LIFTED Review — Elevated History

If you’ve read my past reviews, you might know I like to go into new titles without much context. I often make a base judgment on what a game might be based on a quick glance at the store page, but I rarely investigate further than that. Since I’ve reviewed so many games, my first-impression assumptions are usually correct, or at least not far off. Because of this, the occasional pleasant surprise is a much-welcomed change of pace, especially when my expectations for a title weren’t very high to begin with.

LIFTED was one such surprise. While I wouldn’t say I had low expectations for the game, I certainly did not expect what was in store for me: a short but sweet, fairly funny, and decently challenging platforming title that pays loving homage to classic buddy comedies, featuring a charming cast of characters, a fun story that doesn’t overstay its welcome, and some surprisingly challenging platforming sections that don’t feel punishing or maliciously designed.

LIFTED, previously known as Ari Buktu and the Any Time Elevator (a much better title in my opinion), follows the formerly titular character Ari Buktu as he travels through time with his high school science professor, uncovering secrets of the past using some youthful athleticism and a bit of clever gadgetry. The game ingeniously opens on a brilliant Egyptian-themed level, which I’m going to feature prominently in this review because it was my favorite of the entire game.

Something that becomes immediately obvious, and something that I certainly wasn’t expecting, is that LIFTED pays a great deal of homage to Back to the Future. I don’t just mean the game uses the iconic attitude-filled teen plus eccentric older scientist trope that Back to the Future essentially invented and Rick and Morty later parodied; the characters are, in essence, just Marty McFly and Doc Emmett Brown. Their personalities are similar, and the voice actors sound like they’re doing their best approximations of the duo throughout the game. The reference is so on the nose that it feels weird not to talk about it.

Said characters remain a humorous duo from start to finish. While I admit the opening cutscene left me with conflicting emotions about the characters because we were introduced in medias res to some admittedly vibrant, rich personalities, they began to grow on me during the gameplay segments, where their constant back-and-forth earned more than a few chuckles.

I was actually sort of disappointed by the number of times I accidentally cut dialogue short by entering a new area too fast. In a game that wants to be both a platformer that rewards constant momentum and one that wants you to be invested in the back-and-forth between its main characters, it seems super counterintuitive that dialogue is prompted this way, or can be interrupted at all. As someone invested in the dialogue, I felt like I was being punished for being good at the platforming segments, or for walking forward at the only speed my keyboard would allow.

To be clear, I can see why some people might not enjoy the game’s dialogue, or even find that the characters talk too much. It is very quirky, and calling it “family-friendly” would be an understatement. However, given the inspirations for the characters, I found it more charming than I ever did annoying, and I didn’t mind that our protagonists constantly had something to say, especially given that the game was not incredibly long. In my opinion, the near-constant back-and-forth gives the game a lot of soul in a way many similar titles lack.

A controller is definitely the optimal way to play LIFTED, as the more subtle movements go a long way with the game’s platforming, which often uses very thin ledges to really challenge your platforming ability. The game’s cinematic camera angles often switch to follow the action as well. When they do, the keyboard directional keys can feel awkward, especially when the key you used to move forward a second ago now controls backward movement because the perspective has shifted.

The game proudly advertises that it was made by a former Disney Imagineer, and it’s not hard to see their influence. The game’s platforming segments walk a fine line between difficult and exciting, with narrow ledges and tight timing requirements, though it never feels overtly punishing. Everything is presented in a very cinematic way, to the point where you might find yourself zipping through levels without even noticing the work you’re putting in, as it feels like you’re interacting with a seamlessly filmed movie.

As much as I enjoy *LIFTED*, there isn’t too much more to really say about it. I wouldn’t describe the game as genre-defining, nor would I say that it particularly stands out in the crowd of other platforming games for an incredible story or gameplay mechanics you’ve never seen before. It is simply a good platformer, a charming platformer, with great characters and fun gameplay that can be completed in a handful of sessions. If you’re a fan of the genre, that’s really all you need, and I highly recommend you give this game a try.

Try Hard Guides was provided with a Steam code for this PC review of LIFTED. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles on our Game Reviews page! LIFTED is available on Steam and Epic Games.