Written by Cora Fisher & Matt Escalante, Staff Writers
Lobotomy Corporation is a rogue-lite monster management game released in April of 2018 by the Korean indie dev studio Project Moon. While still obscure, it was known for having a poor English translation, however in May of 2020 it received a proper English translation, spiking interest.
Alongside this new understanding, a sequel to the game, called Library of Ruina, was released for early access in 2020. The sequel’s collaboration with Japan-based indie band Mili also has contributed to new fans, with songs made for the game and its scenarios getting millions of views on Youtube. Alongside the sequel, several popular Virtual Youtubers – where the person behind making the video and commentary is represented with an animated mascot – have played Lobotomy Corporation, allowing for more people to see the game.
The base premise of Lobotomy Corporation is that you are the manager of a corporation that builds energy for the world through monsters called abnormalities. It is your duty to oversee your employees, make sure they’re equipped with the right credentials, and use different work types to commit to the needs of each abnormality to meet the energy quota for the day.
Along the way, you meet your assistant AI Angela, as well as the others whom you share running the facility with. Things are not all fun and games however, these are monsters. If you make the wrong work choice, make decisions that make the abnormalities unhappy, or have other abnormalities unhappy, or have other outside forces intervene, you could be dealing with a breach or other method of harm dealt by the abnormality. Abnormalities will not go back to their containment cells without being defeated, and pose a substantial threat against the safety and lives of your employees.
One element of the game that keeps players on their toes is the unknown. As days progress and you select your abnormality, you are shown only a small quote and their classification numbers, making those who are playing with no prior knowledge in the dark about what they are in for. Additionally, not all abnormalities are the same strength, with some being more or less harmless, while others capable of killing every employee in your facility with ease should it not be taken care of. It’s only up to you and your instincts about what could satiate the creature you’ve chosen, and what exactly it does to affect your employees.
Conveniently, restarting the game, retrying levels, and loading your game back to a certain point are key mechanics that are encouraged to help you deal with such. For example, by loading your game back to a certain point, the information that you’ve made from the days you’re “erasing” are kept, even if the abnormalities you had chosen aren’t.
As the game unweaves its setting and story to you throughout the 50 days, you’ll learn that abnormalities are not your only threat. Ordeals that can wreak havoc by releasing abnormalities, boss fights, and the final five days providing a steep difficulty spike are what you will face alongside your monsters. Dark secrets about the company, its staff, and even its hired employees are revealed. Discovering every single one of the 70+ abnormalities will allow you to witness the game’s true ending.
Overall, this video game is great, with an amazing story, lovable characters, and a drive to discover all it has to offer. However, the gameplay is not for everyone, especially those who have a dislike for management games. The way certain abnormalities have the ability to mess you up pretty badly may also cause some discontent.
Playing the game for the first time, you also will have to rely on the rather lengthy tutorial, as basic game mechanics are not explained otherwise. There is a lot of text in this game, tutorial and story alike, so those who do not care to read may not be fans or skip over important information. It should be mentioned that, while in a cartoon style, the game does include death and gore, so steer clear if such contents bother you.
Lobotomy Corporation is one game that made my year better. It’s creative, it’s got a lot of story to theorize and mull over, and once you’ve completed the main hurdles the game wants you to jump over, the real fun begins. To any future managers, I hope you enjoy your job at Lobotomy Corporation.