Daumier: Lila & Ghost Alpha Test Hands-On – It Takes Two To Tango

Recently debuting a trailer at last month’s VR Games Showcase, we tried the stylistic Alpha Test of Daumier: Lila & Ghost. If the gameplay and narrative are any indication, this co-op puzzle adventure is punching above its weight.

Cooperative games are thriving more than any other genre in virtual reality. It is easy to see why. From the medieval roguelike Crossings to military shooters like Forefront, hopping online with friends never gets old. Yet, it seems like there is a genre oft forgotten that Daumier: Lila & Ghost is dead set on reviving: the co-op puzzle adventure. Classics like Portal 2 or It Takes Two come to mind. While still not revealing its full hand, the Alpha Test is a strong indication of its inspirations.

While only the first of five chapters was available, it was enough to see what developer Prism Games is going for. Daumier: Lila & Ghost starts by telling the story of Lila. In an old memory, she reads a letter from her recently passed away father. The voice acting is only slightly distracting because of their heavy accents, but the message is stern. Lila must go to the Daumier Art Gallery to free her from a family curse that has afflicted them for centuries.

As she arrives at the gallery, she is greeted by a strange man who goes by Dupont. This butler explains to her that the Duponts have been serving the Daumiers for a long time, and it is his duty to aid her in this endeavor. Again, it must be said that the graphics and character models do not do the game any favors, but Daumier: Lila & Ghost has an ace up its sleeve: its art style.

Long story short, Lila has the ability to enter the paintings. You do this by reaching your arm to the five paintings in a long corridor, presumably of each chapter in the full game. This is where Daumier: Lila & Ghost finally begins to take shape. Looking quite similar to Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night, the artwork’s environments are striking without sacrificing visual fidelity. Once setting up the exclusively co-op session, the gameplay takes center stage.

Every canvas develops a story of a previous time. In the first one, you witness how a plague is ravaging through a European town. The clergy, eager for culprits, are throwing people to the bonfire to save themselves. Only being able to teleport from one place to the next, the set pieces show the gruesome landscape unfold. This is where Lila feels a presence who will accompany her through the journey. The titular Ghost, from whom one of the two players can be, has a special vision to look at things those who play as Lila cannot. Each one has its own role to play. This reveals a focus on communication that only synchronized partners will be able to solve.

In my experience as Lila with the game’s community manager, the puzzles were direct enough. A hint system with the press of a button is available if not. At first, it was to grab an old wheel and put it back on a carriage. Later on, a lock that had a specific pattern only Ghost could see had me attentively listening to instructions to match it. The most complex of them all was rotating a wooden adornment in a specific way. That last one was particularly amusing because the CM said most people took 30 or so minutes to figure it out, whereas we solved it rather quickly. Teamwork is essential to progress.

The game’s concept of heavy cooperation is a refreshing one. With no time limit or violence to speak of—apart from what is seen in the cutscenes—it all boils down to clear dialogue. Playing as either Lila or Ghost offers a unique perspective. The story itself alludes to bigger risks as the player uncovers the family mystery. It was hinted that Ghost’s identity has great narrative implications and that the puzzles would progressively ask for even more tight-knit collaboration between the girl and the spirit. Looking forward to seeing if those promises live up to expectations.

Daumier: Lila & Ghost has a tentative September release period for Quest, and interested players can try the Alpha Test by joining the developer’s Discord server for the next two weeks at the time of writing.