We've been singing the praises of LOK for years now: first there was a physical puzzle book, then a digital Steam adaptation, and now a whole new group of players will be able to discover this cryptic little language on Nintendo Switch. The publisher Draknek & Friends have just revealed that LOK Digital will be coming to Switch in a few weeks on December 9th.
The trailer keeps things pretty mysterious, and that's very appropriate when it comes to this game: LOK is one of several beautifully and elegantly designed language-puzzle-books from Blaž Urban Gracar, and they share the qualities of explaining to the player a very minimal amount before starting you on your journey and letting you discover the next steps one at a time on your own.
The game gives us hand-illustrated renderings of the adorable little society of the LOK creatures, who will grow and advance along with your linguistic discoveries. You'll learn one new word at a time ("LOK" is the first) and using your knowledge of these words and their effects, you'll solve puzzles and eventually deduce the meanings of new words, almost always without being explicitly told what these new mechanics are.
Blaž's puzzles are masterworks of design, guiding the player with an extremely careful hand that avoids frustration and confusion while never beating you over the head with explanation. You really do feel you're discovering things on your own, and yet they click into place so perfectly in the compact and minimal puzzle landscapes that you feel 100% certain when the big realization moment hits you. It's that puzzle-game magic we're always on the hunt for.
I can imagine these little word puzzles being perfect for taking with you on the Switch. LOK drops on the Nintendo Switch store on December 9th, but until then, you can play the digital version (or a free demo) on Steam, or order the physical puzzle book (my favorite way to play) from Blaž's online store.
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