As Leo uncovers new truths about why he’s being framed, puzzles hinder progression. These puzzles are environmental and adventure based. The environmental puzzles include using switches and pieces together to unlock new areas. Still, the adventure puzzles usually have you searching for a requested item, taking down an enemy, or figuring out how to progress through a specific section. In addition, the puzzle designs rarely repeat, which adds to the overall adventure feeling like an Indiana Jones experience. As for the adventure-based puzzles, I feel like they encourage exploration, which is needed if you’d like to find secret items used to increase your health or upgrade your weapon. Kind of like a Metroidvania avant la lettre.

Jump around, jump around, jump up, jump up, and fall down..?

One of the best (and most frustrating features) is the movement in the game. Why? Because it perfectly resembles the 2D cinematic genre. You can’t drop from high ledges, or you’ll die, so you have to lower yourself down. Jumping takes some getting used to since you must line yourself up with the ledge above to pull yourself up. Still, a running jump and even a roll can get you through challenging situations. Mastering the movement is a must in this game, but in the opening levels, a few advanced sections push your skills to find some early secrets. And yes, I wanted to throw my Steam Deck into a corner several times.

Getting accustomed to this movement is essential, but I also feel this is where modern players will be most divided. The movement is precise and responsive. Every action I took was with intent, and although you have to time the animation of, say, for example, ducking to avoid damage, it’s a part of the package and one that you factor into when getting through cycles of enemies. It transported me back to those days of playing (and failing) the old-school Prince of Persia, and it felt pretty good, to be honest.

Gameplay & Artwork

You have a gun in the game, which can be upgraded to slow down the overheating setting, and allow more shots before a cool-down. It’s an excellent tool that requires some practice to understand the timing and usability. Most enemies take a few shots to take down, but the exact number isn’t represented by any HP bar, so you’ll have to keep shooting enemies until they fall. On the other hand, Leo’s health is represented by hearts, which can be replenished by eating heart fruit. If you die, you’ll only recover three hearts, but your health can be upgraded.

The enemy variety grows across each level. The game will introduce a new enemy and then slowly put them in new situations to test how you adapt to surprise encounters. Not all enemies can be destroyed. Some enemy types require you to shoot a missile or wait until their guard is dropped to do damage. It’s a fun way to approach combat and keeps the entire experience fresh. While the pixel environments are gorgeous, I think the experience would have benefited from a map informing you of where you have or haven’t been. Further, checkpoints seem to be randomly placed, and I never knew when or where I would trigger a checkpoint. Maybe I missed something, but it’s anyone’s guess where you end up after dying.

Conclusion

So, to conclude! Lunark is one of the best 2D cinematic platformers out there, and it might not be a game for everyone. Regardless of its retro inspirations, it impacts the genre with fun action, story delivery, and puzzle design. Much like a classic sci-fi film, I was immersed in this experience from beginning to end. Don’t miss it if you like these types of games (yes, I’m looking at your generation of the floppy).

8/10

Tested on the Steam Deck.