PS5/PS4 Review: Lootbox Lyfe+

Can you beat the ultimate evil – Lootboxes?

You play as Liam Cappello, the last Xoobotl in existence. You wake up from a long slumber only to see the world you once loved is in ruins. The culprit of this calamity? Lootboxes. Shadowleaf Irvine introduced Lootboxes to Liam’s species, and soon enough, everyone was addicted to them. Slowly, Xoobotls stopped spending money on items essential to life such as food, and water. It was soon after that bodies started dropping. Is there a way to bring the species back to its past glory? Or is this world forever in ruins due to Shadowleaf’s monopolistic endeavour? Explore a desolate world in the genre defining platformvania. Lootbox Lyfe is a Metroidvania with Movement Option Progression. Save your species through delving into an interconnected world riddled with platforming obstacles. Unlock new areas as you obtain new movement options.

Lootbox Lyfe+ lets you play as ball-like creature Liam as he explores the world around him in true Metroidvania fashion. The story is pretty good but the gameplay is where Lootbox Lyfe+ impresses with it’s hidden secrets, paths and platforming that is impressive. The great thing about the game is that you can essentially play it any way you choose, you can play it in Free Roam and even have all abilities unlocked, infinite health and even bounce indefinitely.

That being said, you can’t just follow the map to the last area and complete the game that way. You need to go to each area and find an object and bring them all to the final area to progress. Most of these are fairly easy to find but some are more obscure as you need to find them inside hidden areas that aren’t always the simplest to find the entrances to in the first place. It may not have the same level of finesse as a Metroid or Castlevania title, but it does have its own charm and can definitely hold it’s head up high in the genre.

The visuals are simple but have a nice retro look to them, while being colourful and vibrant. The soundtrack is also impressive with some great tunes to nod to as you search every nook and cranny. The framerate is solid throughout and I didn’t experience any bugs throughout my playthrough.

The Verdict

Lootbox Lyfe+ may not do anything particularly unique, but it does tick all the boxes and is charming Metroidvania title that guarantees you a good time from start to finish.

Score: 7.5