Lifted is a puzzle-platformer from Adventure Works, following a schoolgirl and her absent-minded professor on a time-travelling treasure hunt through history. The complete first playthrough finished in a single session, from the Anytime Elevator’s malfunction to the present-day resolution.
The writing and characters are the standout, with the comedic banter between the schoolgirl and her professor landing throughout and the running gags paying off. The roller-coaster structure pleases, alternating adventuring puzzle sections with escape sequences in a way that feels like a movie.
The visual presentation is gorgeous, with painterly scenes that never betray the Unreal engine underneath. The Rayman-inspired design is the hook, with the tic-tac bodies and limbless characters drawing the eye from the first moment.
The checkpoints are forgiving, with a two-hit buffer before perishing and respawns close at hand after every fall. The grappling hook traversal delights, swinging the pair through time and space between the varied historical chapters.
The time-travel premise keeps each chapter fresh, stitching together Egypt, Tortuga, the Yucatan, the Dolomites and Abu Simbel. The camera constantly shifts, however, making it easy to miss hooks and hard to read where the game wants the player to go.
Jump distances are frequently misjudged, with platforms seeming closer than they are and spikes catching the careless. The game is heavily cutscene-driven, and the collectibles only unlock skins rather than meaningful rewards.
Overall, the writing, the gorgeous presentation and the forgiving checkpoints make this a very cool adventure indeed. The shifting camera and the misjudged jumps are the only caveats.