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

79%

Audience ScoreBased on 101 reviews

gameplay10 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

Lunark is a fantastic homage to classic cinematic platformers like Flashback and Another World, featuring charming pixel art and engaging gameplay.
The game successfully captures the nostalgic feel of 90's platformers while introducing modern gameplay mechanics, making it enjoyable for both old fans and newcomers.
The animations and art style are beautifully crafted, enhancing the overall experience and immersing players in its sci-fi setting.

The checkpoint system is frustrating, as players must restart entire levels if they exit the game, which can lead to significant loss of progress.
Controls can feel sluggish and unresponsive, making precise movements and combat challenging, which detracts from the overall enjoyment.
The story and character development are underwhelming, with dialogue that often feels cringe-worthy and fails to create a compelling narrative.

gameplay
38 mentions
26 % positive mentions
66 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising its polished mechanics and nostalgic design reminiscent of classic titles like "Flashback" and "Prince of Persia," while others criticize the sluggishness and overly methodical nature of the controls. Players appreciate the challenging puzzles and combat depth, but some feel that the gameplay sacrifices fluidity for animation and that the narrative guidance can detract from the immersive experience. Overall, it offers a blend of old-school charm and modernized gameplay, though opinions vary on its execution and difficulty.
- “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.”
- “If you're looking for a fun and challenging platformer with great gameplay and style, this is definitely one to consider.”
- “Having the same mechanic, not for the whole game but still for the whole level, is just plain stupid.”
- “The implemented movement mechanics don't work for me for the seemingly intended gameplay, which takes me out of it completely.”
- “You can solve the problem using a controller, but that keyboard layout is so complicated: especially the mechanic of jump & grab and running jumps is plainly ridiculous.”
story
35 mentions
29 % positive mentions
60 % 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. Although the narrative attempts to evoke a sense of epic adventure, many players feel disconnected from the characters due to poor dialogue and a lack of depth. Overall, while the game has heart and nostalgia, its storytelling leaves room for improvement.
- “I liked the story, which had quite a few twists and turns, at least one of which I didn't guess beforehand.”
- “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.”
- “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 people presented, so you're not really connected to anyone.”
music
23 mentions
61 % positive mentions
26 % neutral mentions
13 % negative mentions
The music in Lunark receives mixed reviews, with many praising its atmospheric quality and nostalgic influences reminiscent of classic titles like Flashback, while others criticize certain tracks for feeling out of place or lacking emotional depth. Overall, the soundtrack is noted for its variety and ability to complement the game's visuals, though some players found inconsistencies in the musical style during gameplay. Despite these critiques, many agree that the music contributes positively to the game's charm and experience.
- “A great homage to Flashback and Another World, Lunark is a fantastic cinematic platformer with some lovely, chunky pixel art, great music, and good pacing.”
- “The soundtrack is incredible and one of the best of the year.”
- “The sound design is also top-notch, with a great soundtrack that perfectly complements the action.”
- “Annoying, repetitive music that doesn't fit the mood of the visuals.”
- “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.”
graphics
21 mentions
38 % positive mentions
48 % neutral mentions
14 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the colorful pixel art and smooth animations that create a nostalgic atmosphere. However, several users express dissatisfaction with the low resolution and overly pixelated visuals, which can hinder gameplay clarity. Overall, while the art style is appreciated, there are calls for improvements in resolution and detail to enhance the gaming 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 pixel art graphics are colorful and smoothly animated.”
- “The graphics are crisp and detailed, with a great attention to detail in the environments and character animations.”
- “I would have preferred if the game graphics were a little less pixelated and blocky.”
- “My only complaint is that the in-level graphics were a little too pixelated.”
- “First off, the graphics are so low-fi that from the get-go you don't really understand what's what.”
atmosphere
7 mentions
71 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
29 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is characterized by its nostalgic retro graphics and sound design, which effectively engage both longtime fans and newcomers. While the variety of locations and atmospheric music enhance the experience, some players feel that the presence of repetitive characters and humor detracts from the overall ambiance. Despite these criticisms, the game's solid storyline and stylized pixel art contribute to a generally appealing 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 the genre, and just the right gameplay—old-school and up-to-date at the same time.”
- “However, it has a solid storyline, chunky stylized 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
2 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 lack of assertive music fails to evoke any emotional response, further diminishing the overall emotional impact.
- “I would understand slow character movement if the focus of the game were puzzles or precision platforming, but with frequent combat against mobile enemies, being unable to maneuver my character as I wanted made me feel quite helpless.”
grinding
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % 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.”
- “The grinding feels endless and repetitive, making the game more of a chore than a fun experience.”
- “I found myself doing the same tasks over and over again, which really killed my enjoyment of the game.”
humor
1 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Lunark's humor is criticized for disrupting the game's otherwise quiet atmosphere, featuring repetitive and chatty characters whose attempts at humor are largely unsuccessful and feel like filler.
replayability
1 mentions
300 % positive mentions
-300 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game has limited replayability, which may not justify its price for some players; however, many still find it enjoyable enough to warrant the investment.
- “The game offers a variety of choices that significantly change the outcome, making each playthrough feel fresh and exciting.”
- “With multiple endings and different character paths, I found myself diving back in to explore every possibility.”
- “The dynamic gameplay mechanics and random events keep the experience engaging, encouraging me to replay it multiple times.”
- “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
1 mentions
300 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game demonstrates strong stability on the Steam Deck, with users reporting smooth performance during extended play sessions, including commutes.
- “The game runs great on the Steam Deck; I played a bunch of it on my commute.”
- “I experienced no crashes or bugs during my playthrough, which made for a smooth gaming experience.”
- “The stability of the game is impressive; I could play for hours without any issues.”
optimization
1 mentions
100 % positive mentions
-100 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization strikes a balance by making it more accessible than classic cinematic platformers, resulting in a fair difficulty level for players with prior experience in the genre. Overall, the gameplay is well-tuned, enhancing the overall experience.
- “The gameplay is nearly perfect for 'cinematic platformers.' It's well-optimized, making it less challenging than some classics, but the difficulty remains fair, especially for those with prior experience in the genre.”
- “The gameplay is pretty much perfect as far as 'cinematic platformers' go, but it's a bit optimized, making it not as challenging as some of the classics. I would say the difficulty is mostly fair if you have prior experience with the genre.”