Lost Planet 3: hands-on preview

There’s no ignoring it, Lost Planet 3 takes a vast right turn from the direction that the series was going in, but for a franchise that is trying to disassociate itself with the heaps of action games out there, is that such a bad thing?

Capcom’s third shot at the Lost Planet milieu takes a more relatable and familiar stance than that of the second game’s over-the-top approach.

You take control of Jim Peyton, a Utility Rig pilot who leaves Earth to take on a hazardous but lucrative contract on planet E.D.N. III. Working for Neo-Venus Construction (NEVEC), Jim is one of a select few pioneers at the Coronis base surveying the uncharted terrain and obtaining samples of the planet’s natural energy source – Thermal Energy, which NEVEC believes will save Earth’s energy crisis.

The planet of EDN III is not just a setting, but almost a character unto itself, as the harsh icy conditions will play a big role in how the game is played.

The more focused and campaign-driven approach works well for Lost Planet 3, as you feel more in touch with what’s going on in the story and world. The actual gameplay mixes first and third-person action. Players will control Jim in third-person, but while inside his protective utility rig vehicle, Jim can make use of its array of tools which double up as effective first-person weaponry against the franchise’s main foe, the Akrid.

The on-foot third person portion of the game feels fast and reactive, falling in line with other third-person shooters in the genre. A lot of moving and dodging is required though, as you’ll be going face-to-face with rhino-sized Akrid, at the very least.

A boss battle was demoed, where Jim was faced with a gigantic crab-like Akrid. The Akrid still retain their glowing weak points, which while obvious, make for the always-enjoyable challenge of targeting its vulnerable spots.

A shotgun and assault rifle were on-hand, and both guns feel great, with the shotgun obviously having a noticeable punch on enemies up close.

As for using the utility rig (which primary use is for mining), you have access to some drilling and smashing tools to take out the overgrown Akrid scourge. The gameplay segments are similar to other mech games you may have played, and add a different sense of scale to taking on the colossal monsters in the game.

As for the presentation, the game is pretty. There are some rough edges, but due to the game still being in development code, they could be overlooked at the time.

The sense of scale extends to the environments, as there are some gorgeous vistas and wide open and icy plains to explore.

The fast and frenetic gameplay of the Lost Planet series is still intact here, but there is a new sense of pacing and storytelling that could bode well for the alien-killing franchise.

Lost Planet 3 looks to have the goods to be an interesting title, however, it’ll need to pull some tricks out of the bag in terms of single-player surprises and multiplayer elements to stand out in a year packed with big-name hitters.