Lost in Tropics instantly piqued my interest. I love the survival genre and the idea of getting my Robinson Crusoe on. However, a lack of depth and ideas reduces creativity. Moreover, the action lacks oomph and quality. The result is a tepid experience that leaves a sour taste in your mouth. Additionally, the exciting blurb gets your heart racing. In reality, it’s a slow and cumbersome adventure across a lifeless, sandy island.
This tropical survival experience was developed by Lukas GameLabs and published by SIG Publishing. It is a single-player title that plays out from a first-person perspective. What’s more, there are some randomly generated assets and in-game events to endure. Accordingly, it attempts to mix things up to prevent monotony from setting in. Sadly, though, it fails miserably.
Lost in Tropics will bore you to death.
Surviving on a desert island should be an exciting and challenging time. Deadly animals, the heat, and a desperate search for a way home should all be at the fore. However, this sense of despair and danger is rarely present. Instead, the grind of resource gathering and the inane statistics drag you down.
Alongside this, there is no backstory, and you feel no sense of rapport with your NPC survival buddy. This lazy individual sits around your rudimentary campsite as you gather food, water, and resources. They occasionally help if they are in the mood. Yet, their happiness is short-lived, and you have to beg them to find a leaf or the odd larvae to eat. When you combine this with no plot and droll gameplay, things turn sour very quickly.
Basic mechanics.
Lost in Tropics demands that you survive 21 days on your tropical island. You must explore your tiny piece of land and scavenge any useful resources. Alongside this, you must build a shelter, a fire, and some basic workstations. Once this is complete, there is little else to do. This was frustrating, as the developers should have added more crafting elements and the ability to expand your base. As it is, you may unlock every item in less than 30 minutes and hope to survive.
The inclusion of random in-game events should have been interesting. However, they are so far-fetched, that they are laughable rather than interesting. For example, I hunted numerous crabs, and suddenly they were after revenge. I’m not entirely sure how the living crabs knew about my slaughtering ways, but they were pissed off nonetheless. Alongside this, I picked up deadly parasites from the water, but I never touched the water… It was very strange, unhinged, and badly implemented.
Lost in Tropics looks great.
Though the core mechanics are questionable, visually, Lost in Tropics looks great. The island setting was realistic, and the water had a glorious shimmer. Moreover, the lighting was great and I admired the crab animation. Furthermore, I liked the rendering distance and this helped you to explore new and unique locations. Alongside this, I experienced no glitches or frame rate problems.
The audio wasn’t so good. Sadly, there is no depth to the action as the developers haven’t incorporated footsteps or any swimming sounds. This flat and unrealistic approach was laughable and disappointing. Furthermore, the sound bites of your NPC companion are repetitive and annoying. In short, the soundtrack and sound effects fall way below modern standards.
Simple controls.
Lost in Tropics utilises a simple UI and basic controls. Yet, an inability to expand your inventory space annoyed the hell out of me. Accordingly, whenever you went exploring, you were stuck between taking supplies or risking your life. This was problematic as death ends your run. As such, I rarely ventured too far as I didn’t want to start again.
Theoretically, there is plenty of replay value. In-game events mix things up and finding the correct resources can be challenging. However, there is not enough depth or items to craft. Furthermore, it is repetitive and unrealistic. Consequently, you’ll become bored long before you complete each of the difficulty settings.
Lost in Tropics is a massive let-down.
I had high hopes when I first installed Lost in Tropics. However, things quickly went south as the gameplay and core ideas ran dry. The lack of depth and the missing elements will leave you wanting. Moreover, the audio was so poor that it undermined any potential. Subsequently, this is a massive let down and I don’t recommend it. Yet, more information can be found here! Can you survive for 21 days? Gather food, build a shelter, and cross your fingers.
