Paper puzzle games have been adapted into video games many times before and they will continue to be adapted. I’m sure you’ve seen or played a crossword online. Some puzzle games are merely a digital carbon copy of their physical selves—others are enhanced and changed by this transition.
LOK Digital is one such game that benefits immensely from the virtual adaptation. Originally a paper book by Letibus Design, the game was recently turned into a video game, co-developed by Icedrop Games, and published by Draknek & Friends.
At its core, LOK is a word game in which you must combine letters to form words. So it’s like… spelling? No, there’s much more to it than that.
Gameplay
The goal of each level of LOK is to fill in all the spaces of the puzzle. Each puzzle is made of lettered blocks which you combine to form certain words. There is a set dictionary of words you can form, and each word has its own unique ability. These abilities can fill in a number of tiles or change the board itself. As you add more and more words to your dictionary, the mechanics become more entwined and complex. For example, blocking out a word may change the adjacency of tiles, or even the letters of tiles, opening up new solutions.
There are multiple worlds in LOK, each with its own mechanic and theme. Solving a certain amount of puzzles per world allows you to unlock the next world. Each world represents a progression of the LOK civilization, from fire to internet and beyond. As the game explains, the words shape the world for the little creatures living in it. I wish there had been a more concrete connection established between the puzzles and the worlds, but there’s enough to tell a small story.
These puzzle mechanics are masterfully implemented—I can’t imagine how much dedication and time went into crafting each level. Each level has its own unique solution set. It would’ve been so easy to create the puzzles in a way that invalidates all solutions or produces infinite solutions, but LOK is designed so meticulously as to avoid this.
LOK is a challenging puzzle game, and one that I would’ve found nigh impossible had it not been for the hints. Solutions are not immediately clear, especially in later levels. It can be frustrating at times if you’re impatient like I am, but there is an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment when you crack the metaphorical code to a hard puzzle.
How LOK Digital improves from paper
Adapting LOK from pencil and paper to digital was absolutely the right move. I looked through the PDF of the original paper book for LOK to get a background on this digital version. The base mechanics are relatively unchanged, but the digital version implements them and adds upon them in a way that paper can’t. Playing a word game digitally hardcodes the mechanics of the game, restricting the player and preventing any mistakes arising from human error or a misunderstanding of the rules. Pencil and paper can’t really stop the player from incorrectly using a mechanic, but a computer can, and it works so well with a game with layered mechanics like LOK.
The digital version also adds new mechanics and features that enhance the overall gameplay experience. You can now access hints, easily use an undo button, and play bonus levels and daily content in the digital version. I cannot express enough how useful the hints are. The hints give the sequence of words to complete a level, but does not explain how to form those words. It’s a gentle and much appreciated nudge in the right direction.
Art Style
The aesthetics of LOK are highly minimalistic, from audio and visuals. The soundtrack is calm and ethereal and changes depending on which world you’re in. It lends itself nicely to the atmosphere and is never distracting—which is exactly what you want when you’re trying to focus on solving a puzzle.
LOK Digital is the type of game that can run on just about anything. The hardware requirements are minimal, because the art itself is minimalistic. Sometimes minimalism can turn out bland and uninspired, but LOK’s style is absolutely gorgeous. Everything from the world art to the letter blocks is hand-drawn in black and white. Never once in the game did I feel there was too little or too much on the screen.
Another plus of adapting LOK to the computer screen was the addition of visual effects and animations. Those small sorts of changes can have a big impact on how the game feels. With characters and artwork moving around, the game really came to life in a way that couldn’t be expressed with a physical book.
Conclusions
The world and art of LOK Digital is the perfect example of what an adaptation should be: true to the source, but enhanced by its medium. The gameplay mechanics and art direction both benefit immensely from the video game form. I very much enjoyed playing LOK, but found that the gameplay loop eventually became repetitive. It’s a short game with a simple premise and isn’t the type of thing you should strive to complete all in one go. I suggest spacing out your time as it prevents some frustration and monotony. As I was playing, I thought LOK Digital would be the perfect game to play on the go (in part because of the daily puzzles). Apparently I was not the only one to have this thought; LOK Digital is coming to Android and iOS on January 23rd. If you’re an avid fan of puzzles, I highly recommend checking this one out.
