Lunark

Lunark is a carefully crafted flashback to the narrative platformers of the early-90s. With beautiful rotoscoped animation and a plot straight out of a Philip K Dick novel, it's one trip to another world well worth taking.

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"Lunark is a single-player science fiction platformer game with excellent graphics, soundtrack, plot, and game mechanics. As Leo, a courier with unique abilities, you'll navigate through a dystopian world, battling enemy droids, solving puzzles, and uncovering secrets. The game offers precision gameplay, stunning animation, and a rotoscoped cutscene, immersing you in a compelling sci-fi story of survival, revolution, and mystery."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

77%

Audience ScoreBased on 210 reviews

gameplay20 positive mentions

grinding2 negative mentions

Lunark is a beautiful homage to classic cinematic platformers like Flashback and Another World, featuring gorgeous pixel art and smooth animations.
The game offers a nostalgic experience with a compelling story and engaging gameplay that captures the essence of 90s platformers.
Despite its flaws, Lunark provides a fun and enjoyable experience for fans of the genre, with a steady increase in challenge and innovative combat mechanics.

The controls can feel sluggish and unresponsive, making precise movements and combat frustrating at times.
The checkpoint system is poorly designed, often forcing players to replay long sections of the game after dying or quitting.
Some players found the story and character development lacking, with predictable plot points and underdeveloped narratives.

gameplay
75 mentions
27 % positive mentions
69 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is heavily inspired by classic titles like "Prince of Persia" and "Flashback," emphasizing methodical, animation-based mechanics rather than fast-paced platforming. While many players appreciate the polished controls and challenging puzzles, some criticize the movement mechanics as sluggish and the overall gameplay as occasionally sacrificing depth for animation. The game offers a nostalgic experience with beautiful pixel art and atmospheric music, but its short length and some convoluted controls may deter potential players.
- “Beautiful pixel art, wonderful animation, great gameplay, and top music.”
- “The gameplay is smooth and polished, with a great mix of challenging obstacles and satisfying combat mechanics.”
- “This game surpasses its inspirational predecessor, Amiga's Flashback, in both gameplay and narrative depth that elevates that classic experience to new heights.”
- “The implemented movement mechanics don't work for me for the seemingly intended gameplay, which takes me out of it completely.”
- “Neat graphics, sluggish gameplay.”
- “Perhaps the saving grace could be graphics, which are pretty good except for the fact that resolution is way, way too low (even lower than the VGA roots of this kind of game), to the point where it hurts gameplay: many backgrounds, characters and traps are hard to see simply because they could be made of one or two pixels.”
story
74 mentions
30 % positive mentions
59 % neutral mentions
11 % negative mentions
The story has received mixed reviews, with some praising its intriguing twists and engaging pacing, while others criticize its predictability and underdeveloped world-building. Many reviewers noted that the dialogue can be amateurish and cringe-worthy, detracting from the overall experience. Despite these flaws, the game is recognized for its nostalgic homage to classic titles like "Flashback," and its captivating aesthetic and atmosphere.
- “The storyline unfolds in a manner that keeps you engaged, with well-paced plot developments and a rich, captivating world that draws you in deeper with each level.”
- “This game has heart and someone involved that clearly loved the same games I did growing up, was able to add their own flair and story and made something almost perfect.”
- “Lunark has an intriguing story, great animations and music, and is a lot of fun.”
- “The writing and storytelling in general are really amateurish, which plays into the levels feeling less like places and more like traditional platforming levels with sluggish controls.”
- “The plot device of the character's condition is resolved so suddenly with little to no explanation that it makes me wonder what the point of it was in the first place.”
- “Third, the story is so underdeveloped that you don't really get a sense of the world, of what's happening, or the true motives behind the actions of the characters, so you're not really connected to anyone.”
graphics
46 mentions
41 % positive mentions
52 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the colorful pixel art and smooth animations that evoke nostalgia for retro gaming. However, several players noted issues with pixelation and low resolution, which detracted from gameplay clarity and overall enjoyment. While the art style is often described as charming and atmospheric, some players felt that the graphics could benefit from sharper details and higher resolution to enhance the experience.
- “The retro graphics and sound design complement the gameplay beautifully, creating an atmosphere that is both nostalgic for fans of the genre and inviting for newcomers.”
- “The graphics are crisp and detailed, with a great attention to detail in the environments and character animations.”
- “Fun game with gorgeous graphics.”
- “I would have preferred if the game graphics were a little less pixelated and blocky.”
- “First off, the graphics are so low-fi that from the get-go you don't really understand what's what.”
- “My only complaint is that the in-level graphics were a little too pixelated.”
music
46 mentions
61 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The music in Lunark has received mixed reviews, with many praising its atmospheric quality and nostalgic influences reminiscent of classic titles like Flashback, while others criticize certain tracks as out of place or repetitive. Some players found the soundtrack to be a highlight, enhancing the game's charm and pacing, while others felt it lacked emotional depth and coherence, particularly during key gameplay moments. Overall, the music is seen as a strong element of the game, though not without its flaws.
- “The soundtrack is incredible and one of the best of the year.”
- “The fluid animations are spot-on, the soundtrack fits the era of its influence, and the environmental puzzles are expertly crafted.”
- “Great variety of locations, atmospheric music, gorgeous cinematographic cut scenes in the best traditions of Flashback, and just the right gameplay old-school and up-to-date at the same time.”
- “The music I heard was rather bare and not assertive; it didn't seem to be trying to evoke any emotional response from the player.”
- “Some of the music tracks really felt out of place.”
- “Now there were parts of the game where the soundtrack reminded me of Flashback and had those upbeat industrial vibes like in the original theme, but then I am fighting a boss in this game, and it has JRPG music; it feels so odd.”
atmosphere
14 mentions
71 % positive mentions
14 % neutral mentions
14 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is characterized by its nostalgic retro graphics and sound design, which effectively enhance the gameplay experience for both longtime fans and newcomers. While the variety of locations and atmospheric music contribute positively, some players feel that the presence of repetitive characters and unfunny humor detracts from the overall ambiance. Despite these criticisms, the game's solid storyline and stylized pixel art maintain a charming and inviting atmosphere.
- “The retro graphics and sound design complement the gameplay beautifully, creating an atmosphere that is both nostalgic for fans of the genre and inviting for newcomers.”
- “Great variety of locations, atmospheric music, gorgeous cinematographic cut scenes in the best traditions of fb, and just the right gameplay old-school and up-to-date at the same time.”
- “However, it has a solid storyline, chunky stylised pixel art (both in game and during the brief cutscenes) with great animation and an inspired atmospheric soundtrack.”
- “Lunark, unfortunately, spoils the quiet atmosphere of the genre with filler chatty characters that all sound the same, and attempts at humor that fall flat.”
- “Sorry if I sound negative, I was expecting something else, something with a more refined atmosphere.”
emotional
4 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players express a sense of helplessness due to slow character movement during combat, which detracts from the emotional engagement of the game. Additionally, the music is described as minimal and lacking assertiveness, failing to evoke any emotional response from the player.
grinding
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players criticize the grinding aspect of the game for its excessive and repetitive fetch quests, which often involve tedious backtracking and lack meaningful engagement.
- “There was no reason to have you do so many pointless fetch quests with tedious backtracking.”
humor
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in Lunark is criticized for being ineffective, with repetitive and chatty characters that detract from the game's atmosphere, leading to attempts at comedy that fail to resonate with players.
replayability
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The game has limited replayability, which may deter players seeking extensive replay value, but many users still find it enjoyable enough to justify the price.
- “Not much replayability, so if that's your thing, then perhaps it's not worth the price. However, I loved every second of it, so in my opinion, it is well worth it.”
stability
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game demonstrates excellent stability on the Steam Deck, with users reporting smooth performance during extended play sessions, even while commuting.
- “The game runs great on the Steam Deck; I played a bunch of it on my commute.”
- “The game runs great on the Steam Deck; I played a bunch of it on my commute.”
optimization
2 mentions
50 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game is well-optimized for the cinematic platformer genre, offering a fair level of difficulty that is more accessible than some classic titles, particularly for players with prior experience.
- “The gameplay is pretty much perfect as far as 'cinematic platformers' go; it's a bit optimized, so it's not as hard as some of the classics. I would say the difficulty is mostly fair if you have prior experience with the genre.”