There’s a very specific genre of indie game that I really like, but I’m not sure what the name of that genre is. Journey, Marten, Sword of the Sea, Just, Europe–all third-person adventure games focused on exploration, I guess? But that’s not it. There are also some light puzzle elements, and yes, they all have awesome soundtracks… but whatever he I just don’t know the word for it.
The “it” in this context is the antonym of “cramped and crowded.” Vast, beautiful, wide-open spaces that ultimately serve no purpose, yet were created for a specific purpose. It’s a comfortable feeling to watch some shit about nothing. Listen, no matter what it is, I know what it looks like when I see it and what it feels like LIME.
I tried to remember how I found LIME. This is going to sound like the intro to a creepypasta, but I just remember getting a Steam notification that the demo was out earlier this year and I was like, “What is this?” LIME” I had obviously added it to my wishlist, but somehow I had never heard of it. I played the demo anyway, and although it was a bit rough, LIME There was some sauce – the undefined “it” – so I left the mystery game on my wishlist.
It turns out that LIME used to be called XTAL. It’s an action-adventure RPG from a small Italian team called True Colors, who have been working on the game since 2021, scheduled for release in just a few weeks, on June 4th. I’ve seen people call it “Hyper Light Sable”, but the character designs seem a bit more Journey for me, and the soundtrack reminds me more Chance of rain 2 than anything. In fact, that’s what I mainly remembered from the original demo of LIME in February: It’s like a lot of games, but as a result, it didn’t feel entirely unique.
Fortunately, CALX demo on Steam received a relatively hefty update last week, so I came back to give it another chance, and in doing so I think I’ve finally figured out what sets it apart from its contemporaries: LIME is a kind of Soulslike.
I’m not sure how I failed to time it the first time, because it was painfully obvious the second time. There are bonfires, dodge roll, limited healing, boss fights – hell, there’s even a sad NPC named “Warrior” who talks a bunch of cryptic nonsense. Really, the fact that LIME even the fighting is what sets him apart from the rest Marten And Journeybut the fact that this fight also seems slightly difficult makes it stand out even more.
It’s a strange mix. LIME wants to evoke the same feeling of an endless, sprawling world while you relax with its IDM-inspired soundtrack, but it doesn’t want you to relax so much that you can’t get into a boss fight. I can’t think of another game like this off the top of my head. The ancient ring Limgrave certainly felt on the verge of calm at times, but LIME it’s almost hypnotic. It’s as if the game was trying to lull me into a false sense of security, and I had to actively fight the serene vibrations just to avoid getting crushed by half a dozen enemies.
I think that’s the main thing I’m hoping for in the full version of LIME. I want it to really build on that difficulty, so it’s not just another entry in the nondescript genre of Marten-love with this “that” that I love so much. This genre seems far from oversubscribed, but Journey encounter Dark souls This isn’t a game I knew I wanted until LIME has arrived, so hopefully its potential success could lead to something special down the line. Maybe in ten years I’ll come back here to write about how the next LIME-like tries to stand out from the competition.
