Lumini

        

            I find something beautiful in the idea that a group of creatures could work together to achieve a common goal, despite having to face challenges that are much greater than themselves. Challenges that they can only overcome as a group. This is the main idea of Lumini. You control a group of birds who fly around a large cave system trying to get to the surface. They use their different skills to overcome specific challenges and work together when necessary.

Summary

           They have to overcome several environmental hazards, including giant spikes, spike-wielding slugs, and giant, somewhat overpowered, birds that I would describe as Sky SharksⓇ. All of these things will kill off your flock if you get too close. You can ram into the unprotected areas of these creatures (except for the spikes, of course) and eventually kill them. But I almost always find myself running from most fights, as there is no reward for killing these other creatures and you are just risking your flock. To help either attack or run from these threats you have special ability birds. You can only use one kind of ability at a time, and you rearrange your flock based on which you are going to be using. The two types of special birds are the shield bird, which momentarily creates a shield to protect the front of your flock and lets you ram into enemies doing a lot of damage. You also have a light blue bird which, when activated, boosts your flock away from danger. I would like it if the recharge time of these abilities were more obvious, like they glowed when the ability was ready to use. You can acquire these birds and normal ones by collecting glowing blue orbs that grow on plants around the cave. Then you go to large crystal structures scattered around the caves to redeem these magic orbs for new birds. So far, that’s pretty much it for mechanics. But remember, it is still in early Alpha.

Art

           Now I’m going to praise this game on it’s art and music. This really is a beautiful game. The environment that surrounds your flock is breathtaking. Even though this is a 2D game, there are vast 3D backgrounds behind your fish visibly through crevices in the rocks. It really gives the game a sense of scale, and a great backdrop. And in the foreground there is still a sense of depth. This all combines to create a really nice visual appearance. When coupled with the great and mystical soundtrack, this is definitely one of the most attractive games I’ve played in a while. Even if you don’t like the gameplay, I would recommend playing Lumini for the art and music.

Good

           Beside the art and music, there are a lot of mechanics I thought worked really well. The adventure aspect is one thing that really worked with the beauty this game already has. I got lost a lot in this game. You can’t just stick to the top of the cave to get to the surface. You had to move through the cave network to find the right way out. This isn’t a game about rushing through the level to get on the leaderboards. It’s a game about discovery and adventure. The more you get lost, the more time you have to admire the beauty this game has to offer. There are blue crystals throughout the tunnel that light up when you pass them, ensuring you don’t travel ways you’ve already gone and are always making progress. This tranquility and calmness makes the run-ins with giant Sky Sharks much more effective and scary. One moment you are calmly leading your flock through a tunnel and then BAM! Sky-Shark. I also like how gravity plays a large part in this game. If you’re being chased by a Sky-Shark, going up is not a good idea. Gravity will slow you down, and to my annoyance occasionally make you fall down, making you an easy target for predators. Another thing I like is how the two types of special birds highlight the two play styles the red bird is aggressive: you can attack enemies head on to immobilize them. Then there is the light blue bird, which lets you run away from anyone who wants to harm your flock. And a combination of these techniques makes you and your flock very effective in dealing with any challenges they face

Bad

           In addition to these good game mechanics, there was also a lot that bugged me in Lumini. Fortunately, lots of it can be fairly easily tweaked to improve the game. However, there were some problems with the game that are more prominent and are less easy fixes. One of these things is a problem I had with one of the main features of the game, which is separating your groups of fish into two to move around enemies and solve puzzles in the game. I found it very difficult to control both groups effectively. Keep in mind that I was using a controller, which is recommended by the developers. Other people might have had better luck and/or skill in this, but for me it broke the serenity and immersion of the game, crashing into rocks because I couldn’t tell which group was which. But other than this, most of the problems I had with the game are minor and fixable. One of these things was that the flock of birds will fall back down if you are going straight up too slowly. This makes sense, but just gets really annoying because you just have to fall back down for a second and then go back up. Again, this breaks the immersion. Another thing that I’m sure will be fixed by game release is the lack of direction in the demo. There are markings on rocks at the beginning of the game to tell you what to do, but this was too obscure for me. I only figured out what these drawings meant when I actually got to the surface and completed the game. I’m not sure how they will do it in the finished game, but I think there needs to be more direction. Other than this and a very few minor things, this game is pretty sound.

Conclusions

           Now comes the bit where I talk about what the nonsense above really means. And I’m going to start so with some phycology. You fear for your flock. You want it to succeed. And I think thats what Lumini is all about. You care for this group of animals that would be so hopeless individually, but work together for the greater good. You take them and you explore with them. You guide them in running from those more powerful, and sometimes help them strike back. And I think I would follow and help these creatures wherever they went, and help them overcome any challenge, no matter how big or scary. Lumini isn’t just about one thing, but a group of living creatures, that you become part of when you play. You are with them through the beautiful scenery and individual mechanics, and through some slightly not-perfect ones too. For better or for worse, Lumini really is a beautiful, individual game.