Review | Lootbox Lyfe+ - More Than Skinner Box

Metroidvanias are one of my favourite genres. I love the sense of exploration, the rewarding power-ups, and all the different forms the genre can take while still retaining what makes them special. Yes, there is something special about exploring a vampire’s castle for hours on end as you slowly improve your ability set, but distil that formula into a five-hour romp where you’re a ball strangely named Liam Capello, color me interested.

“I’m a simple red ball with a mouth and eyes. I see a gem, I collect it.”

Lootbox Lyfe+ is an updated version of the 2020 Steam release, now coming to consoles as well. The game is a satirical take on the genre, where all your upgrades are loot boxes and the mysterious enemies are “addicts” (assumedly gambling addicts, though still a poor choice of word). While the dialogue and naming conventions are intended to be humorous, it falls flat. Thankfully, however, it’s a completely competent game in other ways. While enemies are implied to exist throughout the world in chunks of lore you find as you explore, there is no combat. Instead, Lootbox Lyfe+ plays to its strengths, which are its interesting movement system and the upgrades you get to make traversal feel even better.

The world is crafted with wonderful pixel art and this new version’s overhauled UI  allows the art to take centre stage. Even better is the great music that accompanies Liam on his journey. It’s a fitting soundtrack for exploring the world, and trying to see what you can and can’t get past in classic ability checks. As a Metroidvania fan, I thoroughly enjoy trying to see what roadblocks I can and can’t get through.

Damn, these video games are full of platforms. Maybe, we should name a genre after them?

Lootbox Lyfe+ does this very well. While exploring, I often felt like I had outsmarted the game by manoeuvring around a cleverly placed wall. In reality, I usually quickly realize that this was just a speed bump, and the real roadblock lay ahead. In other cases, I was certain I had got one over on the level designer and sequence broke things, only for the game to reward me with a collectable or currency. This keeps the game moving along even when you feel like you’re stuck. The upgrades are plentiful and always feel like deserved rewards for doing something challenging.

Lootbox Lyfe+ isn’t easy, contrary to what the general tone seems to convey. It’s a platform-heavy Metroidvania through and through, and a demanding one at that. There are jumping puzzles, ability-based mechanics, instant deaths, and all the other staples. Luckily, it finds a middle ground by providing plentiful checkpoints in every area that refill your health.

A YELLOW BALL? Now this game is just getting far fetched.

The biggest drawback, however, is its map. Metroidvanias live and die by how satisfying their exploration and backtracking is, and while Lootbox Lyfe+ has one, and it tells you what area you’re in, it's rarely actually that helpful. There were many times I found myself fairly lost and checking the map, only for the map to give me no information. When you open the map, it only highlights a large area you’re in - I.E. “Cave” or “Garden”. When I think of maps in Metroidvanias, I think of the in-depth and helpful map systems of the Metroid games, or even other indie titles like Hollow Knight and Bloodstained.

While Lootbox Lyfe+ has some missteps like its poor wording (it’s hard not to feel uncomfortable about lines like “the addicts are coming for us!”) and its fairly useless map system, it still ends up being a completely competent and worthwhile game if you are looking for something short and sweet. It has good platforming, fun exploration mechanics, upgrades that feel useful, great pixel art, and a nice soundtrack. For a fair price and its brisk length, I’d say it’s worth your time.