Metropolis: Lux Obscura is a story-rich match 3 puzzle game both developed and published by Ktulhu Solutions. After being framed for the murder of his best friend, Jon Lockhart is wrongfully sentenced to prison. Years later after finally being released he quickly returns to the city in order to determine who it was that set him up for the crime and exact revenge on them with extreme prejudice. Welcome to Metropolis.

This title has some extremely addictive match 3 gameplay that is cleverly woven into a very engrossing narrative which keeps you coming back for more as you just can't stop playing because you want to see what happens next. Buyer beware though because this story is dark, gritty and filled with sex and obscenity which makes it that much more enjoyable in my opinion and I don't mean that in a perverted way. Jon's quest for answers and revenge will take him on a perilous journey through the city while dealing with some of the most depraved specimens that humanity has to offer. Not all is lost though as Lockhart still has some friends in Metropolis that he can count on...or can he?! Like I stated before, the match 3 in this game is just superb. It starts whenever you get into a fight with an enemy or enemies and is also turn-based. The battle grid itself is composed of various tiles that when connected in matching pairs of three or more will initiate an action such as attacking, healing or going into a rage which increases your damage dealt. You select a tile which you can move up and down the grid or also left and right until you make a match and this continues until either you or your opponents hit points are reduced to zero. There are even various perks that come in the form of twelve "mental disorders" and "bad habits" that you can choose from to further enhance Jon's abilities in combat as the story progresses. In summary, the fantastic match 3 gameplay truly compliments the wonderfully dark storyline in this title.

Visually, Metropolis: Lux Obscura is truly a sight to behold. The pencil work and shading on the illustrations of the motion comic that follow the narrative is just completely gorgeous. The game uses absolutely beautiful "Frank Miller" style comic book art, excellent weather effects and a fantastic original soundtrack that combine to give the title a very appealing "film noir" type atmosphere that totally compliments the foreboding storyline. Also of note is the voice acting which is superbly done, completely believable and many times hilarious. In conclusion, for a match 3 game this title puts forth one of the best visual and aural presentations you'll find in this genre on Steam.

I'm a big fan of the "Puzzle Quest" series and I've been hoping for quite some time to finally come across another terrific match 3 puzzle game and Metropolis: Lux Obscura has definitely piqued my interest. This title has quickly become a favorite of mine and I see myself spending many hours playing this game. The puzzle battles are alot of fun, challenging, very strategic and the story is quite interesting as well. The only drawback to the game so far is that it is very very short. I've already completed a playthrough in only two hours. There is some replayability though as there are four different endings depending on the choices that you make as the story progresses. Option-wise, there are Steam Achievements to accquire and Steam Trading Cards to collect alongside an original soundtrack by Vadim Krakhmal with bonus tracks by Yuggoth. In summation, Metropolis: Lux Obscura takes you on a terrific journey through a darker side of humanity with fantastic storytelling and addictive puzzle battles so this title is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to story-rich, match 3 and puzzle game fans everywhere...it's short but fun nonetheless.

Cautious Recommend.

Short, but good looking match 3 game with a 90's comic aesthetic

Not much replayability when all 4 endings have been reached. Can be very frustrating in the mach 3 fights since opponents are very overpowered, you get a skill upgrade after every fight, but it choose randomly between 4 skills (of 12) that can be upgraded, where you can pick one, with each one having 3 or more levels. With the game being so short as it is, you will most likely not pick upgrades more thatn 10 times.

Voice acting are ok, but the cutscenes looks to have been made for another language than English, in the sense that they soometimes moves a bit too fast or too slow in such a way that at one point the VO were done talking before the scene had appeared and the text appeared.

There is no freeplay option.

Cutscenes can only be viewed in the game.

Metropolis Lux Obscura is an authentic Noir experience provided by the atmosphere, music, and unique artwork. The game essentially uses a match3 puzzle fight system and comic book cutscenes so I can only recommend it if you like both.

“Is it something like Sin City?” - my first thoughts when I saw Metropolis: Lux Obscura. It is dark, it is mature, and it has its own Goldie. This is a triple *yes* for me. However, the game did not turn out exactly what I wanted it to be. There are some very good things and some meh ones.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1407315641


- The noir art style with some mature themes – this is what caught my attention from the very beginning and this is what this game really has. Please, keep in mind that Metropolis: Lux Obscura is a game for adults (18+). It has some very explicit scenes with sex, blood, drugs and stuff like this. However, if you have watched both Sin City films, there will not be anything shocking for you, I believe;

- The music is good. It kept in line with the whole atmosphere and brought the right mood during fights;

- The overall atmosphere and comics. Here we once again return to the noir art style of this game, and again, if you want something dark and mature, then here it is. Some parts of comic stripes were animated and each picture was neatly drawn. Also, the map of the town was neat and had lots of small details. The atmosphere was dark and depressing, it showed that there is no good or safe place in this horrible town;

- Voices. There were not that many characters in the game, but it was easy to tell one from another while each person has its own voice. Girls were lovely, boys were brutal, emotions were high – just enough for a game like this.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1407315894


- This game is quite short. It took me just about 4 hours to complete all endings and get all achievements. If I was not so bad at match-3 minigames at times, I would have finished it ever faster. Honestly, I was expecting a game that would take at least 6-8 hours to get to at least the first ending, so my overall playtime came as a major disappointment;

- Match-3 minigames. I think the outcome of each game was extremely random. If you get the right items, then you win; if you do not, then start over again. I had to replay some battles 5-8 times to get even close to killing the enemy. Another thing is that each minigame is the same, so if you want to open every ending, it might become quite repetitive. Even special skills do not save the day;

- The whole story felt rushed. So, I have just started the first day and then, all of a sudden, comes the first ending. We have barely learned something about the main character and other people who live in the town, and hop! Now we need to say goodbye. I also think that some questions were left unanswered despite four different endings. For example, did the main character really commit the crime he was accused of? What is going on in Goldie’s head at times? What happens to some characters? If this game had a some more chapters, it would have felt more complete. And the endings would have been more logical and satisfying.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1407293497


Metropolis: Lux Obscura has great atmosphere, music and art, including some really good comics. However, this game is also very short and leaves with a feeling that something is not right; there is something you are missing simply because it was not there. If this game was longer and provided more story, then it would be just amazing. But in the current state, it is just good. Maybe there will be the second part that will show us more of this dark world?

P.S. There were too many naked girls to my liking, of course.

I picked this one up thinking that a comic-book-noir-adult-oriented puzzle game sounded pretty promising and kind of unique. And it did pretty much everything I expected it to. The thing is, it fell short in just about every aspect, too. I was looking for more with this game: more story, more grit, more boobs. I guess the art was cool and the voice acting was… there. The gameplay was kind of fun. The thing is (and this might be saying more about me than it is about this game) I've played match three games before that have kicked my ass… but I was able to finish this game in one sitting without failing once. It might be really, really easy.

My search for a satisfying puzzle game with adult content mixed in continues.

Rain is falling heavy on you as you step out of prison, finally free after many years of isolation. And there's only one thing on your mind - finding the bastards that framed you and make them pay.
Why did your stripper girlfriend Goldie testify against you?
Why and how did the key witness die?
And what role did mobster boss Falcone play?

'Metropolis Lux Obscura' tells it's story as a comic, while the fights have to be won in a match-3 game. It all comes together very well. Comic art style and writing is great and the fights are very satisfying and clever designed.

While you might think that the match-3 game principle is too simple, that's not the case. In fact, it's very nicely done because you usually start out with far less health points than your enemies and really need to work your brains in order to win. Some fights make you face three enemies with 200 health points each, while you only have 100. How can you possibly win?
Well, there are a number of things that help you. You can increase your rage level by combining rage symbols. A higher rage level works as multiplier for the damage dealt. You can collect medicine by combining health symbols. And of course, if you combine four or five symbols this increases your attack points dramatically. Additionally after each fight, you can pick an upgrade like more hit points for certain weapons, increased health regeneration or a higher maximum rage level. It's very enjoyable and interesting.

As for the story you are supposed to play the game four times because there are four different endings. Each play-through takes more or less one hour. I ended up with a total play time of about five hours for all four endings. So the game is rather short but very enjoyable.

Pros:
- very nice comic art style
- your decisions change the story
- four different endings
- very satisfying fights
- great voice acting
- good music, reminded me of the Bond score
- mature story
- lot's of nude ladies
- the developers provide a nude patch

Neutral:
- the nude patch turns the sex scenes into pure hardcore porn. It's intense. Some players might be offended. I didn't dare to post any of these screen shots.

Match-three games like 'Candy Crush Saga' are not my thing, especially so many of them seem to be freemium games nowadays. Somehow during one Steam Sale, 'Metropolis: Lux Obscura' was recommended to me. (Perhaps it's from my playing the 'Deponia' games.) Being a fan of noir, and that the game received decent reviews and was on sale, I decided give it a try.

'Lux Obscura' is a mix of match-three puzzle game and choose-your-own-adventure visual novel. You play as Jon Lockhart, a former prisoner who tries to get back on his feet in the seedy part of Metropolis. Your decisions will affect how his story develops, leading to one of four outcomes. Along the way, you will get into fights, and that's where the match-three puzzle comes in. By matching up tiles, you execute attacks or heal yourself. In that regard, it's a bit like playing 'Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo'.

The match-three puzzle portion is not particularly difficult, but it can get frustrating after a few successive losses. While you do need to play smart and plan ahead when solving the puzzles, a good part of your success is based on luck. I played 'Lux Obscura' for a few hours over four sessions and reached all four endings. Each of the four stories is unique despite sharing a few key plot points, making replaying the game worthwhile. The stories, however, could have used some more character development for full enjoyment.

The real star of 'Lux Obscura' is Oleg Okunev, who drew the art for the game. He seemed to have been inspired by the works of comic book and graphic novel artists like J. Scott Campbell, Frank Miller and Alfonso Azpiri, and created the fantastic and titillating visuals. His art, especially in his use of colour, created the perfect atmosphere for the stories of 'Lux Obscura'. I must admit his art style played a part in my decision to buy this game.

'Lux Obscura' may not make me a match-three game fan, but it certainly afforded me a few hours of fun. It's worth a try if you're up for a game that you can start up and play quickly. My obsession to see a story through and reach all four endings made this game hard to put down. Chances are, you may find yourself in the same position as I when you play 'Lux Obscura'.

Metropolis: Lux Obscura [Abbrev. MLO] is a stylish game that trips itself up with poor design choices and storytelling issues. MLO is by no means a bad game, but its shortcomings and flaws make it a disappointing one. For $8USD, you could be getting better games in the same genre. However, if you do have the money and are willing to cough up $8USD for a game toting a bold and rather unique art style, it certainly holds a candle against its competitors.

I was never a major fan of connect-3 games, but I always welcomed ones which introduced an external element to the already-barebones and minimalistic mechanics. I went into MLO hoping that it would deliver something more than just the cookie-cutter 'Candy Crush' connect-3 experience, and while it did show flares of innovation, none of it is remotely interesting or unique.

Connect-3 games usually come with different tiles which have their own unqiue effects. For instance, developers would use elements. When the player encounters a fire-type creature in the game, they are challenged to make as many water-type combinations as possible. This is the hallmark of connect-3 games, and is also what the developers of MLO manage to miss entirely.

The game gives you a handful of tiles, none of which are even explained to you. Throughout the game, you will have no idea what any of the other tiles except for the coloured fist will do differently. There's the blue electric box, the green poison vials, the boots, the grey fist wrapped in a chain, and a coloured fist without the chain. All of the aforementioned tiles deal damage to the opponent in the fight, yet all of them are literally just as effective as the other. This leaves the gameplay without any dynamic. Damage is just straightforward damage, and whether you decide to put toxins or electric boxes together don't matter at all, as none of them are situational.

As for the progression system in MLO, I can't say it's really nothing we've seen before. Attributes are oxymoronically labelled as 'Bad Habits', seemingly for the sake of following the dark theme of the game. During my playthroughs I was under the impression that picking the trait 'Anarchist' would lead to some repurcussions in the story, only to have been disappointed by the lack of their mention at all. Perhaps instead of making the player character a guy descending into insanity, which isn't even remotely a theme of the story in the first place, positive or neutral virtues should have been chosen instead, as they would have made much more sense. 'Hard Hitter' would suggest that it was an upgrade to the fists, or 'Chemist' for the poison, if you will. Essentially, the lack of proper understanding of the genre of game that it wants to make use of in the first place leads me to believe that the produces of the game wanted the focus to be more on the story and illustrations of the game, rather than the gameplay.

Nothing is coherent about this game's story. Nothing and nobody is explained at all. I can't really cite the premise of the story because of how many pieces it's in, and a lot of it feels illogical as well. We don't know anything about the protagonist (Player character) or anyone else in the story. There's mentions of this girl, Goldie, whom I assume was the love interest of the protagonist before his incarceration. After my playthroughs I was still left clueless as to:

a) Who any of the characters were, and why they mattered at all, including the protagonist himself! Is he supposed to be some undercover cop or a criminal with a good heart?

b) Why the protagonist served time in the first place, and why it was even necessary to develop the story of the game.

c) How everything seems to get miraculously traced back to the protagonist.

The world of Metropolis: Lux Obscura might have the flash, flare and style of what you may expect from a triple-A developer, but lacks the understanding of the genre to make it effective. At times it felt as though the developers had the story in mind first, and then forcibly wedged the neo-noir/noir art into the game. I had hoped that the neo-noir setting would complement the story and prop it up to make it more enjoyable, but so many instances left me scratching my head, asking what the point was.

For example, upon completing the tutorial, you are given the option to either speak to Falcone, a crime boss, or go to the strip club. Of course, there's more fighting where you piece together tiles which you still no absolutely nothing about, because your player character cares about a hooker with a kid more than an innocent bouncer doing his job (No, there isn't any moral ambiguity at all). You have a conversation with a stripper who asks if you "still have a taste for (ladies)". The stripper is never seen again. I may be wrong because the situation may change depending on whether you choose to see her or Flacone first, but the point is that the story cannot handle the flexibility that it provides to the player. Immediately after meeting another prostitute, the protagonist is willing to kill himself (literally!) for her and her kid...

WHY?! None of that makes sense! It was so frustrating to have the game set you up for what you may think is logical, like talking something over, but betraying that expectation by doing something that doesn't make any sense!

If the studio wishes to impress, this is something that they seriously need to work on. I was hoping to see more choices, and even a coherent story for starters. Gameplay isn't going to make up for this flaw, especially since it's a connect-3.

Last but not least, the stories are all far too short to be satisfying. Often times it feels like crucial sequences had been cut due to cost restraints, leading to the story feeling awfully rushed and unhealthy.

MLO is bursting to the brim with style. Hand-drawn illustrations and pretty solid voice acting make this game a treat for the eyes. This is where the game truly shines and makes it even more disappointing that they couldn't capitalise on this strength with their gameplay and storytelling. There's not much to say other than well-done, the art is reminiscent of comics from the 90's and the air is full of jazz and class. That being said, I would have favoured a larger cast to draw with to make better use of the setting of the game, and perhaps less gratuitous, completely unwarranted nudity.

Metropolis: Lux Obscura ends on a high and a low. The style is consistent and it's evident that a lot of money and effort had been poured into the game's overall style, and it's obvious that the developers tried to make as good of a game as they could with the funds that they had. For an indie studio, this is already impressive, but in my books, it does not warrant the $8USD price tag. The game is far too short and far too unsatisfying for that price, in my opinion.

Is it worth it? That's for you to decide, I guess. I'll put this down as recommended because this is clearly a studio that lacks all that much experience, but has still managed to pull through with a coherent game. MLO would be nice to have if you want a story that feels interactive, or if you don't mind that price tag. I have to give them credit once again for the effort put into the art, but I still feel as though the studio's ambitious artwork took away from the gameplay and story.

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Short and sweet. Been wanting this bad boy for forever now. Very fun match 3 game with just the right amount of lewd and amazing art haha. It's tough but a good tough. Female voice actresses need work tho, I didn't like them. But overall it was fantastic! I do wish it was longer though, Or had a basic arcade mode/Endless mode.

I'd say grab it on sale. But i do look forward from more work from these dev's. :]

I love this game. It has a very beautiful art style and an extraordinary noir-feeling! The dark atmosphere is underlined by fitting music.
The match-3 part prevents the game from becoming a simple clicker-comic, which is nice. Even while this part can make beating the game very hard because his high randomness.
The only negative points: the game is to short and offers little to replay it.