Lucy Got Problems

Developer: Flat Chest Dev | Publisher: Flat Chest Dev | Release Date: 2018 | Genre: Visual Novel / Casual / Indie | Patreon: Official Patreon | Purchase: Steam

Everyone has them, but when it comes to problems, poor Lucia Taura Libertina Donna Ida Margherita an-Horn Ferr take the cake. She is a succubus demon sent on a spying mission into the elven forest. Unfortunately, her preoccupation with what type of underwear her superior, Priestess Tiamat, wears has resulted in her forgetting what exactly her mission is. Failure to complete her mission might result in an untimely demise involving astral squids, but this is just the start of her problems. In addition to figuring out what exactly she must do, Lucy must also overcome the deadly hazards hidden in the forest’s depths. These range from homicidal squirrels and suspiciously shaped fish to things far, far worse. Lucky for Lucy, she has her handy stealth suit, a flamethrower, and good looks to help her with her mission.

Lucy Got Problems is a Yuri-themed visual novel from Flat Chest Dev that manages to stand out from the pack thanks to its great sense of humor and attractive artwork. Too many games in this genre tend to focus on only the visuals while neglecting the story, which results in a shallow experience. Flat Chest Dev has managed to avoid this by creating a genuinely interesting story for all the compromising situations that Lucy ends up in. It is not often that this type of visual novel has had us laughing out loud, but Lucy managed this quite a few times in its short runtime.

The game uses the Ren’Py engine, and, like most visual novels, it couldn’t be simpler to play. One thing that Lucy does a little differently from other visual novels is the fact that you can choose from three different difficulty levels. Selecting the easiest ensures that you won’t run into any dead-ends, and while it includes the point-n-click scenes, these can be skipped. Choosing “Daring Donut” adds the dead-ends but removes the point-n-click scenes, while “Champion Cheesecake” throws everything the game has at you. You can also turn on or off the timed choices in the game depending on how much pressure you want to be under. Don’t worry about making mistakes because even if you do end up dying, you have the option to jump back to the last choice you made and try a different path. This is definitely recommended, as Lucy Got Problems has a lot of choices, and most of them can cause the plot to branch in various directions. The game tells you what percentage of the story you have uncovered, and there are plenty of reasons to go back and see what you have missed after completing a run. According to the developers, it will take about three to five hours to see everything the game offers, which is not bad considering the low price.

Visually, Lucy Got Problems is a good-looking game, and while the cast of characters is not that big, they are all very distinct. Seeing as this is a Yuri game, the entire cast is female, and, contrary to what the name of the development team might suggest, most of them are pretty well-endowed in terms of bust sizes. Even though the Steam version is a lot tamer than the version of the game available from JAST USA, it still features some suggestive scenes, partial nudity, and plenty of fanservice. Since this review was first published, the developers have released a free adult patch for the Steam version. In addition to explicit, uncensored sex scenes, the patch also adds nudity and sexual-themed dialogue to several scenes. It is possible to switch the 18+ DLC on and off in the game, which is helpful as some achievements can only be unlocked in the base game.

In addition to the great character designs, Lucy Got Problems also features some very nice backgrounds. The game doesn’t have many locations, but the scenes set in the forest, swamp, cave, and other areas look great. The game also has partial sprite and background animations to make things look even better. Of course, like any self-respecting visual novel, Lucy Got Problems also has a gallery mode where you can admire the artwork you have uncovered in the game.

Sei Mutsuki handled the soundtrack for Lucy Got Problems, and the tunes perfectly match the visuals and story. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t feature voice acting, which is a pity as all of the characters, especially Lucy, have great lines. As with most visual novels, this game can be played using only your mouse, apart from one funny scene that requires you to press “L” on your keyboard. You can also hold down “Ctrl” to skip text you have already read, which speeds up things when replaying the game to discover other branches and endings.

Overall, Lucy Got Problems is a very enjoyable title featuring a likable lead character and a story emphasizing comedy. The game is somewhat on the short side, but this can be forgiven considering its low price and amount of replay value. The story is pretty self-contained, but it feels like it is the first episode of a story that could span multiple titles. As with all Yuri visual novels, it is a relatively niche title, but hopefully, it finds a large enough audience to ensure that we see more of Lucy and her problems in the future.

Lucy Got Problems is available on both Steam and from the JAST USA website, but if this review is not enough to convince you that it is worth your time, then you may want to check out the free demo that is available and decide for yourself.

*Review originally published in 2018