>"Welcome to Lobotomy Corporation, new manager, here you-" *restarts run*
>"Welcome to L-" *restarts run*
This is merely but a glimpse of what awaits you in the hellscape that is this company.

Lobotomy Corporation is a management game about one too many things, but what stands atop it all is perseverance. Said concept is deeply rooted in the game's core, to the point where it even ties in to the developers, Project Moon, and the rough yet inspiring story behind the game's development.

The Will to Stand up Straight
Considering an unsuccessful overseas Kickstarter funding, while at least managing to get a decent Tumblbug (pretty much a Korean Kickstarter) project reception, and similar struggles, like almost going bankrupt due to their commission of a translation, it is quite evident at times that the game is short on budget, and it's made clearer by the time you see the credits, showing the names of a bunch of backers, and a seemingly scarce development team.

But what it lacks in resources, it more than makes up with sheer ambition, given it is no easy task to release a game with such a big scope...

...yet they endured the development cycle and finally did release it, so with Project Moon breaking out of their own cycle of torment and struggles, now it's the player's time to undergo their own.

The Fearlessness to keep on Living
Managing this company is no easy task, as you're dealing with weird creatures called Abnormalities, to meet the energy quota (yes, you obtain energy working with them) and call it quits for the day. This gameplay loop will keep going for a while, so you better get used to it.

However, this game wouldn't be as unabashedly difficult as it is without trying with all its might to make your management as miserable as humanly possible. With Abnormalities that range from seemingly harmless entities (Punishing Bird is the closest thing to a toxic relationship but I still love my silly little guy) to the most absolutely despair-inducing and soul-crushing gimmicks known to man, along with enemies that will pop up along the way, this games holds no punches whatsoever.

The Rationality to Maintain Discretion
But the manager does not partake in energy collection, instead, you order your employees to do so, risking their very lives in the process. However, you definitely don't want them to die, since it costs you time and points to recruit and level them up.
If you don't manage your resources properly, you might get forced to do a complete restart of your playthrough, but some upgrades carry through between runs, so everything will go faster in subsequent runs (kiiiiinda like a roguelike).

But why is such a relentlessly evil and equally obtuse experience so good, and so alluring?

The Expectation for the Meaning of Existence
Well, the game is hostile by design, not just in gameplay but also in its story. You're presented with a brutally ruthless organization that does not stop even at the face of death to fulfill its apparently corporate goals, coupled with a setting that instills the same sense of solitude that the gameplay and music that accompany it reinforce in you.

The whole experience feels just right; it nails the feeling of a very daunting and oppressive journey through the installations that comprise this corporation.

Those who are Faithful and Trustworthy
Said installations are divided into several departments, each of them spearheaded by a Sephirah. These characters will be presented to you during this play, and all of them have a story to tell, or more accurately, to unravel through their interactions, that you unlock by fulfilling missions during each day (these, for example, also get saved between runs, so you don't have to repeat them).

As expected, these missions also get very rough sometimes, and I do mean it (and well, they're also necessary for finishing the game). I don't blame anyone for dropping this game, but it is very much worth the chance, and at worst, just use mods if you can't handle the incoming waves of frustration, rather than watching a Let's Play online. A mod I do recommend right from the start that doesn't really hurt the experience is More Detailed Info, which shows you the real statistics of work success instead of vague words, among other things, so at least you can shave off a bit of that frustration and obtuseness of its systems.

The Hope to be a Better Person
The greatest highlight of this game, rather than the gameplay, is, as expected, the story and experience it provides. It is a game where I'm not even sure I appreciate the whole picture yet (I probably need Library of Ruina for this), despite having 100%ed it after a whooping 95h of playtime, epilogue included. I'm also still unsure of neither this review in its entirety, nor the rating I've given to it, so I may alter it slightly in the future.

What I can say for sure, at this moment in time, is how good this game is, including its narrative and symbolism, and how worthy it is of your time, if you can endure all of the quirks and gimmicks they will throw at you. It is, without a doubt, one of the best ludonarratives I've ever seen in a game.

Despite being as cryptic as it can get, it slowly provides you with bits of information about the characters and the world, and when everything clicks it's just amazing in hindsight. The characters do help with this, since they all have their own marked personalities and their quirks.

What may you do for them, you ask?
Well, perhaps you can somehow help.
Help them find a resolution.

Embrace the past, and help regain the Light.

Something I've been having a lot of trouble with while writing reviews in this website is doing so for games I love or really respect, partly because I feel like I wouldn't be doing them any justice whatsoever, or simply due to not being able to convey my feelings and experience properly (and honestly, there are reviews out there that are so good that it just feels like anything I'd write down would be inferior in every capacity).

However, this game, which also happened to be the 200th game on my profile, motivated me enough to at least give it a go.

"Even the sweetest treats get bitter with each bite."

I first stumbled upon this game when buying the itch.io Ukraine Bundle, and a friend telling me the game is amazing and "the Undertale of shmups" made me give it a go...
...and I ended up liking it so much I bought it on Steam not long after, if that's any indicative of how much I enjoyed it.

There are many things I could say about this game, but first things first, this game is a blast. It would be unfair to say other shmups aren't (i.e. CAVE games are amazing), but this game in particular shows it's been carefully thought of for years, and the sheer passion of the devs bleeds out of the game uncontrollably.
The controls feel snappy, it never felt unfair to me, the music is amazing, and so are the two-palette graphics. On top of that, it's really accessible to people who haven't played shmups before with its somewhat lenient continues/lives system.

...but most of this can be said for other shmups. What makes ZeroRanger stand out?

"You've entered a vicious cycle of life and death."

For starters, the game won't be a cakewalk. As is a staple of the genre, you will die. A lot. But your determination shall not waver, and even the game helps in this endeavour by progressively making it smoother with more continues the longer you play. The beautiful landscapes and scenarios this game presents while you shoot down Green Orange's forces will feel nowhere as unique and vibrant on your subsequent runs, but even so, you might feel compelled to keep pushing through despite the several adversities on the way (trust me, there are many).

"As you cling on to this cycle, your desires poison your mind"

With the actual progression system as your true companion in this journey, you will slowly gain the power to get through what this game has to offer, and even despite the aforementioned adversities, your rewards for your struggles will be there in the form of your runs lasting longer, and getting deeper and deeper into this everlasting cycle.

But it has an end to be put to. And the game seems so heavily insistent on the idea of reaching enlightenment. Maybe that's what's waiting for you at the finish line?
You may ask what that is, but I'm not one to say or decide. You can play this game and reach your so desired response, or lack thereof, but I'll keep this as vague as I possibly can.

"Ignorance. Attachment. Aversion."

The story and symbolisms that this game carries forward are top-notch, despite most of the storytelling being either very vague or just implicit. I will not talk about this much as I want to keep this spoiler-free, but when you reach the ending, the experience just clicks together, and makes the journey and the countless hindrances so much more satisfying in hindsight.

If whenever you finish the game you're confused, which you might as well be, there's a lot of discussion about this game and its story/topics online that may help on that front.
At this point in time, which is only a few days after having finished the game, I still don't know if I get what it tries to say in its entirety, but what I can grasp makes it a simple, yet meaningful story.

"Feeding these unwholesome thoughts will only lead to more suffering."

This game is probably one of the best experiences that are awaiting you in this entire genre. Maybe the game might not seem appealing to you, and that's fine, but if there's even one shred of doubt or interest, I strongly recommend giving it a fair shake before giving up on it. The game is a piece of art, but it's hard, and it will do what it possibly can to remind you of that fact of all times, so you know what you'd be getting yourself into.

Perhaps when you finish it you won't think the same way I do, or you may just think it's good but nothing amazing, but you never know, so give it a chance, I don't think you'll regret it.

Shall you get to dedicate some of your time to this game, remember these words:
Do not give in to Despair.
May you attain Enlightenment.

And if you do,
I hope you can carry this Power with you.