Leximan | PC Review
Games with a truly unique gameplay premise aren’t very common nowadays. If you’ve been hungering for something creative and different to play, look no further. Knights of Borria have gifted us Leximan. It’s a hilarious, mostly light-hearted affair that mashes up different genres and lands with its humor.
Where’s My Wizard Hat?
You play as the titular character, who is on his way to wizard school. The only problem? He has no magic whatsoever. This would be a problem, but he has the Lexicon, a book that allows him to conjure spells by combining letters and words together. There’s another kicker, though. Leximan is a REALLY bad wizard and messes everything up when he casts a spell. This lands him in the dungeon of his magical academy, and the story takes off from there. To say anymore would be to spoil the delightful journey the narrative takes you on.
I thoroughly enjoyed the journey Leximan took me on. It covers four acts and took me a little over six hours to complete. The characters you meet, the humorous dialogue, and the unique battle system of using words to defeat enemies were all refreshing. The only aspect I wasn’t the biggest fan of was the implementation of minigames during boss battles. There aren’t many of these, but they felt like filler. You’ll be thrown into a Vampire Survivors-like experience during one, while another has you feeling like you’re in a bullet-hell shooter (except there aren’t bullets). Most players will probably love these breaks from the visual novel/RPG-lite gameplay; I just wanted to bask in what was already on hand. The difficulty also spikes during these segments, which was jarring since the majority of the game is pretty easy.
More Than What It Appears
The graphics of Leximan are simple yet striking. I was reminded of Undertale while playing, which isn’t a bad thing at all. The sparse designs catch your eye, and the pops of color make the black-and-white character design pop further. The sound effects are solid as well. I didn’t encounter any technical problems during my playthrough, and I didn’t notice any typos in the dialogue. It’s evident Knights of Borria really poured their love into Leximan, and it’s greatly appreciated.
The Final Spell
Leximan is a unique journey that oozes creativity and love. I adored the unique magic system of combining letters and words and found the humor to be spot-on. I wasn’t crazy about the mini-games, but that doesn’t mean others won’t enjoy them. The difficulty spikes were also a bit frustrating. The charmingly simple graphics pop, and the dialogue is fantastic. If this sounds like it’s up your alley at all, I recommend picking up this wonderful gem.
To hear me talk more about Leximan, be sure to listen to the October 24, 2024 episode of The Gaming Outsider podcast.
This review is based on a PC copy of Leximan provided by Decibel PR for coverage purposes. As of the time of this writing, it is exclusive to this platform.
Leximan
$14.99
Pros
- Unique and Creative
- Word Based Combat
- Genuinely Funny
Cons
- Minigames Weren’t My Cup of Tea
- Difficulty Spikes
