Lyara SynopsisIn Lyara, we follow the journey of a little girl who wakes up in a completely unfamiliar place, with no idea how she got there or how to return to her world. Unsure of where she is and unable to process the whirlwind of emotions overwhelming her, Lyara must move forward both across the screen and within herself to understand what her “normal” really means.The game is divided into seven worlds, with each area representing one of the protagonist’s seven inner chakras that she must rebalance. Combining a poetic, melancholic take on mental health with the challenging structure of a precision 2D platformer, Lyara tells an emotional story about grief, acceptance, therapy and growing up.Official TrailerTechnical DetailsDeveloped by Brazilian studio Bolha Game Studio and released for PC via Steam, Lyara is a wholly Brazilian indie project. It is a precision 2D platformer, and its gameplay clearly draws inspiration from Celeste, another Brazilian 2D platformer that became widely known.Lyara ReviewThe BeginningRight from the opening moments, the protagonist, who has no idea where she is, introduces us to her adventure by reflecting on not knowing where she is, who she is or where to go. The narration is subtle and straightforward, in Portuguese, while the artwork is incredible, reminiscent of a sticker book.The game’s setting is somewhat abstract, with platforms, challenges and mechanics that change from one world to the next. Each world also features a different character and boss, along with its own biome and color palette.The first character we meet is a sleepy panda, who delivers a very memorable line—the only one I’ll quote here: “If you don’t know where you want to go, any road will take you there.” It immediately draws the protagonist in, encouraging her to reflect as she moves forward and explores this strange new world, filled with challenges and puzzles.What I really liked is that there is no “tutorial” where some random character stands around explaining a bunch of things. The only tutorial mechanic is the controller prompt that appears on screen; everything else is left for you to discover—what to do, when to do it and how.The foundation of the game is the movement dash, performed with the trigger and the controller’s analog stick. This is made clear right at the beginning, and I gradually got used to it through repetition. After a while, various objects appear for you to interact with, and from there, you learn through experimentation. The game is easy to figure out intuitively by trying things out, and dying and starting over is part of the experience. That is how you make progress, and the game does not punish you harshly for dying.Because everything is so abstract, the game uses diaries found throughout the stages to reveal the real story of our protagonist behind this unfamiliar world. In the first entry, Lyara explains that her mother’s friend took her to a “doctor who takes care of emotions”—a psychologist—and that he recommended she keep a diary to help her deal with everything. Those are the diary pages we find throughout the game.Graphics and SoundtrackAs I mentioned, Lyara’s visuals are reminiscent of a lovingly crafted animated children’s book. Each of the seven worlds has its own distinct color palette.One visual storytelling detail that works particularly well is how Lyara’s sprite changes her posture in the environment whenever the caricature of her expression changes in the dialogue boxes, reflecting her state of mind with cute and highly expressive faces.The original soundtrack is melodic and atmospheric, alternating between calmer moments and more tense sections during the most difficult parts. The Portuguese voice acting (PT-BR) also changes with the protagonist’s expressions, adding a great deal of emotion to the dialogue. In fact, the voice actress also performs the other characters who appear in the story—I assume this is because the story takes place inside Lyara’s imagination.As a technical caveat, I noticed that the music occasionally overpowers the voice acting somewhat.Gameplay and PuzzlesThe gameplay focuses on precision and agile movement as you make your way across the platforms. The main controls are a basic jump and a dash activated with the right trigger, allowing Lyara to propel herself in any direction indicated by the analog stick, including diagonals and vertical directions.Having played Celeste myself, I can clearly see its influence on Lyara. However, Lyara’s controls demand an excessive level of precision at times, and relying so heavily on the analog stick for direction—especially diagonally—can be extremely frustrating.There is an accessibility feature with a single option: the game briefly pauses so you can get a better look at the analog stick directions and choose the correct one. However, using it can feel somewhat tedious and makes the gameplay much more “stilted.” Even so, it is already a considerable help.The game has no difficulty settings, and there is not much you can do if you cannot get past a particular area—you simply cannot progress. It is therefore a genuine trial-and-error experience, with the puzzles constantly asking you to think ahead and plan your movements.For those looking for an extra challenge, each stage also contains small collectible butterflies placed in harder-to-reach locations. However, there are no “save points” during a large screen, so you have to avoid making a single mistake and redo the entire section if you want to collect everything on the map.I also noticed that there is no autosave… in fact, there is no saving at all during the world you are currently playing, so, at least for now, you always have to complete the entire world before you can save and close the game. If the power goes out and your PC shuts down, you lose everything.That is not ideal, and I hope the developers add more save points, or even an automatic save system for each screen, since not everyone can play for long stretches at a time.Aside from that, the puzzles are highly intuitive and the environments are consistently beautiful. The narrative is engaging, although the game could perhaps include more dialogue during the stages instead of limiting it mostly to the beginning and end of each world. The gameplay is excellent, and it made me want to sit down at my PC and play the entire game in one sitting—perhaps even come back later to attempt a speedrun.One thing I really missed was the lack of Achievements. They could have increased the game’s replay value and added new challenges.Lyara’s Strengths- Well-developed and emotional story- PT-BR voice acting that does an excellent job conveying the protagonist’s vulnerability, with well-translated English subtitles- Incredible artwork- Plenty of new mechanics- New environments and biomes in every worldWeaknesses- The need for precise analog-stick control can be very frustrating- Occasional audio imbalance- The game could be longer!- No save options- No AchievementsConclusionLyara showcases the narrative and artistic potential of Brazil’s indie game scene. Bringing a profound story together with highly precise gameplay, charming artwork, and incredible dialogue and voice acting is wonderful to see being developed in my country.Playing Lyara is deeply rewarding and does not take long to complete—around 2 to 4 hours—but it delivers a complete experience combining emotion, challenging gameplay and satisfying rewards.Score: 9.0This is an indie game that deserves a chance. Until next time!
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