It’s finally here: a Lust From Beyond review, the game that would make the Rampant Rabbit look like a loveable character designed by Disney. It’s rich in sexual content, despicable scenes, and horny brutality.
For some, that’s already a hook. While there’s an element of intrigue, I’d stay well clear of it, in fear of being put on ‘a list’ or associated with PVC-wearing paddle-wielders that have a penchant for buttery lubricants and spikey things that shouldn’t be spikey.
That sentiment isn’t selling this psychological thriller from Movie Games whatsoever. If you’re licking your lips already, please leave. With all that said, Lust From Beyond is one of the most fascinating worlds I’ve ever had the pleasure(!) of exploring and surviving. But that question you want to ask: is Lust From Beyond worth it? Yes, I think so.
Lust From Beyond Review
As this is a one-way piece of text, we’ll define worth it as should you buy it? A couple of factors would be on your expectations. If you want a battle-hardened first-person action-adventure, no. Try Succubus Prologue instead; there’s an abundance of wobbly bits, it’s currently free-to-play, and you can get your literal kicks through inflicting pain.
In Lust From Beyond, you are the vessel for pain, often witnessing it in setpieces or being on the receiving end from a cult member or two. Lust’ghaa, The Land of Eternal Ecstasy is a Giger/Lovecraft wet dream. It’s as real as I could tolerate, as the events you witness require a certain tolerance and understanding.
Lust For Darkness sets the tone, and if you’ve played any of the demos, you’ll know what to expect. To some degree, it’s a wanking walking simulator with puzzles thrown in willy-nilly (willy), but it works in its favour. Lust From Beyond is a stunning game that requires indulgence and plenty of spectatorship. Unless you’re being chased.
Perhaps the game’s first shock was the number of survival horror aspects: running for dear life, avoiding any physical contact with enemies – both combat and bumping uglies and the reliance on stealth. I was expecting it to be more puzzle-focused – which isn’t a bad thing.
Cult Of Personality
Playing as Victor Holloway, you’re an antique dealer who’s plagued by horrifying nightmares and hallucinations. After a disturbing episode with his fiancée, he goes to a remote town named Bleakmoor to meet a specialist but ends up balls-deep in cults.
Cutting to the chase, Victor is a Seeing One with the ability to traverse our world and Lust’ghaa. The Scarlet Lodge is a brutal cult determined to destroy it, where everyone is expendable, and unfortunately, his first encounter into this seedy realm. However, the parent society takes Victor under their wing and shows him how to harness his power.
A lesser evil perhaps, but the folk you side with are human and have their weaknesses. In this case, lust. The goal is to understand Lust’ghaa and the quest for the eternal orgasm – no, this isn’t tongue in cheek or reserved for Mr Laffer. Despite the sexual themes, it’s not about playing the one-handed bandit.
My investment in Lust From Beyond was the story and striking scenery. On that basis, it hits every spot, and I wasn’t disappointed. I had expected to be mindlessly inspecting objects more often than not, and while that is an option, it’s not always mandatory, and in many respects, it moves at a decent pace.
Taking Back Control
Though it wasn’t without a fair share of hurdles. Early on in the game, pretty much after the first few chapters, you have to escape some pursuers who seemingly share Pinterest boards with the folk over at Silent Hill.
The tension was spot on, but the assailants would appear out of nowhere, block your path when spawning, and showcase somewhat janky character animation. Though the scenery in Lust From Beyond is sublime, some of the characters, such as their movements and lip-synching, were relatively poor. The kink of wearing a mask solved the lip-synching issue, at least.
Another whinge was the gamepad controls. It was recommended to play with a controller, which worked fine until acquiring a spell-like ability using essence. No, not spunk. In summary, the button combinations would not work correctly with my gamepad, though it worked perfectly with the mouse and keyboard. It was a minor issue, but I wasted 10-15 minutes resolving it at the time.
The puzzle sequences were easier than expected, and I doubt it was my mediocre intelligence. As for combat, give that a miss. It’s clearly stated that you should avoid confrontation, but it’s a poor experience when you do. Holding one button to prepare the attack and another for executing didn’t translate well.
Freudian Slit
The last time I visited Lust’ghaa, I said it was both vile and beautiful. Worryingly, there wasn’t anything that upset me. Sure, if someone walked in a while playing, I would have switched off the monitor in fear of being judged, but as I can anonymously climb this penis-shaped tower, I call ‘website’ and declare Lust From Beyond art. It’s erotica, and it’s beautiful in so many ways.
Sure, that doesn’t warrant me changing my desktop wallpaper to a door shaped like a vagina, or wearing anything other than a face mask for pandemic purposes. Still, Movie Games sure has done an excellent service to H.R. Giger’s legacy. If you’re giggling at the phallic levers or tits on anything and everything, then Lust From Beyond is not for you, or you’ll at least have a laugh at all the bums and willies.
The Lust’ghaa lore is fascinating and much more profound than it may appear. Between loading screens, you’ll see quotes and poetry that is often far too deep for some gamers. This isn’t titillation but using erotica as art. However, I didn’t feel comfortable engaging in some of the scenes, and it made me feel a little dirty, Your Honour.
Cautionary Tale #69: If you keep watching PornHub, you’ll end up in Lust’ghaa, locked into Xu’thrar for eternity with your hairy palms and bad breath.
Lust From Beyond Review Summary
There’s been enough hype for Lust From Beyond, which I’m guilty of. While some of the controls were off, and janky character modelling here and there, in short, it’s more or less what I had hoped it to be. Feelings have been delight, lust, confusion, frustration, then after it all, remorse. Sexy. If you enjoyed (not judging) the previous demos, Lust From Beyond delivers. There’s a cum joke in there somewhere.
