Anyone who still thinks graphics is a dying art form isn’t stepping into indie territory. It’s alive and well there, Lunark being one of many great examples. Created by one-man studio Canari Games and brought to life by 2824 people through a successful Kickstarter, Lunark is a celebration of many things. Perhaps most notably, it shows how a strong focus on a simple story and stripped-down game mechanics can be a solid foundation for the experience. Lunark is an adventure that pays homage to its roots and inspirations in an often beautiful and funny way, but unfortunately, not without its flaws.
Lunark introduces himself with a cinematic opening and continues in the same way. Against a backdrop of gigantic skyscrapers, flying cars and high-tech environments, in a dystopian future, we find our protagonist, Leo, who soon finds himself on the run under mysterious circumstances. Much of the story is conventional, but the fact that the game draws inspiration from so many makes it all the more fascinating. Because in addition to primitives, there are some game mechanics that really breathe, and it feels like a nod to the past.
Anyone who was there will recognize every move a Leo can make. The action and sequences feel like experiencing various games from the ’80s and ’90s, and the game clearly approaches these with great awareness. Movement doesn’t have to be restricted, it just needs to be executed precisely. The challenge of jumping having to come at just the right moment leads to a lot of trial and error, but any setbacks lie less with the game sequences and more with the slightly inconsistent checkpoint system. Sometimes you’re forced to redo longer sections, which just get boring, and you’re often forced back to the starting point if you want to take a break in a level and start playing again later. A strange and punishing design choice that feels like a crushing blow to the cadence of the game’s overall success.
Many of the levels in Lunark are a bit of a puzzle in themselves, both in terms of the moves you have to make and figuring out how to proceed. Sometimes the path is blocked by enemies, and while Leo is equipped with a gun with unlimited ammo, the weapon must cool down after a few shots. Thankfully, however, encounters with enemies may be limited to dealing with them one-on-one, but some parts are designed to feel a bit of a failure, and you have to sacrifice one of the three hearts you start with to progress. As with the above criticism of checkpoints, some levels are filled with too many obstacles to overcome. Of course, there should definitely be challenges, but as a player, I’d rather be challenged by obstacles, solved one by one, than create chaos on the screen just for it. Especially when death forces me to step back a little.
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Lunark’s primitive graphics have a lot of charm, and I especially love the way it breathes life into things like bars adorned with neon signs or environments with other vivid details. Overall, graphics are most successful in futuristic and more colorful environments. There are a few too many dark caves and other shady places, and the primitives feel fairly flat, although I know some environments were included for variety and challenge. There are also some short and charming cutscenes that I like, and the animations in the game are truly top-notch. Unfortunately, aside from the aforementioned darker locations, the most obvious limitation of the graphics is our rather dull and anonymous protagonist. I also wish there was a more memorable and energetic soundtrack, which would elevate the experience, because unfortunately, the game’s music isn’t very impressive.
Of course, I also understand the love of game design in the past, even if you forcefully jump to a certain screen, or generally force rigidity, it often just feels dull and boring. I would have liked a better process and a less forced way of making game design difficult, as game design often punishes me as a player just to make it “feel like it was then”. The climbs and timed jumps are fun in many moments, but most sequences feel dull when repeated. There are plenty of surprises in terms of the design, the story, and the things the game challenges you to do, but the whole is held back by some downright boring environments, and I get pretty frustrated when falling to my death or something forces me to replay the same sequences.
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Lunark is in many ways an interesting indie game with a lot of good ideas. The graphics are one of several reasons for its irresistible charm, but the game is mostly a voyage to what games used to feel like in many ways. But even though I know the slightly blunted control is a conscious choice, it’s often the source of moments of pure frustration. These would have been offset by better checkpoints, which I personally would have had more fun with. At the same time, I think it’s enough to look at the picture to see if Lunark is the kind of retro classic action game for you, and despite its flaws, there are actually many parts that feel very successful.
