The upcoming indie Lorn's Lure (opens in new tab) from solo developer Rubeki instantly hooked me with its free Steam demo. In this first-person platformer, you take on the role of an android exploring the vast industrial ruins of a lost civilization in pursuit of a biblically accurate angelic reality glitch in an impossibly ancient rusted hulk.

Playing "Lorn's Lure" reminds me, in a strange way, of last year's excellent "Scorn" (opens in new tab). While the gameplay experience is vastly different, and certainly more lo-fi and less eerie than "Scorn," the haunting apocalyptic landscape is still familiar. It's great stuff, boosted by an eerie ambient soundtrack.

Central to Lorn's Lure's first-person platforming are two climbing axes that allow for a stamina-limited climbing system reminiscent of Breath of the Wild and Shadow of the Colossus. lorn's Lure is a vast, vertical level with no clear path, and it is up to you to find your way to the exit, choosing which surfaces are climbable and which are not.

This sense of puzzle-solving and path-finding is an integral part of Lorn's Lure's core loop, and I really appreciate Rubeki's inclusion of opt-in waypoint hints. When I get lost, I can activate the compass point and it will lead me in the right direction for a short time. It's a perfect feature, somewhere between the always-on Skyrim GPS holding your hand at all times and the retro experience of an old Jedi Knight.

The free demo also includes hidden levels that are unlocked by discovering all the collectibles hidden on the base map, and the full game promises to be a rich, engrossing, atmospheric platform experience, though Lorn's Lure's release date is not yet set, You can check out a demo on Steam (opens in a new tab) or add it to your wish list.