Leo’s Fortune started out life as a mobile platformer when it released on iOS and Android last year. It was immediately apparent that 1337 & Senri LLC had something good on their hands as fans began to clamor for it to be brought into the console world. I never got to play the mobile game, but LF on Xbox One was definitely not a disappointment.
The premise of the game is a fairly simple one: the player must guide Leopold, the game’s protagonist and the Grand Inventor of Greatest Engineering, as he follows a trail of gold coins through trap and puzzle-laden levels to uncover what happened to his stolen fortune. Leo is a mercurial bluish/green (teal, I guess) ball of fluff with a moustache that the likes of Tom Selleck and Burt Reynolds would be jealous of. He is instantly likeable, especially as his personality shines through during the opening lines of dialogue. He may be a ball of fluff, but Leo has some very human complexities, including a distrust of those close to him after his success brings him much good fortune. Throughout the game he suspects members of his own family as the pilferers of his wealth, which is the driving force, and ultimately the moral of the story. Spoilers will not be given about the details of his investigation, expect to say that for what started as a small mobile platformer, LF tells a story as well as anything else out there.
LF’s adventure takes place in five acts, and each contains a small handful of very well crafted levels. Each chapter’s world has its own unique theme and traits, ranging from the crumbling desert ruins of Aunt Olga’s once great and proud cities, to Cousin Victor’s rain-soaked, ship-filled port. Not since the days of Sonic the Hedgehog have I found myself so eager to see what theme the next set of levels might bring. The levels themselves are also a really good length as well, running long enough to soak up the atmosphere, but not so short that they fail to make an impact. The music and voice acting is superb, but are there primarily to enhance the experience. Though, it is genuinely fun to hear Leo mutter to himself about how difficult a trap is, or to cry out in fear as he is tossed through the air. These small utterances make our hero, and the world, feel alive.
Each level consists of traps and puzzles through which Leo slides from one side of the screen to the other, all the while performing a couple of core moves in order to be able to traverse the level. By “puffing up” his fluff, Leo can jump and also float. If he compresses himself into a smaller, flat ball, he can fit through gaps and activate weight-based switches and obstacles. The controls are really easy to master, and making your way through the levels quickly becomes like second nature. The control over Leo, even when he floats, is quite impressive and never once did it feel as though he did not respond well to our direction. The puzzles that occasionally block the path are physics-based and rely upon manipulation of the environment. As with most platform puzzlers, they start simple, but gradually increase in difficulty as you advance through the game. The same can be said about the traps that appear throughout the game. The latter stages provide some difficult challenges, and it may take you some time to master them, but the learning curve still seems fair over all. And you get a nice sense of accomplishment when you finally can complete a level without perishing even once.
Each level has a set of three golden stars that the player can achieve. The first is obtained by collecting all of the coins, which is easily done on most (if not all) of the levels. The second gold star is granted if you complete the level without hitting a trap and taking damage, which can be very challenging later in the game. The third is a linked to a time trial, which has the player racing to finish the level within a set time limit. It is unlikely that you will achieve all of the gold stars on the first play through of each level, so replay comes in as you try to master the levels and earn the stars. There is no in-game requirement to get all of the stars; however, the completionists out there will strive for this. And, unlocking a small amount of stars does unlock some enjoyable, albeit challenging, bonus levels. For the competitive player, there is a Hardcore Mode and time-based leaderboards which, after looking at them, seem to have fair and realistic times.
LF is platforming at its best, and is definitely reminiscent of games of yesteryear starring Italian plumbers and little blue hedgehogs. Games that were simplistic, which made them so enjoyable. There is enough variety in Leo’s adventure to keep it fresh as the game progresses, and while it’s shorter than what many have come to expect from modern games, it only leaves you wanting more. Hopefully we will see a sequel in the coming years.
4 out of 5 stars.
