Lust From Beyond Prologue Is More Art Than Midnight Preview

Lust From Beyond Prologue is one of the few demos I managed to go through recently. In quick succession of each other, I played Succubus Prologue and with both titles the common theme they shared were boobs.

We can get the titillation out of the way now as both games are surprisingly good. In this write-up, it’s about the latter – a story set in the same universe as Lust For Darkness – a title I’ve had on the Switch for a while now, but still not played through yet.

It’s a psychological erotic horror. Nudity and gaming go hand in hand as there so many hairy palmed males looking for a glimpse of skirt since Lara Croft flashed her polygons at us. But remember, erotica is art – no matter whether you want to look at it on face value for the T and A.

While only a brief insight into the world of Lusst’ghaa, Lust From Beyond Prologue isn’t a homage to H.R. Giger, but it’s almost as if the developers at Movie Games found some unreleased material. These guys know their stuff inside out, and the environment they’ve created is stunning.

The walls feel so alive that if only I felt damp in the air from the fleshy materials in their structure, I’d have said I was actually there in the nightmare world. In many respects, I took my time looking around the morbidly sexy tunnels of the game that would have Clive Barker invested in its premise. Jump to present day, and the stately home/mansion that you occupy with fellow cult members is equally visceral with its ominous lighting and deviant ornate objects.

Because Lust From Beyond Prologue is a demo, I’ll keep things relatively short. You play Christopher ‘The Seeing’ member in a cult that worships the ecstasy found in phallic-shaped objects and orgies while wearing masks that you’d see in Eyes Wide Shut.

One fateful night they perform a ritual that goes a little out of control

Christopher has the gift of being able to traverse the realm of Lusst’ghaa through his lucid dreams and also through rites performed at the cult’s HQ. One fateful night they perform a ritual that goes a little out of control, and the two worlds merge to some extent and, you guessed it, these disciples of perversity find themselves enslaved in their lusty endeavours.

Lust From Beyond Prologue isn’t as seedy as I first thought it would be. Sure, some of the contraptions you uncover are mental, and while I’m no prude, this isn’t a game to get off on unless you have deviant tendencies. Yep, I’m totally judging you. 

Sex and violence are next-door neighbours, unfortunately, and when the two meet up, it’s quite disturbing but adds to the sinister mood that the game creates. It’s hard to identify with them as the members are mostly anti-heroes, but when their lives become threatened, and it’s evident that they’re out of their depth, you begin to sympathise with their naivety. Or you smugly look on and say “told you so”.

The atmosphere in the game is impressive, and the visuals pack a punch too. I must admit that the game promptly shifted from an Ikea simulator as throughout the mansion, you’re pulling drawers, opening cabinets and leaving taps on. Least, I did with the latter hoping that it would trigger a Zak McKraken and the Alien Mindbenders scene. It didn’t. 

Stare at the fascinating constructs of Lusst’ghaa? Sure. Watch a bunch of socialites bump uglies while wearing opera masks? Nah, you’re alright.

Other activities include reading notes and picking up 3D objects to rotate on their axis, looking for elusive clues or admiring the graphics. Occasionally there are a couple of puzzles, and as a demo, it was nothing taxing and easy to get past. I was half expecting combat in the game as you will eventually have a health gauge and can pick up health packs, but unless there was a hidden crowbar or beam saber, it’s more survival horror.

I’m not much of a trophy hunter, and as a relative newcomer to Steam was dazzled with the achievements on offer. The usual triumphs are on display such as finding all the medkits or playing the game in censored or uncensored mode. I was quite shocked to see a couple of trophies that require you to watch a couple of scenes for 3-5 minutes. Again, I’m not striving for recognition with a trophy, so I didn’t bother with these. Stare at the fascinating constructs of Lusst’ghaa? Sure. Watch a bunch of socialites bump uglies while wearing opera masks? Nah, you’re alright.

Lust From Beyond Prologue is 100% for mature audiences. That’s not just because of the nudity and violence but the themes explored. You need to use your wits to solve puzzles, uncover the mysterious lore of Lusst’ghaa and stay alive from whatever occupies its depths.

This is some bad juju that in real-life, one would hope you’d never want to get involved with. Still, for those with a deviant, darker side just a little curious what it would be like to explore a dystopia run by the likes of Lovecraft, Giger and Beksinski, then you need to give this prologue a trial and promptly add to your wishlist.

We can expect to see Lust From Beyond on Steam from the 24th September 2020.