The Count Lucanor on Switch is a clever stealth/puzzle game on Nintendo Switch that is worth checking out. Find out why in our The Count Lucanor review!

 

In The Count Lucanor from Baroque Decay Games and Merge Games you play as Hans, a boy who wanted to explore and go out on adventures to find treasure. It is Hans’ tenth birthday, but since his dad has gone to war he and his mom have to make do with what little they have. There are no presents, no sweets or anything special on his special day, which makes Hans very angry and sad.

He decides to go away from home in search of riches, becoming an adventurer. His mom decided to help Hans by giving him a cane that has great sentimental value to her as well as what little money she has left – three gold coins. And since he can’t go out on an adventure on an empty stomach, she also gives him some cheese.

The game’s controls are easy to understand since you can move around with the left analog stick, interact with the B button and cycle through your items with the L and R buttons. You can also access your inventory with either the X or the – button, and you can open up the menu with the + button. Hans walks a bit slowly, so you need to take this into consideration when you are trying to escape from an enemy or trying to avoid a hazard.

After following the path near the house and exploring each new area on his journey, perhaps helping someone here and there along the way, things take an unexpected twist and start to get very creepy. Hans decides it is time to head back home by using a nearby candle as the only light source in an extremely dark night. With all the crazyness around him, Hans decides to follow a floating blue creature into a nearby castle, and it is then that his real adventure will begin.

 

It is Tenebre Castle, the home of Count Lucanor, who has been looking for a heir to carry on with his legacy, and to make the most of his vast wealth. Hans, desperate to leave behind his life in poverty, says he is certainly the boy the Count has been looking for, but before he blue creature can take him before its Master, it presents the boy with what seems to be a simple task: guess its name. He has one night to guess its name. You will, therefore, need to explore the castle to solve the puzzle at hand.

You will need to find keys to open the many doors in the castle, and different doors require different colored keys. The banner next to a door will let you know which key color you need, and it can be blue, green, red and gold. If you helped the merchant during the start of your journey once you meet him inside the castle he will offer you his wares for sale as well as a gift: an envelope with one letter of the blue creature’s name. You will need to explore the castle for other letters as well as for coins to purchase new items, as well as for saving your soul – and your game while you’re at it.

As you’ll probably notice after playing the game for a bit, there are more doors and letters than there are spots to set the name for the blue creature… which, yes, means it’s a trap! Some of the letters are fake, so you’ll need to use a specific item to know which letters are real and which are there to trick you. If you pay attention to an image on the fountain in the center of Tenebre Castle, you’ll notice some numbers which are a clue as to which doors you should open and which you’d best avoid.

The Count Lucanor is a solid indie release on Nintendo Switch with a story that takes a turn into creepy territory, presented with an interesting minimalist pixel art style that makes the game stand out. It’s a release that does not overstay its welcome, clocking in at around 3 to 5 hours depending on your skill level and how many rooms you end up completing between those with real letters and those with the fake ones, which is the perfect size for this quirky adventure.

Disclaimer
This The Count Lucanor review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by Merge Games.