Lumini

Developer: Speelbaars | Publisher: Rising Star Games | Release Date: 2015 | Genre: Adventure / Indie | Website: Official Website | Purchase: Steam

After vanishing without a trace for thousands of years, the race of mysterious creatures, known as the Lumini, finally reappears on their homeworld. However, due to the ravishes of time, their planet has become considerably more hostile in their absence. Your mission is to guide the swarm of Lumini safely through the environment while they restore the balance of their world and revive the rest of their race.

Lumini is a relaxing adventure where the emphasis is on exploring and overcoming obstacles in the way of your swarm. Your primary focus is the protection of your swarm, as in addition to the hostile creatures inhabiting the world, there are also environmental hazards to avoid. Along the way, you need to collect the life energy of the planet, which is then used to bring back fallen Lumini at the checkpoints that are dotted about. It is a relatively straightforward task, but the game pulls it off so well that it is impossible not to get hooked.

The Lumini, which looks like flying fish-like creatures, come in four different colors, each with its own abilities. You start with a lone purple Lumini, but after each checkpoint, your swarm expands, provided you have picked up the life energy en route. The Lumini can perform a stun attack to ward off the critters looking to make a meal out of them, but you can also opt for a more evasive approach. For example, the temporary speed boost power of the blue Lumini can be used by players to get the swarm out of harm’s way. On the other hand, red Lumini can actually kill enemies with their shockwave attacks, making them more suited for aggressive players.

Apart from killing or evading enemies while exploring the environments, there are also a couple of puzzles to solve in the game. None of them are particularly taxing, though, as they mainly focus on the ability to split up your swarm. Splitting up the swarm allows you to perform tasks like activating multiple pressure plates. You can also hold down a button to make both swarms perform the same action, which is handy for puzzles that involve spinning separate wheels that open doors. Although your route through the environments is always clear, you can also guide your Lumini off the beaten track in order to search for hidden areas. Doing so will often reward you with unlockables like character models and concept art.

The game was created using Unity, and the artists over at Speelbaars did a great job with the visual style. Everything is colorful and vibrant, which makes the game as fun to watch as it is to play. The way the Lumini light up their surroundings as they fly past looks great, and the backgrounds feature a lot of depth. While the game plays out on a 2D plane, the 3D backgrounds make it look like you can reach right into the screen, which is quite a neat effect. There are many different environments to explore, and your swarm also evolves as you play. We would have liked to see some more enemies in the game, but the ones that are present feature some nice designs. Some will chase down and try to eat your Lumini, while others launch deadly projectiles toward your swarm. Lumini that are killed plummet from the sky, which is quite a heartbreaking sight, especially as there is an achievement for not losing a single Lumini.

Playing Lumini is quite a relaxing experience, and the game features a suitably soothing soundtrack. Although none of the tunes stand out as catchy, they all match the game’s mood perfectly and draw you further into the experience. The sound effects are also very good, especially the cute chirping sounds made by the Lumini. The game recommends a controller for the best playing experience, and we wholeheartedly agree. Controlling your swarm with an analog stick feels much more intuitive than the keyboard due to the flow-based movement and makes it easier to handle two swarms.

We really enjoyed the great level design and charming visuals of Lumini, but the game is relatively short. The first playthrough is also quite easy, so we recommend players take their time and seek out all the hidden areas. Completing the game also unlocks a new “Hard” mode, which provides a much bigger challenge as enemies are more numerous and more aggressive. Finally, there are some nice Steam achievements to aim for, such as completing the game without beating a single enemy, collecting all the energy, and not losing a single Lumini.

Although it is probably not a game for action fans, Lumini is a great choice for players searching for a more relaxing experience. It is the type of game where you find yourself making detours or flying in loops just because doing so feels incredible. The low difficulty curve should ensure that nobody will have problems completing the game, but try it on the “Hard” mode before complaining that it is too easy. Speelbaars has created a fun and good-looking game that is accessible to anyone, and we highly recommend Lumini to fans of more relaxing experiences. Just be sure to play it with a controller for the best experience.