The Luminist

About

An inconvenient electrical failure turns into an unspeakable nightmare as Dietrich becomes trapped in an abandoned subterranean mining town full of horrid creatures.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

88%

Audience ScoreBased on 33 reviews

story7 positive mentions

atmosphere3 negative mentions

Engaging story and world-building that captivates players despite the short playtime.
Atmospheric graphics and sound design that enhance the horror experience.
Free to play, making it an accessible option for those looking for a quick gaming experience.

Gameplay suffers from janky controls, awkward camera angles, and sluggish movement, making combat challenging.
Technical issues such as lag, performance drops, and bugs detract from the overall experience.
The game is very short, with some players feeling it lacks depth and content.

story
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
63%
11%
The story is generally well-received, with many players appreciating its interesting concepts, strong world-building, and immersive atmosphere, despite its short and linear nature. While some found the ending unsatisfying and noted gameplay issues that detracted from the experience, the narrative is often described as compelling and better executed than the gameplay itself. Overall, players express a desire for a more polished, expanded version of the story in a full game release.
- “The story itself is pretty neat and the concepts the game introduces are also original and something I haven't quite seen before.”
- “It's short and has a couple of bugs, but it has a compelling story, great world building, and design.”
- “Interesting story and the sound did a great job at immersing the player into the environment.”
- “The ending felt bland and it could've been improved on as the main character just closes the door and the story ends there.”
- “Overall, 'The Luminist' isn't terrible by any means and offers a pretty dark story as well as an unsettling environment for the player to journey through, but the number of flaws revolving around gameplay made this particular experience for me not as great as it probably would have been had things been more polished.”
- “Unfortunately, gameplay (for me at least) has a way more significant stance than storytelling as despite the plot being well written, the game was hard to play with sluggish movements, janky aiming, and an awkward perspective.”
gameplay
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
67%
17%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with notable flaws such as a lack of save points, sluggish movements, and janky aiming that detract from the overall experience. While the world-building and level design are praised for their detail, the mechanics, though interesting, often feel underutilized. Overall, the gameplay is considered functional but in need of significant polish, especially for a student project, leaving players with a sense of disappointment despite the engaging story and atmosphere.
- “The attention to detail, world-building, level design, optimization, and overall gameplay is immaculate.”
- “Surprisingly tight little game with an engaging premise and simple but solid gameplay.”
- “Graphics and sound together create a horror atmosphere; the story and gameplay are simple but decent enough.”
- “The gameplay has its flaws, namely the lack of save points.”
- “Unfortunately, gameplay (for me at least) has a way more significant stance than storytelling as despite the plot being well written, the game was hard to play with sluggish movements, janky aiming, and an awkward perspective.”
- “The shooting mechanics are a little stiff and janky, though.”
graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
42%
25%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players noting a PS3-era quality and inconsistent textures, while others appreciate the stylized visuals and atmospheric lighting effects that enhance the overall experience. Many commend the aesthetic reminiscent of high-budget cartoons from the '90s and early '00s, highlighting the beauty and effort put into the visuals despite optimization issues. Overall, while the graphics may not be cutting-edge, they contribute positively to the game's atmosphere and aesthetic appeal.
- “Nice graphics and lighting effects.”
- “I love the aesthetic and feel of the world, including the simpler look which is reminiscent of high-budget cartoons from the '90s and early '00s.”
- “Graphically it looks quite beautiful and you can tell that a lot of work was put into visuals.”
- “Graphics are a bit PS3 era and things are limited, but it's free so I'm not complaining.”
- “Keep in mind that when you are starting the game, it's not greatly optimized, so switch the graphics settings to 'high' at most so it doesn't ruin your experience with lag (also you can't change it mid-game and there's no save feature because it's so short).”
- “Textures are either very detailed or barely detailed, leaving a huge graphical inconsistency throughout the game.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The music in the game is highly praised, with many reviewers giving it a perfect score for its quality and suitability to the game's atmosphere. The soundtrack is described as nice, suspenseful, and well-matched to the setting, complemented by effective sound effects and voice acting. Overall, players express satisfaction with the audio experience, noting no complaints.
- “Music is also nice and suspenseful and suits the setting nicely, and the voice acting is also done very well without sounding too forced.”
- “Overall, sounds and music are done well and no complaints are present here.”
- “Nice options in the menu, sounds and volume are good enough, and the music is also nice.”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
20%
60%
The atmosphere is consistently praised for its dark and creepy tone, effectively enhancing the horror experience through impressive graphics and sound design. Reviewers highlight that the combination of these elements, along with solid storytelling, creates an immersive and engaging environment.
- “The atmosphere is dark and creepy as it should be.”
- “Graphics and sound together create a horror atmosphere; the story and gameplay are simple but decent enough.”
- “This is a tough one; I really want to recommend this for its story, look, audio, and atmosphere.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is marred by noticeable glitches and lag issues, which can lead to players getting stuck during gameplay. While the horde mode is enjoyable, these technical problems detract from the overall experience and need to be addressed for a smoother performance.
- “Overall a decent game, fun and well described, but some glitches should be fixed and the lag issues... I don't know how and why, but it should be fixed as well if possible.”
- “And yes, there are very easy glitches, but once reached, you can get stuck. The horde mode is pretty funny.”
- “I was on the menu, clicked the horde mode, and started playing it for around 15 minutes until I decided to search for glitches and others.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
While the game features impressive world-building and level design, players have reported performance drops and issues with character animations that hinder a smooth gameplay experience. Overall, the optimization appears to be a mixed bag, with both strengths and weaknesses.
- “The attention to detail, world-building, level design, optimization, and overall gameplay is immaculate.”
- “'The Luminist' is a short third-person horror adventure game where you play as 'Dietrich', an engineer that works in what looks like a mine overseeing the technical equipment and ensuring everything runs smoothly.”
- “There are also performance drops, and the animations of your characters and the enemies get in the way of a fluid experience.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is noted to be engaging and entertaining, particularly in the story mode and horde mode, despite some minor glitches that can affect gameplay. Players find the comedic elements enjoyable enough to share their experiences in gameplay videos.
- “Started playing the story mode and it was pretty funny and interesting.”
- “The horde mode is pretty funny.”
- “If you want to see the bugs and glitches I wrote about in this review in video form, you can check out my funny gameplay compilation video of this game on YouTube!”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
While the gameplay has some technical flaws, such as camera issues and aiming adjustments, players find the emotional experience of the game to be rewarding and worth the brief playtime.