Review
The Lion's Song Switch Review: Four Stories From Early 1900s Vienna
Mi'pu'mi Games set a classic point-and-click adventure among the artists and scientists of early twentieth-century Vienna. Two of its four episodes are among the best adventure storytelling of 2018.
Released on Switch July 10, 2018Reviewed on Nintendo SwitchAlso on PC, Mac, Linux, iOS, AndroidDeveloper/Publisher Mi'pu'mi GamesPrice at launch $9.99 USD
The Lion’s Song takes a classic genre, places it in a historical setting rarely used in games, and makes it feel new. It is an episodic point-and-click adventure set in Vienna in the early 1900s, when Austria’s population was booming, immigration was rising and the arts and sciences were flourishing. The story focuses on the arts and sciences.
A classic adventure, with choices
The game owes a great deal to LucasArts’ SCUMM adventures: the way characters move around the world, the focus on moving the story forward, even dialogue appearing above characters’ heads. It adds Telltale-style choices and drops inventory management entirely. For anyone raised on adventure games, it is instantly comfortable. It does not break with the genre’s conventions, though, so players who do not enjoy adventure games are unlikely to be converted.
Four episodes, four perspectives
The game is split into four distinct episodes of 30 to 90 minutes each. Each follows a different character, mostly artists and academics with their own demons, and digs quickly into their strengths and deepest fears.
- Episode 1, Silence: Wilma, a gifted young composer struggling to write her next great piece.
- Episode 2, Anthology: Franz, a painter trying to make his name in Viennese high society with deeply personal portraits.
- Episode 3, Derivation: Emma, a mathematician confronting the barriers placed on women in her field.
- Episode 4, Closure: a chance meeting of four strangers in a train carriage ties the stories together.
The episodes came out separately on PC starting in 2016; the Switch release collects them all. Each explores different corners of the same city, introduces new supporting characters and adds small twists to the mechanics. Major historical figures of early twentieth-century Austria make appearances. Players move between “stages” linked by an overworld, and at times the view shifts to another angle through cutscenes or interactive vignettes.
The story, uneven but strong at its peak
Story is the game’s main draw. Episodes 2 and 3 are the most powerful. Franz’s chapter deals with dread and the pressure to produce, using his particular gift to look into other people’s turmoil. Emma’s, the best of the four, confronts gender-based oppression and a fight to learn and push her field forward at great personal risk. One set piece in it is among the most nerve-racking scenes of the year.
Episodes 1 and 4 are not bad, but they lack that emotional weight. The first, born from a 2014 Ludum Dare game jam entry, fits the quality of the rest but feels less cohesive. The fourth gives the stories a satisfying conclusion while spending most of its length revisiting earlier material. With all four at the level of the middle two, this would be very hard to pass up. The only other complaint is that choices which seem important have little effect on the story.
Style for miles
The hand-drawn art in mostly sepia tones is distinctive and memorable. Animation is subtle in normal play and fits the setting, then becomes richer in cutscenes and vignettes. Interstitials between major scenes look like old photographs coming to life. Dynamedion’s original score is warm and whimsical, and the title track is one to remember well after the three to four hours it takes to finish.
On Switch
Each episode takes roughly an hour, so the full game fits into a weekend. The episodic structure suits handheld play well: one chapter is a natural session on a commute or before bed, and the quiet pace loses nothing on the smaller screen.
The verdict
Few games are set in this period, and The Lion’s Song makes the most of it, lifting an old-school genre with exceptional art and sound. It is easy to recommend to adventure fans, history enthusiasts and anyone looking for something different between big releases. It is one of the standout smaller games of 2018.
Questions readers ask
How long is The Lion's Song?
About three to four hours in total. Each of the four episodes takes between 30 and 90 minutes.
Do choices matter in The Lion's Song?
The game offers Telltale-style choices, but they have little real effect on how the story unfolds.
Who are the main characters in The Lion's Song?
Wilma, a composer (Episode 1, Silence); Franz, a painter (Episode 2, Anthology); and Emma, a mathematician (Episode 3, Derivation). Episode 4, Closure, brings their stories together on a train.