All is not well in this titular lagoon. A storm has torn through the tropical archipelago, ruining the lives of the oddball critters that live on the various, otherwise calm, islands. Lou, a kind soul many are proud to call their friend, has also gone missing, believed to be somehow connected with the storm emerging in the first place. Playing as one of Lou’s family members, you’re armed with a futuristic device known as a Swirler that can build and repair broken structures, from radio towers to resource recycling factories. Together with a head for adventure, you must traverse the archipelago to help rebuild and repair, while following leads to Lou’s location.
This results in a colourful third-person adventure that has main quests to follow, taking our helpful customisable hero into deep cave systems and atop vast mountains, a boatload of optional quests to partake in return for currency and new item unlock tokens, and hours upon hours of resource gathering and recycling. The Swirler can inhale driftwood, scrap, and various resources that grow on trees and bushes, which can then be turned into refined metals and more, requiring a short wait at the base-located recycling station. From there, they can be turned into building materials and electronic parts. There’s an area here to build freely too, making it possible to construct a wooden shack. Use this space wisely, as not only is it small, but it’s one of the few designated areas where you’re able to get creative.
It isn’t long until there’s a need to upgrade the Swirler, increasing the amount of resources you can collect. A few other devices can be added to your inventory, most of which are essential in the search for Lou, such as a glider needed to access a reef. You may have to grind for resources to obtain upgrades and such, and it’s clear steps have been taken to reduce tedium. There’s not only a dealer who pays well for even common driftwood, but drones can also be sent out to auto-gather objects. Every so often, though, progress is impeded by the need to find a resource you’re unfamiliar with, resulting in island-hopping via seaplane to track it down. While this can slow the pace, chances are you’ll find a few treasure chests and maybe clear an optional quest or two in the process.
Using the seaplane to fly from island to island adds a change of pace, with a dozen or so ‘fly through the rings’ challenges to partake in and floating boxes full of scrap to collect. The storm is still raging around the outskirts of the lagoon, with a few missions requiring a fly-by. As a chilled, combat-free experience, dogfights are absent – the plane can be damaged but never destroyed. Seaplane handling is easy-going, and it can be customised with parts and paint. Although it only takes around a minute to fly to a different island, it’s still possible to activate autopilot. This isn’t instantaneous, though, as there’s still a short loading screen to endure.
There are a few other pursuits to engage in, including fishing – which is how precious metal scales are obtained – and using a metal detector. Mostly, though, you’re going to be gathering resources, clearing quests to earn cash for vital device upgrades, and exploring while conversing with the lagoon’s oddball critters, most of which have musings to share. There’s a quaint town that needs help getting its businesses up and running, and a goo-covered music-themed island to cleanse and glide around.
All of this can be achieved at your own pace, choosing to focus on finding Lou (I was able to complete a few missions in quick succession) or simply exploring. The exploration aspect isn’t particularly deep, though – not only are most islands relatively small and easy to navigate using the map, but platforming is more of a secondary feature, feeling a bit woolly and unpredictable. I had to warp back to the seaplane a couple of times after becoming trapped on craggy rocks. It isn’t without visual merit, but the need for a Switch version has clearly held the presentation back, resulting in areas looking more angular and less picturesque than they should be.
As a chilled experience, there isn’t much in the way of threat or danger either. This isn’t a perilous quest with boss fights and more, and anyone going in would be wise to remember that. Taken as intended, it fares pretty well, being largely entertaining and welcoming – at least until another multistep, island-hopping and resource-gathering-heavy quest is given. Such hour-long pursuits can be a little fatiguing, especially if it isn’t clear where said resources reside. Younger gamers may even struggle here, although I don’t doubt that they will be able to pick up the basics quite quickly and get into the swing of things. Those weaned on Minecraft may find the resource-gathering aspect slightly less of a chore too.
For an experience based around rebuilding both people’s lives and their homes, I did expect it to be a touch more rewarding. Rebuilding radio towers doesn’t result in a pat on the back, for instance, but rather opens another path for securing additional busywork. Discovering what happened to Lou and saving the lagoon is a pay-off ultimately worth the toil, though, and that’s the most important thing. If you aren’t afraid to get your hands figuratively dirty, Lou’s Lagoon is a fine destination to work, rest, and chill.
Tiny Roar’s Lou’s Lagoon is out now on PS5, Xbox Series, Switch 2, Switch and PC. Published by Megabit Publishing.