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Lovely Planet
Lovely Planet is a first-person shooter platform video game developed by Indian indie developer Quicktequila and published by tinyBuild. It was released for Microsoft Windows, OS X and Linux in July 2014,[1] for Xbox One in January 2016,[2] and the PlayStation 4 and Wii U in April 2016.[3][4] The game received mixed reviews from critics, with praise given to its visuals and soundtrack, but criticism for its presentation and level of difficulty. Gameplay The game is a speedrunning focused first-person shooter where the player must complete the level as fast as possible to progress.[5] There is no plot, but rather "micro-levels" contained within larger areas.[5] Being hit by a bullet, falling, or touching enemies causes the player to die instantly, and the player must memorize the levels to win.[5] The player's gun does not have an aiming reticle, and bullets move slowly, forcing the player to lead their shots.[5] Players can earn up to 3 stars depending on how fast they beat a level, with the third star requiring perfect accuracy.[5] Certain level hazards also force the player forward, for example, apples that must be shot out of the sky or they will kill the player when they reach the ground.[5] DevelopmentThe game's art style and music has been compared by several critics to Katamari Damacy.[5][6][7] Andras Neltz of Kotaku found the dissonance between the game's graphics, music and shooting mechanics to be "unsettling".[8] ReceptionThe game received mixed reception, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[9] Tyler Wilde of PC Gamer rated the game 82/100, calling the gameplay "great" despite being "merciless", but saying the presentation was "mediocre", as it was too "abstract" to be appealing.[7] Tim Latshaw of Nintendo Life rated the Wii U version 6/10, comparing the contrast between its "cute" graphics and "technical" mechanics "like opening a Hello Kitty backpack and finding nuclear launch codes within".[6] He stated that while "dedicated speedrunners" would enjoy it, its appeal was otherwise "limited".[6] James Cunningham of Hardcore Gamer rated the game a 2/5, saying that the necessity for extremely precise gameplay "leech[ed] the joy out of the action".[5] SequelsTwo sequels were created following the game's release, Lovely Planet Arcade, a more puzzle-oriented first-person shooter, which released on July 22, 2016, and Super Lovely Planet, a third-person platformer in which the player controls a bouncing ball without any attacks, which released on July 28, 2017. Another sequel, entitled Lovely Planet 2: April Skies, was released on June 18, 2019.[10] References
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