Lust From Beyond Introduction:

Victor Holloway, an antiquarian, grapples with unsettling hallucinations of an unearthly realm. Seeking aid, he turns to an expert in Bleakmoor after a distressing incident with his girlfriend Lily, during which he struck her following one of his episodes during their intimate moment. The narrative takes a darker turn when Lily is abducted by the Scarlet Lodge, a sinister sex cult within Bleakmoor. As the story unfolds, Victor discovers that his haunting visions grant him access to a nightmarish dimension called Lusst'ghaa.

Amidst these complexities, Jonathan and Amanda Moon from "Lust for Darkness," who are now part of the Cult of Ecstasy, come to Victor's rescue, liberating him from the clutches of the Scarlet Lodge. As he embarks on a mission to rescue Lily, he becomes a pawn in the struggle for control between the two cults.

Gameplay:

In "Lust from Beyond," players assume the role of Victor as he delves into the mysteries of these cults and uncovers more about his ability to enter Lusst'ghaa. The game unfolds from a first-person perspective, merging elements of horror and stealth genres. In later stages, players must engage in combat using various weapons, including knives and pistols. However, there are instances when combat is not an option, and players must instead navigate dangers and seek safety while minimizing harm. Victor's well-being is measured in terms of physical and psychological trauma, both of which can be restored through power-ups.

The game incorporates item collection, essential for solving puzzles, although certain puzzles remain locked until triggered by specific story events. Notably, in Lusst'ghaa, players can utilize psychic abilities to solve puzzles, involving quick-time events that affect a unique meter reserved for this dimension. Additionally, explicit quick-time events occur during sexual encounters, some of which are consensual, while others involve non-consensual situations. Player death results in a return to the most recent checkpoint.

The development team at Movie Games Lunarium sought to apply the lessons learned from their earlier title, "Lust for Darkness," in the creation of "Lust from Beyond." Surprisingly, negative feedback about the former game's brevity led them to extend the storyline in the latter, aiming to strike a balance between substance and pacing. The team, based in Poland, identified a trend of boundary-pushing Polish games as a response to conservative religious influences. Inspirations for "Lust from Beyond" encompass prominent figures such as H. P. Lovecraft, H. R. Giger, and Zdzisław Beksiński. Funded through Kickstarter in 2019, the game was eventually released by Movie Games on March 11, 2021. The announcement of an ESRB "M" rating in June 2021 paved the way for console releases.

Final Words:

Critical reception for "Lust from Beyond" on Metacritic has been varied. Adventure Gamers commended its thought-provoking yet unsettling narrative, while noting that its puzzles lacked challenge and criticizing its action and stealth components, as well as technical flaws. However, they acknowledged the game's worldbuilding and macabre imagery could resonate with enthusiasts of erotic horror. Conversely, DreadXP appreciated the exploration of the Giger-inspired world but lamented that intriguing concepts suffered from flawed execution.