Lost Ruinswasreleased for consoles on Jun 04, 2025, however, the game was originally launched in 2021 for PC. At that time, the game received some low scores on the aggregate review scales. Right now it is sitting at a 59 on Metacritic. The hope for any game to receive scores like that is to improve it with updates.
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Sometimes ports to consoles will include enough changes, through patches and additions, that that original score may seem like a joke.No Man’s Skyis always a great example to look at. So, in this past year, hasLost Ruinsgotten any better on PC, and are the console versions better? Let’s dive in to see how things shaped up.
8Best: Weapons And Spells
It takes a while to build up a good armory inLost Ruins. However, after a couple of hours, players should be armed to the teeth with various melee weapons and spells. The starting fireball is a nice spell along with a later one that will hit enemies in a spherical arc.
The melee weapons range from standard long swords to daggers dipped in poison to a scythe that can freeze enemies. The best part about gear is that most of it can be found from drops or from dungeon chests. It givesthis action gamesome extra flavor.
7Worst: Not A Metroidvania RPG
The downside to the weaponry is that this Metroidvania can feel lacking in the RPG department. Enemies do not reward players with experience points. Players cannot, for example, power level their way through the game. Enemies instead drop money or items.
That would be okay if the drops were guaranteed one way or the other.Money is hardto come by inLost Ruins, meaning players have to grind hard to get money. Items are less rare strangely enough. The balance is just a bit off which may make some players shy away from the game.
6Best: The Graphics
It should not be that surprising to find agood-looking indie gamewith pixel art in 2022. Still, Lost Ruins does deserve praise above others of its kind. It has good pixel art, sure, with plenty of cool designs for the monsters and NPCs.
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The part about the design that truly needs some applause-worthy attention is the animations. From the swinging of a sword to dodge rolling through an enemy, everything looks amazing. If the game wasn’t so hard, players may be enticed to sit idly by and watch enemies move around.
5Worst: Accessible Still Isn’t Accessible
Lost Ruins' four difficulty levels are Accessible, Recommended, Veteran, and Hardcore. That is more than some other action games out there, however, as the easiest mode, Accessible still might not be that accessible for beginners.
The game does warn players that this experience is brutal and it isn’t lying. Players have to make sure to keep an eye on health. They also need to get good at dodging attacks. It would have been nice if Accessible was easier or if there werefurther assist modesto help out the less action-inclined player.
4Best: The Bosses
The bosses need their separate space to be praised. Bosses, in games, should be terrifying. They should be larger than life and take up a good chunk of the screen. That’s how most retro games were designed back in the ’80s and ’90s.Contrais a great example of terrifying bosses constantly looking players in the face as they spread across the screen.
The same is true forLost Ruins. These bosses look great and provide a decent challenge without being unfair.A good bossis hard to find in a game so kudos, once more, toLost Ruins.
3Worst: The Platforming
The platforming is not terrible inLost Ruins. It is about 80% there in terms of execution. However, it could be a bit looser as the main character can feel oddly stiff. The problem with the platforming comes into play with the wider gaps.
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For example, when a bridge is out. Players are supposed to be able to jump these gaps. They can, but they have to be pixel-precise when doing so. One frame off and it’s down below they go. The monsters should be the only frustrating thing about the game. It should play just a bit better.
2Best: Lots Of Room To Save
This might not astound every player jumping intoLost Ruins, but the game has a lot of save files. There are two ways to save in the game. Passing by statues will autosave the experience in its own separate save file that constantly gets written over. Then there are computer terminals wherein players can save manually in any of the open free slots.
This is a different setupfrom most Metroidvaniaswhich force players into having one profile for their saves. Being able to have more than one file can allow players to experiment more or to go back to favorite moments.
1Worst: The Music
Atruly good Metroidvaniawill have music that will either haunt the player or invigorate them to keep going.Super Metroid, for example, has a haunting soundtrack that will put players on edge. It helps keep the experience spooky.Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, on the other hand, has a more robust soundtrack that makes it fun to kill demons to.
Lost Ruins’ soundtrack is odd. It is moody likeSuper Metroidbut also quieter and not as engrossing. It’s almost not there. It’s also weird that the most pronounced thing on the soundtrack is the sound effects for the main character screaming. Overall, it’s just nothing special.
Lost Ruinswas released on July 07, 2025 and is available on PS4, Switch, and Xbox One. It was released previously in 2021 for PC.
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