Lunacid is an indie dungeon-crawler RPG developed and published by Kira LLC. In this dark fantasy world, the player takes the role of a thief cast down into the Great Well. Lunacid is heavily inspired by retro dungeon crawlers and provides a mostly entertaining experience.
BLOCKY BEAUTY
The world of Lunacid is stuffed to the brim with retro charm.
Lunacid is made with the Unity engine, which is well known for its versatility. The game’s art style takes heavy inspiration from FromSoftware’s early games, notably King’s Field. Players will explore various visually distinct locales, such as a magical forest, a slime-infested mire, a vampire-ridden castle, or an Egyptian-themed temple. There’s a clever use of shadows, color, and ambient effects like fog to create mood and mystery. The good thing about having a handful of dungeons is that each of them can be fleshed out and feel unique rather than have them all blend.
In case the simple textures and animations weren’t enough to emulate the feel of 90s dungeon crawlers, there are a handful of filters to reinforce the retro theme. There’s also the option for tank controls called “Legacy Mode.” As far as presentation is concerned, the developer has gone beyond expectations.
TUNES FIT FOR A DUNGEON
Personally, I believe that music is one of the most substantial parts of the game. While King’s Field inspires the visuals and premise of Lunacid, the soundtrack appears to be heavily inspired by the works of Akira Yamaoka. The composers listed for the game are Jarren Crist, Akuma Kira, ThorHighHeels, AsterVrisk, and Jeffrey Nordin. Entering a new area will give a bit of text telling you what soundtrack is playing.
Some tracks, like “The Smile is Red” and “Serence,” wouldn’t feel out of place in a Silent Hill game. There’s a liberal use of chimes, piano, and synthesizers to create a melancholy atmosphere. Other tracks, like “Cerebro Temple,” lean towards horror, as if something out of this world lurks in the shadows.
It’s a well-made soundtrack that gives each location another layer of personality.
SMALL, COLORFUL CAST
Lunacid has a handful of characters you can interact with, each with a distinctive design and purpose. There are some minor quests to be had, and most of the background details will be conveyed to the player via dialogue snippets, item descriptions, and readables. There are no extended snippets of dialogue (save for one very chatty skeleton) or cutscenes to interrupt the game’s flow.
Although the game is set in a series of dungeons, the information conveyed to the player paints a picture of a larger world well. There’s a constant theme of madness and redemption.
ORDINARY GAMEPLAY LOOP
The visuals and soundtrack of Lunacid ooze with style. The same cannot be said for the gameplay. Let us go over the basics first.
Combat is based on action RPG mechanics. You’re able to create your characters and assign them a class. Different classes provide different starting stats. The stats in the game are:
- Strength – Governs health and melee damage.
- Defense – Governs health and how much you can block before your guard is broken.
- Speed – Governs movement speed.
- Dexterity – Governs jump height and damage with ranged weapons.
- Intelligence – Governs mana pool and spell cast time.
- Resistance – Governs duration of status effects.
You have regular and charged attacks. Block negates a portion of damage and, depending on the weapon, lets you backstep. Combine that with movement, and you can imitate the dodge maneuvers in Souls games. There are different damage types, spells, and status effects. There’s a fair bit of weapons, spells, consumables, and resources to scavenge. Resources also drop from enemies and by breaking containers and foliage.
Some weapons can be enhanced after being used enough. Crisp sound effects, camera shake, and dismemberment help make even the early game weapons appear impactful. There’s a good amount of enemy variety—dark fantasy-themed with their quirks, resistances, and damage types. Spells come in the form of rings, and they range from combat to utility. Flame spears. Dark magic skulls. Magic swords to help you in melee and coffins to reach high places. Yes, you can summon coffins.
Defeating enemies grants XP. Players can level up, warp, and save the game at save crystals. Enemies respawn upon changing areas, so the player will have an opportunity to grind and gather loot.
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NOT AS DEEP AS IT LOOKS
The combat in Lunacid has its fun moments, though its core is rather basic. A few misconceptions need to be dispelled.
The game allows you to build whatever you want, as the class system is only a general guideline, offering different pros and cons.
Different classes affect the game world in very minor ways. There are no skill checks, although there is a stats scale. Every class/build has access to the same weapons and spells. There is no armor. There are no medallions or trinkets that provide new ways to tackle combat. Leveling has soft caps. Your recourse will be spells, conventional weapons, and consumables.
I believe that creating classes in RPGs is a tricky thing. On one hand, you want to allow the player to interact with the world differently. On the other hand, you need to provide them with compromises and challenges. You don’t want to make one class or approach to be objectively better. In Lunacid, players can only equip two weapons and two spells simultaneously. Due to the limited number of weapon slots and spell slots, going with a pure weapon or magic build can make combat rather stale. The best way to enjoy Lunacid is to combine spells and melee, frequently cycling between your limited inventory options. Combine that with basic mobility like strafing or bunny hopping, and you’ve got a simple albeit okay combat loop. Again, harkening back to the old-school dungeon crawlers.
EXPLORATION AND LUNACY
While serviceable and a foundation of Lunacid, combat is not the focus. It’s all rather basic, and it doesn’t take long to realize how blurry the lines actually are. Exploration and atmosphere are the focus of the game. Exploration will lead to loot, secrets, and Easter eggs. Accessing some areas will require the player to think outside the box, which is always rewarding.
The most interesting mechanic in Lunacid is the Lunacy mechanic. Casting spells will increase the player’s Lunacy level, making them receive extra damage. However, it also increases the amount of XP gained, making it into a risk-reward system. Lunacy is reset upon interacting with save crystals, although you can increase it via consumables. Being attentive will open different routes.
CONCLUSION
Lunacid faithfully recreates old-school dungeon crawlers. While the gameplay loop is as deep as a puddle, the atmosphere the game creates is nothing short of amazing.
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