Lou’s Lagoon hands-on preview — Delivering old-school charm

Chill, cozy games are the new soulslikes. There are a lot of them out there, with some amazing standouts like Disney Dreamlight Valley and Wanderstop. I get it; as a Call of Duty player, I need something occasionally to cleanse my palette. While Lou’s Lagoon might not be a cozy game in the traditional sense of the genre, its platforming elements are compelling. As someone who grew up on Ratchet and Clank, Sly Cooper, and most importantly Jak and Daxter, the vibes I got over my short time at Summer Game Fest with Lou’s Lagoon make me feel they’re headed in the right direction.

The demo opened to my unnamed protagonist searching for Uncle Lou. He has disappeared, and because of that, his delivery service has come to a complete stop. With that in mind, my job is to find Uncle Lou, and keep the family business afloat.

I’m reminded of games like Hello Kitty Island Adventure with the structure. The delightful creatures inhabiting these islands you’ll be exploring have different tasks for you to do for them. Some are as simple as finding food for them, and others need your help reconstructing things. At least, those were the two quests I encountered in my time with Lou’s Lagoon.

This is tied together by your Swirler 2000 vacuum. As you traverse the world, you’re able to use it to collect resources at the click of a button. I prefer this method, as it’s quick and doesn’t require constant button pressing just to move a few berries into your inventory. This also works in the reverse – as I helped construct a radio tower, all I did was hold a trigger for all the resources to fill in the gaps until it was done. It makes the gameplay more engaging, not requiring monotonous busy work just to accomplish an assignment.

Thankfully, there’s also no guesswork to finding what you need out in the wild. Each island has a roster of what resources are available on the map, so you can simply head the right way if you need something specific. None of the islands I adventured to were too big either, with just the right amount of exploration. The platforming across the jungle-y areas is fun, with a decently tight double jump mechanic along with obvious handholds and climbing spots to make everything work. Again, I’m taken back to the PS2 days, but in the best way possible. That, and the bright aesthetic is just joyful.

If you decide you want to spend resources in building your own creations, you have that option as well. Developer Tiny Roar isn’t forcing crafting on you – Preston Garvey isn’t looking for you to rebuild settlements. Instead, building anything will be your choice, and you can go as small as placing a rug to constructing a treehouse; if you have the resources necessary, you choose a blueprint and go nuts. Also appreciated, you get the exact resources back you put into your fabrication if you take it apart, which is nice if you make a mistake.

Flying your seaplane was the highlight of my experience with Lou’s Lagoon. It’s nothing fancy, but tight controls allow it to work flawlessly. There’s more to this sequence than just moving from island to island, with several different challenges and collectibles to find. I usually suck at time trials where you have to fly through rings, but I had no trouble taking one on here. You can also customize your seaplane as you earn parts for it, another fun extra.

While my time with Lou’s Lagoon lasted only thirty minutes, the charm it exudes has me excited to see its future. I love a good platformer, and Lou’s Lagoon seems to have found its niche with the addition of crafting and flying. If it sticks the landing, it’ll deliver a light-hearted romp sure to entertain its audience. Lou’s Lagoon is devoid of a release date at the moment, and is coming to PC via Steam (you can wishlist it here).