Lunistice was made in a way to inspire the player to be curious and branch out to discover their skills.
Lunistice is developed by A Grumpy Fox and published by Deck13 who were inspired by 90’s 3D game designs. They took this game to the next level with great art, obstacles and themes that feel like they come from the old days of gaming, and these creators even added music that brings the theme together. I grew up in the 90’s so this was a treat for me.
The enemies bounce around, float, chase you, or even push out spikes. The player can do a fancy spin slap and break them into dust. The player is able to shatter enemies as well as crystals that are placed around various places. Breaking these objects will not turn into collectable items or tokens, but it can be fun to do nonetheless.
Lunistice starts off with a mystical fox looking character that goes by the name of Hana the Tanuki. The game is set in her dreams where she goes on a journey trying to get to the moon, hence the name Lunistice. This game was originally supposed to be made within 30 days, but as time went on and creators were creating… the 30-day idea was abandoned so it could be made with the love and detail that shows in the game.
The game Lunistice is a 3D Platform Game that is created with new pixelated art. Japanese themes are found throughout all layouts of the game. There are creative colorful worlds that this fox jumps through dodging hurtful obstacles. The trail is made of winding obscure objects that are floating in what looks like oblivion below. If you fall you have to reset. Each reset takes away from your final score at the end of the level.
The character is a fluffy fox that is trying to make it to the moon but has to go on this long journey of fragmented pieces of floating land and bridges. Jumping from piece to piece can become challenging with tilting lands making a beautiful but abstract scene.
Some scenes seem like a tropical holiday, or a candy land, while others are like a walk in the park with many narrow bridges, and others are akin to shimmering woods. Each course has its own unique challenges, but all of them are very satisfying to complete. With the challenging jumps and narrow pathways, I was glad that I was not constantly being chased because I definitely would have fallen to oblivion at every try.
What I found very interesting was there were paths that took me off of the path and sometimes, if I got lucky, I would be able to hop from the distant path down to the designated path. All paths must be taken to collect the origami cranes and the letters that are scattered throughout the landscapes.
You are graded at the end of every level of Lunistice. This is based on how much is collected, how much time has passed, and how many resets you may have needed. There are objects where you may be unsure whether they will hurt you or help you and you just have to jump in to find out.
To be honest, I spent many hours and a few days of just playing this game and not being productive with my life outside of it. Lunistice has been nostalgic enough to draw me in with familiarity, but also new enough to keep me intrigued and wanting more. The artwork is amazingly well done, and I was impressed with how clever the layouts of the levels were.
What caught my attention at the beginning that remained consistent throughout the game was different-stray paths that led you away from the main one. Of course, I always explored those to collect my origami cranes and my letters. However, these paths were always extra challenging with more jumps and smaller or narrower platforms to jump on.
After making it to the end to collect the letter, the turnaround to go all the way back never ceases to be more intimidating than what it took to get there. I always checked to see if I could jump from the stray path to the main path, but that was not always an option.
Lunistice was made in a way to inspire the player to be curious and explore. Players have to branch out and discover their abilities and skills through trying different approaches in the game. This tests agility and makes you wonder how far you can go and what secret paths you can do if you just take a chance, even if the chance lands you in oblivion.
What is truly nice about this fast-paced game is the camera perfectly follows at the optimal angle meaning you never have to worry about adjusting it around while playing. There are also no bosses to fight which relieves some stress that would come when navigating the difficult but beautiful terrain. There is a Speedrun Mode that allows players to play the entire game as another character of their choice.
I hope to see more of this game, and I cannot wait to see what comes of future versions. Lunistice is an affordable price compared to many games and it brings 90’s nostalgia to the table, but also gives cool retro graphics even for those who are not from the 90’s. This game is found on Nintendo Switch and Steam.
Overall, Lunistice is a wonderful game, and I will be keeping up with the developers to see what they make next. A Grumpy Fox did an amazing job with this game and it’s hard not to be impressed. I did not know what to expect and I am happy that I dove in. I have many more pros that I could list, and it was exceptionally difficult to come up with cons. I ran out at two and I cannot think of anymore. It would be exciting if something collectable came out of the crystals, but definitely not necessary.
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