[Preview] Lou’s Lagoon has cozy island action that’s perfect for the Summer

Hands-on with Tiny Roar’s upcoming maritime adventure

Nestled in one of the corners of Summer Game Fest’s PlayDays complex, next to games that focus on death and dungeoneering, is Lou’s Lagoon. The Tiny Roar/Rokaplay developed and Megabit published game may seem a bit out of place, but while hiding in an air conditioned room away from the hot hot heat of Los Angeles it actually feels right at home. It’s Summer, and I like to play games of the season, so it’s perfectly timed, at least for a demo.

Lou’s Lagoon classifies itself as a “cozy action adventure” and that’s spot on. During my demo I’m hopping around platforms, I’m flying planes, and I’m generally using a 3D space like I would in any modern action game, albeit nothing feels like it’s pushing me to the point of frustration. There aren’t really enemies, there’s no dying, there’s just having fun with the environment — and solving the problems of the island’s denizens. In fact, there’s a definite vibe of Animal Crossing mixed with Dinsey’s TaleSpin, a name I never thought I’d ever bring up but now I’m happy I did.

It all kicks off in Tanglebloom Town as our unnamed protagonist is tasked with finding their missing uncle, Lou. Lou is sort of a rock star, inventing and making things and generally being the go-to person for the islanders. Now, with Lou gone, it’s up to us to take on his tasks until we find him. We’re given a trusty vacuum-like Swirler 2000, which lets us interact with things in unique ways, almost like the Ghostbusters’ proton pack. We use this for everything, from mobility to watering plants to make platforms pop up. It’s a natural, but essential, tool.

The citizens of the town have us doing all manner of tasks, and in the demo we have to collect and repair things. Luckily, the map shows us what resources are available in each area, so all we need to do is just get there. Our main mode of transport to the different locations on the archipelago is our seaplane, so we can hop aboard at a port and fly off. No matter how far apart the islands are, we can enjoy some free flying or take on flight challenges (like flying through rings) on the way, so it never feels like a chore to get into the air. In fact in the short time I was able to spend with the demo I maybe enjoyed the flying a little too much, as I almost forgot to get back on track with my quest.

One of the first missions requires us to find Bobster, so I need to find him on one of the islands. However, he’s up on a cliff, so in order to get to his height we need to craft a path there. The game slowly teaches us that crafting and creation is a big part of the experience, and to experiment with what we have. I don’t see any platforms but I do see water spouts strewn around the island, and I know that seeds can grow from water so I use my Swirler to drop seeds in place, sprouting platforms and letting me hop across to his location. His big ask is to help repair the radio towers across his island and others, which let us explore and find more adventuring in this world.

Lou’s Lagoon doesn’t want us to be experts in action gaming, it just wants us to enjoy a lush world and eet its people, solve their problems, and hopefully find our uncle. From this early play, it may end up being the kind of game that’s easy to recommend for those that are looking for something a little more calm after, well, all that death and dungeoneering. Lou’s Lagoon is in development and doesn’t have a release date set. Whenever it does, I hope it keeps me vibin’ for Summer.