‘what the heck am I looking at?’ Which I had and dove in anyway. It’s a puzzle mystery that begins to click a lot faster than you might think, and the results are exquisitely charming.
Solving the World of LOK
The first handful of puzzles are simple and straightforward and help you quickly narrow in on what you’re supposed to be doing. It may be easy to come in ready to overthink, prepared to crack cyphers like the Zodiac is on the loose again. But no, LOK is itself a relatively simple language, and each little word is like a spell that impacts the puzzle around it. Each ‘spell’ (this is my description of how the puzzle works, not necessarily the game’s) is a one-time use, and the first word you’ll learn is itself, LOK, and all it does is allow you to pick another space to black out after. This leaves four tiles blacked out, and the goal is to black out all the tiles in a puzzle.
A little more help from the next few puzzles, and you’ll realize the key is to use each word to block out the right tiles in order. Blackening out a tile is the same as removing a space between letters, so removing the extra O in a LOOK will give you another LOK that you can use to remove another tile.
If that doesn’t make a lot of sense to read, it makes a lot of sense to actually play. It’s very much a case of doing it will lead to multiple a-ha! moments, which you will then be completely unable to explain to your partner who’s peacefully reading next to you.
The LOKs Themselves
Despite living in a quiet, black-and-white world of words, the LOKs are adorable little blob squidgies who evolve along with their language. As you begin, they’re just sort of milling around a campfire in an early state of being. But unlocking new sections will see them begin to grow their civilization, leading to whimsical wagon wheels and surprise technological advances.
It’s a minimalist world of inky blacks and soothing white, and it’s not an easy one to mess up. Undoing your mistakes is as easy as rewinding a tape, and there are no penalties or timers to stress you into making wild guesses. The LOKs are happy to evolve at whatever pace works for you, and they’re gentle about introducing new words and their head-spinning impacts on the puzzle tiles. They simply want to be understood. Doesn’t everyone?
Even Easier Than A Paper Pad
Anyone that loves the newspaper crossword or a good, cheap sudoku book knows the lure of simply having something you can scrawl over without consequence. It’s easy just to grab a pencil and go to town, although erasing can be a little bit of a hassle. Translating that into a video game means knowing how to offer ease of life options — no more eraser gunk everywhere — while still making it simple to work with the puzzle itself.
LOK Digital, to its major credit, works a dream on the Steam Deck. At first glance, it looks like the sort of game that might require a keyboard and a mouse, but no. Basic buttons and the touchpad will do everything you need, letting you focus on the puzzle itself. It’s smoothly, even remarkably well done, and makes for a great flop-and-figure experience where the cat won’t run off with your pencils. (I’m missing a sketch HB pencil. I think it’s under the couch. It wasn’t cheap, and this couch is heavy, but that’s on me for adopting my brat son.)
Conclusion
LOK Digital is a remarkable translation of a pen and pencil puzzle game into something that can easily be picked up and played as a video game, and some of that is due in part to publishers Draknek & Friends, who’ve brought equally delightful games like A Monsters Expedition to Steam. The new dimension allows the world of the LOKs to come to life in even more vibrant ways — despite their monochrome world — and even the puzzles themselves go through some neat changes to suit the environment.
It’s a delight to enter a new section of the game and see what the little blobs are up to now, and the game’s thoughtful pacing reduces frustration when new words are introduced. Instead, it’s a little jolt of delight to figure out something new, and it’s a great motivation to keep growing in this strange little world. With some 90-odd puzzles (and dailies), it’s a game you’ll be sad to wrap up. A pleasant treat and a great wintertime relaxer. Check it out on Steam now!
Final Verdict: Two Thumbs Up
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