LUNARK

I'm a huge fan of Another World and other cinematic platformers from that time, like Flashback or Heart of the Darkness. While this title borrows heavily from these classic games, it feels inferior to them in every aspect and offers little innovation. Controls? Feel even clunkier than in older titles. Graphics? Lower sprite resolution than in older titles. Story and setting? Generic, older titles are much more creative and interesting. Conclusion? Better to play/replay 30-year-old games.

A chunky pixel throwback to the Cinematic Platformers of yore (particularly Flashback). Doesn't reinvent the wheel, but a short and solid nostalgia trip nonetheless.

Excellent cinématique plateformer, classique dans sa forme et dans son fond; parfait hommage aux jeux de ma jeunesse !

The story was pretty fun, a little generic but enticing enough. I just don’t think this game is for me. The platforming is so clunky and unsatisfying, even comparing it to older titles. Finished the game because it’s so short, but if it was any longer, I would have dropped it.

The Cinematic platformer. Long dormant because, well, lots of 90s genres fell off. As per usual, indie developers come up and deliver the goods and the result here is Lunark; a game very much in the same vein as Flashback and Another World. While it is still slightly clunky, retaining the charms of the older era, it streamlines and refines a number of mechanics, which could be seen as better or worse depending on your point of view. As such, this is possibly the most accessible and playable cinematic platformer out there. [h1]Lights, Camera, Clumsy action![/h1] Just as the usual, defining genre is sometimes needed. The Cinematic platformer was a style of 2D platform game that stood out from the pack of the era with typically rotoscoped visuals (real people videoed which were painted over), meaning they tended to look a little more realistic than the Mario and Sonic inspired titles of the time. While this typically resulted in far more smooth movement, it also gave way to far more stilted and slow actions as the animations played out. This gave the games a more ponderous nature, where actions were dedicated to rather than jumped in and out from. Even walking was far more stiff wit…

If anyone has played Prince of Persia or Flashback this will feel very familiar. For anyone who hasn't played those games the controls may seem different to what you're used to but stick with it. While very much in the mould of earlier cinematic platformers, it has enough of its own innovations in playability to feel like an advancement. Care has also been taken to reduce some of the clunk of those earlier games. As for the story? I’m not going to spoil anything. Suffice to say Lunark will join Flashback as a game I'll continue to replay for years to come.