The plot inLost Ruinsis vague at best. The main character, who is known only as Heroine throughout most of the adventure, is a schoolgirl who stumbles into an old dungeon. She has no idea who she is or how she got there.
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The story is almost an isekai in a way, which is a small giveaway for the start ofLost Ruins. The main thing players have to know is that this is a brutal action game with Metroidvania-like elements. Players are going to need to learn a fewLost Ruinstipsbefore starting this hellish journey into a world of nightmares. Hopefully, these ideas will help.
8You Can’t Switch The Difficulty
There are four difficulties inLost Ruins: Accessible, Recommended, Veteran, and Hardcore. The thing to remember is that none of these settings can be changed once the campaign gets going.
The game does warn players that the experience is meant to be something akin toa survival-horror game. The themes of the story and dungeons fits with that. Even on Accessible,Lost Ruinsis going to be a challenge, but beginners should still try that mode out first.
7Good Weapon Combos
Players can equip two weapons at a time which will be mapped to the Y and X buttonson the controller. This is for Nintendo Switch players at least. It would be a good idea to have one super strong weapon in one hand and have a weaker weapon, like a dagger, in the other. Many of the early daggers are equipped with status-effecting ailments like poison.
A good strategy would be to stab an opponent to poison them and then finish them off with the bigger weapon. If the poison is strong enough, players could also just hang back and watch the enemy die on its own.
6Dodge Into Attacks
As hard as this game can be, the dodge’s effectiveness is gracious. Players can dodge into enemies and attacks and they won’t get damaged at all. Some games have it set up where dodging into an attack would still be lethal.
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InLost Ruins, players are completely invincible until they come out of their rolling animation. It’s not the fastest tumble around and the area of diving could be wider, but it is still better than many other hardcore action games out there. Use the dodge wisely.
5Pick Up Everything
Lost Ruinsis nota standard Metroidvaniawith RPG-like mechanics to level the character up. Enemies instead drop things like money and loot for players to pilfer as their rewards. Sometimes it takes a second for an item to appear after an enemy is defeated. Never pass an item without taking a look at it.
Some items have vague names, so it is always a good idea to check the inventory menu after an encounter as well. Someone might otherwise not know that they picked up a cool piece of gear. Don’t worry, the game pauses completely while in combat.
4How Saving Works
There are two ways to save inLost Ruins. Firstly, players can manually save at computer terminals. The amount of saves given for extra files is gracious fora Metroidvania-like gamesuch as this. Secondly, there are also stone statues that autosave the game once passed through. These will turn green, signifying that the checkpoint has been unlocked. These statues will also restore health and magic.
These are the only ways to save, therefore, don’t quit the game unless one of these two conditions have been met.
3Back Away From Enemy Corpses
Enemies are nasty and everything from the beginning slugs to the zombies and school girls with razor arms will mess a player up. This is trueeven in death. Some enemies, like the aforementioned slug, will explode.
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The game signals that a corpse is armed in death by having the body glow. They are like time bombs and require immediate action by players. Make an effort to memorize which monsters explode to avoid any unnecessary extra damage.
2Buy Leather Armor ASAP
Accessible mode is still going to give players a run for their money, as previously mentioned. A few good hits from even the smallest starter enemies might knock the player out, and that’s because the defense star is naturally weak.
Players should save up to buy the Leather Armor in the first shop. It will increase defense by 30% and give players a fighting chance.Money is hardto come by inLost Ruins, so it should be used sparingly. Armor or accessories are a good thing to use money on. Don’t waste it on items like potions.
1Take Manual Notes
One of the most important tips players should take to heart ina Metroidvania-like experiencesuch as this is to keep manual notes. The map does a decent job of marking where key things are such as saving terminals, portals, and NPCs. However, it’s not going to mark whether something was inaccessible because a ledge was too high up.
Thankfully modern consoles have screenshot technology. Snapping a pic on the Switch, for example, is a good idea. It might also be a good idea to mark that area down on a phone or a piece of paper.
Lost Ruinswas released on July 16, 2025 and is available on PS4, Switch, and Xbox One. It was released previously in 2021 for PC.
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