The time has finally come to follow up on a Demo Days! Luto has officially landed across PC and console, and I dove right in. It has taken me a little while to formulate my thoughts after completing the game. But with good reason. Without any further ado, let’s jump right in. As always, this will be spoiler free!
What is Luto?
To put it simply, Luto is a psychological horror game from Broken Bird Games. However, that really is simplifying it. Luto is an experience. Your eyes open in front of the bathroom mirror. You are trying to go about your day as normal. However, every time you try to leave the house, you end up back in the bathroom, starting a new day. It’s an endless cycle. Each time you go through the front door, you fall deeper into the unknown.
Luto is full of twists, turns and puzzles. At its core, it is a game about loss, and the void left behind when a loved one leaves us. It is a game about death.
Delving in to the Void
Let’s start talking about the technical aspects of Luto first and foremost. I played on Xbox Series X, and honestly, I had a flawless run. Personally, I didn’t encounter a single bug or issue. Visually, Luto is gorgeous. Everything is meticulously designed, and looks fantastic. Something I really enjoyed is the level of consistency within the house. This makes things stand out even more when they change, adding to the looming sense of dread throughout. Well timed sound effects also add to the impact. Everything about this game is so well thought through, and ties in flawlessly.
Upon starting Luto, you’re given the option to turn off jumpscares. This can be adjusted in the menu at any point. I kept them on, because I’m a glutton for punishment. I won’t go into detail, because I don’t want to spoil anything, but hot damn. Who knew a bedsheet could be so legitimately terrifying?! Each scare is well timed, and doesn’t take away from the overall feeling of the game.
Something that really hit hard was the dialogue choices. Again, no spoilers, but the dialogue options towards the end of the game hit HARD. Some hit admittedly a bit too close to home, which led me to taking some time to process. But it all adds up to a fantastic, deep story.
Luto vs Demo
The final release of Luto is very different to the demo. You may recall that I found the demo to essentially be a basic haunted house simulator. I am beyond delighted to have been wrong about that. The story is fully developed, and hits each beat necessary. I found the demo to be more a showcase of everything BUT the story. Truth be told, that did have me feeling apprehensive going into the full experience.
A lot of folks seem to be confused about things being different. However, I found all the changes and expansion to be for the best. Everything falls into place, with a level of conciseness that a demo alone wouldn’t be able to showcase. Plus, in the full game, you can actually watch the original Night of the Living Dead! How cool is that?!
A parting word
Luto was a game that had me immensely apprehensive going into things. And I am very happy that Broken Bird Games pulled the rug from under me. Luto is far more than a haunted house walking sim. It’s a deeply emotional, psychological experience that words can’t fully sum up. It is truly haunting as a game. I cannot recommend this one enough. Broken Bird Games have really done something special with this one.
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