Lovely Planet (2014)

Lovely Planet is certainly one of the least conventional titles to don the mechanics of a first person shooter. Its simple and clean visuals go completely against the genre's standards whereas the quick and easy way to bring the player to the game shrugs off any concerns about plot or narrative. A game made for quick, intense gaming sessions that can get too saturating if played with a different mindset.

I've had a lot of fun working on this Lovely Planet review. The game is minimalistic and easy on the eyes, fast-paced and offers a lot of content for its asking price. The trophy list is doable and will only require practice and perseverance from you, and the game will keep you glued to your TV screen for many hours. This one was a great choice from tinyBuild for a PlayStation 4 release, and I look forward to playing the next game they bring to Sony's home console.

The game has roughly around a hundred levels, and the minimalistic level design and focus on speedrunning will definitely appeal to many of you. Memorizing the perfect strategy for a faster run is very addictive, and if it made a believer out of me (remember, I suck at speedrunning!) then it will surely make a believer out of you!

Lovely Planet may look cutesy, but its streamlined shooting is built for dedicated speedrunners (you can even watch a speedrun of it via Games Done Quick). Players who live for training, repetition, memory and self-achievement will find a quite solid and refreshingly different-looking shooter here, even if it's not completely perfect. With no story or bonuses or really any other elements to speak of, however, the widespread appeal feels limited. Definitely try the demo first if you can.

Lovely Planet for the Wii U eShop delivers a fun, charming, and unique take on the FPS genre that emphasizes speedrunning and platforming over killstreaks.