Lucidity
The dreams of Sofi...
Lucidity is now available on Xbox Live Arcade, Steam, and Direct2Drive at the following links for 800 MS Points or $9.99 respectively.
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Where the coding Elves toil away making games…
Authors
Jedi Mudkip
Jesse
pixelblonde
Shara
tombible
David
Lucasarts Workshop 
Hey guys, just wanted to leave my 2¢. Lucidity is probably one of the most heart-warming and beautiful games I’ve played in a long time. I really cannot give enough praise for all the different parts that make up the whole look and feel of this game. From the beautiful and relaxing music (any idea where I can get that?) to the post cards that you can flip over to view the artwork on, Lucidity simply shines in the aesthetics department.
But (and you knew that would be a “but”), the game is simply too damned difficult, to the point of being extremely frustrating. As an avid gamer, I understand that there is a fine line between fun and frustration, and that making a game accessible while challenging can be a difficult task. Even so, there are several very simple gameplay mechanics that could have been added that would have really turned Lucidity into a game that was top notch, instead of a game where every review for it complains about how annoying it is. While this will probably never get read, I’m going to list my ideas anyway, just on the chance that you make a sequel or a patch.
1) At the very least, that game desperately needs check points (several placed throughout each stage, each in different locations)! If check points were added, it would have dropped the frustration factor quite a bit. The fact that you have to begin all the way back at the beginning of the stage each time is just plain annoying, and NOT FUN. The check points could be something like a large flower that blooms when Sophie touches it, releasing 5 fireflies that automatically get added to her jar.
Before Sophie touches the flower though, you should be able to see the fireflies glowing inside of the flower. Might also be a good idea to have a small animation of Sophie laughing or in awe (or either at random) whenever the fireflies get released.
2) A WAIT button should be added. Possibly the Left or Right Bumper (I played the XB360 version). What this button would do is cause Sophie to just sit down and wait (have her hum a song for a few seconds while sitting). The timing could be either a default 3-5 seconds each time, or there could a be meter that drains as she sits (which fills back up as you play, with max WAIT time being about 5 sec).
3) If the first two ideas don’t interest you, that you NEED to make default Pieces (the things the player places in Sophie’s path to help her along) for each level useable at will by the player. For instance, lets say that each stage gets 5 default pieces or less. That way A, B, X, Y, and the Right Bumper would each be a different piece, and would allow the player more freedom, and most importantly, much less frustration. Of course a visual representation of which piece is mapped to which button should be part of the HUD. To compensate for this making the game much easier, you could design the stages later on in the game to be much harder (if there’s a sequel).
Anyhoo, I like a difficult game as much as you obviously do, but there’s a point where difficulty can become a huge hinderance to enjoyability. Lucidity, for all it’s charm, passes this point very early on in the game. A player like myself, who has been an avid gamer for the past 30 years, shouldn’t be getting frustrated by the 3rd or 4th stage. I’ve beaten more than my fair share of difficult games (even Ninja Gaiden Black on the hardest difficulty, and yes, it was VERY hard), so I can assure you that it’s not me. Literally every review you can read online makes the same claims I am. The game is simply too difficult, and needs to be either fixed, or the things said need to be taken into heavy consideration for the sequel.
As long as you make some necessary changes to the gameplay, but keep the art direction as is, you could easily have a A+ title.
Thank you for taking the time out to read this (if anyone did).
I agree with Joshua. This game is blindingly gorgeous, and I so desperately wanted to like it — but the frustration factor due to unforgivable flaws makes it so I’m waiting for news of an update before I try it again. Don’t want a refund, just want you to look at all of our feedback and address it by correcting the most blatant gaffes.
Totally agree, I hope this gets addressed and not just ignored, until then B+……hope to see an A+
This game does not work on many sytems and you will have no support for it. Thanks for nothing
Hello
I’m getting an occasional graphical corruption that’s causing menu screens to be unreadable. Usually it clears up after a second or two, but the ‘how to play’ and controls options screens are perminantly borked.
please help
i can only comment on the fact that for many people, THIS GAME WILL NOT WORK!!!!! not only that, but there are several different parts that are completely BROKEN! your supposed “tech support” links to the Steam Forum. how about you DEAL WITH YOUR OWN TECH SUPPORT, instead of dumping the job to your digital distributor.
Braid was created by ONE person, plus an artist. it worked out of the “box” (Steam download), every time. why can’t your TEAM get this game to work?
I came to the ‘source’ to understand a little bit of the story of Sophie and if she somehow has lost her grandma and thru dreams she’s getting strong to keep going. My little ones, 9 years-old and 5 years-old finished the game in one day, maybe not with all the fireflies because they just work to get to the mailbox.
Somehow they are able to manage the game, something that I haven’t, but I’m not a good player anyway!
keep the good work up!
Hi Tara,
Wow, it’s incredible that your kids were able to finish the game in a day. What’s their secret? 🙂
You’ve got the story right. When Dave & the team were designing Sofi, a little girl moving through this world of scary obstacles, they also wanted to give that world a sense of warmth. Sofi’s grandmother provides an emotional touchstone throughout the game, and Sofi must learn to face her fear of losing her. To one degree or another we’ve all had to experience loss in our lives, so the idea of creating a plucky little girl who kept marching and leaping forward in the face of danger (something we all have to muster up the courage to do) was something that really resonated with everyone.
Has the Xbox Live Arcade version been patched with additional checkpoints on all levels?
Would like to know before I buy it. Thanks!
Yes, and it definitely helps