Game Review: LAVALAMP, A Psychedelic Experience For the Best Possible Price
My first question upon being presented with this game was, “What is LAVALAMP?” Oh, I know what a lava lamp is, but this game? It was not clear at first. And, after over half an hour in the game, I’m still hard-pressed to explain it. But I’m going to try. And, so there’s no misunderstanding, I liked it.
What is LAVALAMP?
First off, the screenshots I’m sharing do not do LAVALAMP justice. You really have to see this thing in motion to appreciate the truly chaotic yet mesmerizing environments. This is a walking simulator. But it’s not like anything I’ve played before. The goal of the game is unclear from the start, but that’s OK with me. Figuring out what to do and where to go is a core part of the experience.
In LAVALAMP, you are walking through a place that is part house, part fever dream. The environments are full of neon-colored objects and plants. You interact with objects and walk through doors, though where you end up often doesn’t make logical sense. Forget logic. It has no place here.
This game is about breakfast, Space Lemmings from Space (who need your help for some reason), and cookies. And there is cereal. A lot of cereal.
The Controls
The controls in LAVALAMP are simple. In fact, they’ve politely placed the instructions in the upper right-hand corner. If you’re ever wondering what you can do in a space, look up there. It tells you. You’ll use WASD to walk around, the left-click of the mouse to interact with something, the Q to exit or back up, and the space bar to select things in menus. Move the mouse to look around, and you have the basics.
You can also use left-shift to run, and space will jump. You’ll need to do a small bit of jumping to gather the cookies. You can’t have a psychedelic world without snacks.
What About the Graphics & Music?
The graphics can only be described as psychedelic. Around every corner, you’ll be met with more bright, strange plants amid ordinary furniture and objects. Click on things, and they will make sounds and sometimes bounce off, spin, or explode into hearts. Spam that left the mouse button. You’ll thank me.
The music is original, and it fits the game. The voice work is great, too. If there’s one thing I could ask for, it would be settings to adjust the music and ambient sounds. Some of them are quite brash. But I was delighted to discover the musical mushrooms and the ability to kick around some objects on the beach.
Should We Buy It?
Well, that’s a complicated question. See, the game is free. Gabriel Ledoux, who describes themself as a “contemporary music composer,” designed this as their first game. So, they’ve made it free. There are only a couple of reasons I can think of to not get LAVALAMP. First, if you are prone to seizures that are triggered by light or flashing lights. There is a lot of strange lighting. For your safety, avoid it. And, if you get motion sick from first-person games. Otherwise, download it and try it.
I played through the first chapter of the game and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I was laughing as I stumbled through hallways and explored behind the many doors. I was delighted to stop and click on musical mushrooms, and when I discovered that rapidly clicking on a certain tree caused hearts to explode from it. Oh, and collecting cookies. Don’t forget to collect the cookies. Still not convinced? Check out my video below.
Now, excuse me while I go see about these Space Lemmings.
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