Lost Lullabies: The Orphanage Chronicles Review (PC): A Fresh Take on Ghost Hunting

The year is 1960. A mysterious fire consumed the Lowell Orphanage and it left more than ashes in its wake. Tales of evil spirits plagued the local orphanage for years and in 1980, four friends set out to solve the mystery that loomed over this place ever since that fateful day. Lost Lullabies: The Orphanage Chronicles thrusts you and 3 other friends into the middle of these deep and dark mysteries, and if you listen close enough, its former occupants’ screams can still be heard today. This Phasmophobia-inspired game is more than a simple copy, adding in fun exorcism mechanics with interesting backstories for its characters.

Grim ghosts come out To socialize

While on the hunt for evil spirits, hunters must figure out what kind of ghost type they’re dealing with, similar to Phasmophobia. This is where Lost Lullabies puts a twist on the ghost hunting game formula. Each of the 20 ghost types comes with a rather tragic backstory that is presented through a puzzle players must solve while on the hunt. At first, players should discover what exact ghost type they’re dealing with to learn its weaknesses and strengths. This could easily be achieved by using the 24 different types of equipment that range from the classic EMF reader to a high quality camera. Once that step is completed, players will be left to solve the puzzle based on the ghost’s past in order to perform the exorcism. 

The puzzles and various riddles that are implemented during the hunt give the player a deeper, yet darker side of the spirit you’re hunting. This is a bright spot for Lost Lullabies because it adds more emotional stakes to the gameplay. I often found myself sympathizing with the deadly spirit, which is something you can’t say in games like Phasmophobia. In the case of the ghost Emma, seeing her various drawings and journal entries through my gameplay  painted a story of a child who was emotionally and physically abused. When I look back on my time with this game, I realize I am trying to save the ghost from her suffering instead of trying to destroy her. 

Dealing with dark figures

Collecting trinkets is where the gameplay of Lost Lullabies really opens up. While some are pretty easy to locate in the overworld, others are very easy to miss, but if you have an eagle eye, you can bring this currency back to the Shady Dealer in exchange for various items like the glimmer stone, a Ouija board which allows you to ask the spirits question, or the crown which can prevent hunts when placed on a mannequins head. While each item does have its place in the overall gameplay meta, the one I found most useful was the glimmer stone. This stone’s main purpose is to glow brighter as you near the ghost’s primary location, which is an ability I found pretty useful especially early on in the hunt. 

The most unique aspect of the Shady Dealer implementation within this game is his randomized offerings. This can be seen on full display when players offer up a singular trinket to reshuffle the shop’s inventory in order to get a specific set of desired items. The other aspect in which players can take a chance is through the mystery box. The shop’s mystery box costs two trinkets and in this instance players will be given a randomized item such as a crucifix or sage spray. Upon trying my luck in the shop I often found this to be a real game changer that in some instances really helped get the exact items needed to finish a hunt.  

Expelling evil spirits

Exorcisms are the part of the game that proved most difficult for me. When you enter the map for the exorcism, the player is given a simple task to locate the spirit and help make their soul whole again by completing a task. In one instance, I was tasked with collecting pieces of Mr. Cuddles, who is the prized teddy bear of the ghost, Emma. Upon locating her, my objective was to find a sewing kit and all six  parts for Mr. Cuddles, the only problem is the parts were scattered around the first section of the map where I’ve been hunting this whole time, and I had no clue where to start. After a good scan of the area, I located my first part before encountering my next problem in a killer toy that stalked me down and could only be dealt with by paying attention to a riddle clue from earlier. 

While pretty challenging, the exorcisms in Lost Lullabies: The Orphanage Chronicles were the part of the game I enjoyed the most. It was a task that took critical thinking and paying attention to the useful tidbits of lore scattered around the place. It was a unique experience that I truly enjoyed. 

Final verdict

Lost Lullabies: The Orphanage Chronicles is a game that will scratch that horror itch all while offering up a fresh take on the ghost hunting formula. From the dreary, tattered photos on the walls, to the dark, yet soul-shivering letters written by former occupants, there are many clues to solve the orphanage’s many secrets. Being a seasoned ghost hunter, I was fully expecting a rather repetitive gameplay loop like most ghost hunting games on Steam today. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Lost Lullabies does so much more when compared to other games in the space. 

By providing short, yet quirky backstories to the characters you play as I found myself gravitating towards the tech guy of the group Chadwick. Pair this with the gruesome tales of the ghosts, I found myself fully invested in the world that Pugsy Studios has built. Because of this, I will no doubt be including Lost Lullabies: The Orphanage Chronicles in my weekly game rotation.

Lost Lullabites: The Orphanage Chronicles was reviewed on PC with a code provided by Pugsy Studios.

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