Product Info

Platform

Switch 2, Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, PC

Publisher

DANGEN Entertainment

Developer

LABS Works

Genre

Action

Players

1

File Size (Minimum)

178 MB

Release Date (NA)

Feb 5, 2026

Purchase From

eShop

PSN Store

Microsoft Store

Steam

Lovish is a quirky, 8-bit-styled indie game that is entertaining and simple to understand. It has hysterical moments, but also presents a mountain of challenges in reaching the hero’s love. If you are gluttonous for punishment, you’re in for a ride.

Love is in the Air

You play as Sir Solomon, the heroic knight of the game. You and the saviors of light are on a quest to free Princess Tsuna from the Devil Lord. However, the knight is concerned that the princess may fall in love with one of his comrades once she is freed. To prevent this, the knight decides to ditch his friends and venture into the castle alone. This unexpected turn of events sets the game off with its offbeat humor.

After a short video introducing the story, you begin your quest inside the Devil Lord’s castle. There are over fifty stages to navigate, each one different. To progress through most stages, you must reach the other door. Some doors require only entry, while others need a key to unlock, which can be found on the same stage. The ultimate goal, however, remains the same: reach the next stage by overcoming obstacles.

One-Hit Kill

Controlling your knight in shining armor is easy to understand but challenging to master if you’re not careful. Initially, you can jump and swing your sword. As you progress, upgrades become available, but the challenge remains.

When facing enemies, players can either avoid them or defeat them with their sword. It may take a few hits, but players must also dodge enemy attacks and projectiles. One hit and you’re dead. However, the game starts you off with 200 lives, and you can restart the stage as many times as you want. Once you run out of lives, you can even go into negative lives. Players can play at their own pace without feeling pressured, although there will still be some anxiety to overcome certain stages. 

Players must also watch out for other obstacles like fireballs and spikes. Making simple mistakes will result in punishment. Despite failing multiple times, players will still enjoy trying to beat the stage. It plays on your frustration, and you’ll love it – admit it.

Boss fights have simple patterns but are more challenging due to the one-hit kill mechanic. Bosses have a lot of health compared to regular enemies. Like other stages, you must defeat the boss to progress to the next stage. There were a few issues with hitboxes not being accurate, such as when using a power-up sword with an electric bolt projectile near the bird boss’s beak. Another glitch occurred when standing next to spikes and not dying, but getting pushed into them by a moving platform resulting in death. Expect these unexpected moments during your adventure.

How Eventful!

Each time you complete a stage, a wacky randomized event scene occurs. There are a wildly large amount of various outcomes, and many of them are hysterical. For example, a dog appears and the player can choose to pet it or not. When you avoid the dog, it bites you instead. You gained experience points but the game tells you they are worthless. Some scenes play off classic retro games, such as Mega Man’s “got a weapon” screen. Other scenes involve interaction, like jumping over monkeys. 

Additionally, there are moments in these events where you’ll lose a life or gain lives. It’s completely random, and sometimes you feel like you’re playing a board game as you adventure through the game. Event scenes that repeat are still enjoyable to watch over and over again. The randomness is what makes it fun.

Other Things To Do

Your objective is still clear: to rescue the princess, but players can do a little more in the game. For example, collecting crowns that are hidden in each stage. Some require smashing certain bricks in the stage’s design or defeating all enemies. Once you collect enough crowns, take them to a special room for a reward. Each stage also timestamps your completion, allowing you to revisit it anytime to try and beat your best time, a little extra for speedrunners. However, if you enter a revisited area, you cannot exit out, so you either have to complete the stage or lose a life on purpose.

Players can also use coins to purchase upgrades and other special items to help in their adventures. For example, additional attack styles such as swinging upwards, shooting lightning bolts, or rushing across the ground or midair. You can also purchase a protective heart so you don’t die on the first impact, only on the second impact. The shop opens up early in the game, and you can visit it many times.

Pixel Perfect

Lovish is designed in an 8-bit world, reminiscent of classic Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) games like Mega Man, DuckTales, Super Mario Bros., and more. The designs are clean, simplistic, and evoke a sense of nostalgia with secrets, characters, and sound bites. The character designs are fun and perfectly suited for the 8-bit world, as they were created by manga artist Ryūsuke Mita (Dragon Half). The game’s soundtrack features classic 8-bit chiptune scores by Matt Kap (Castle In The Darkness and Astalon: Tears of the Earth). Overall, Lovish offers a delightful nostalgia experience and boasts great presentation.

If there were ever a sequel to Lovish, adding veterans such as Manami Matsumae (Mega Man) would make the nostalgia even sweeter.

The Final Life

Lovish is a quirky, 8-bit indie game where you rescue the princess – if you can survive! With one-hit kills, random hilarious events, and hidden collectibles, this retro-flavored adventure is as fiendish as it is fun. Go forth and rescue your love!

A PlayStation 5 review code provided for this review. Lovish arrives on February 5, 2026 for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.