Lunark
A retro-style cinematic platformer inspired by Prince of Persia and Flashback.
Lunark is a cinematic platform game with a retro style, released in 2023. It was developed by Canari Games and published by WayForward. The game launched for Windows, macOS, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch on March 30, 2023, followed by PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 versions on April 6, 2023. Players control Leo, a young boy with special abilities, as they seek to discover the truth about humanity's origins.
The game was largely the work of creator Johan Vinet. A Kickstarter campaign for Lunark ended in 2019, raising over 81,655 Canadian dollars.
**Gameplay** Lunark is a retro-style cinematic platformer. The player takes on the role of Leo, a boy with unique physical traits and abilities, including a weapon for shooting. Gameplay involves overcoming traps and solving puzzles across 12 levels.
**Plot** Centuries ago, Earth became uninhabitable, with forecasts giving humanity only about ten more years. Scientists created an artificial intelligence named Noah, which transformed the Moon into a giant spaceship. The Lunark operation was a last-ditch effort to save millions of humans. Centuries later, humans are nearing the 300th anniversary of settling on their new home planet, Albaryne. Leo returns to Albaryne to investigate a rumor that no human has ever died there, and to speak with guards and builders about a figure named Gideon. He then flies to a level called Hitting a Wall. Sent on a mission to retrieve an artifact, Leo discovers he is being framed. As he uncovers the reasons behind the setup, he must overcome puzzles that block his progress.
**Development** Lunark was inspired by 1980s and 1990s games such as *Prince of Persia*, *Flashback*, and *Another World*. Johan Vinet began working on the game in 2016, initially creating demakes for fun. His love of old platformers led him to think he could turn it into a real game. Vinet founded Canari Games and launched a Kickstarter campaign in 2019. Jordan Mechner, creator of *Prince of Persia*, remarked that the game looked like something Eric Chahi might have made. Vinet originally planned to release only on Windows and macOS, but after WayForward contacted him with a publishing deal, he could develop for more platforms. The setting and plot were influenced by science fiction films, TV series, and books, as well as adventure films like *Indiana Jones* and *Back to the Future*.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Lunark
- Developer
- Canari Games
- Publisher
- WayForward
- Director
- Johan Vinet
- Producer
- David Fratto
- Programmer
- Topher Anselmo / Oscar Gonzalez / Xitilon
- Platforms
- Windows / macOS / Nintendo Switch / Xbox One / Xbox Series X/S / PlayStation 4 / PlayStation 5
- Released
- Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, macOS, Nintendo Switch / March 30, 2023 / PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 / April 6, 2023
- Genre
- Platform
- Modes
- Single player
- Engine
- GameMaker
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Lunark is a retro-style cinematic platformer. The player controls Leo, a young boy with unique physical characteristics, who uses a weapon to shoot, overcomes traps, and solves puzzles across 12 levels. The plot is set centuries after Earth became unsustainable, with the Moon transformed into a giant spaceship by an artificial intelligence called Noah, created by a group of scientists. The operation Lunark was humanity's last-ditch effort to survive. Centuries later, humans are about to celebrate the 300th anniversary of their arrival on the new home planet Albaryne. Leo returns to Albaryne to investigate a rumor that there has not been a single human casualty, and later flies to the level Hitting a Wall. He is sent on a mission for an artifact but realizes someone is framing him; as he uncovers truths about the framing, puzzles hinder his progression.
Reader's Guide
Lunark was mostly developed by creator Johan Vinet, who began work in 2016 while making demakes for fun. Inspired by games from the 1980s and 1990s such as Prince of Persia, Flashback, and Another World, Vinet set out to create a game that honored those classics while adding updated controls and unique features. He wanted the game to attract with a colorful and dynamic theme rather than a dystopian one. Vinet composed the music, drawing inspiration from Blade Runner and Vangelis, and used extensive rotoscoping for cinematics, personally filming all the footage due to the small production scope. The game's plot is based on the story of Noah's Ark from the Book of Genesis, and Vinet was influenced by science fiction films, television series, and books, as well as adventure films such as Indiana Jones and Back to the Future. After a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2019, WayForward contacted Vinet for a publishing deal, enabling releases on additional platforms. A quality-of-life update in May 2023 added checkpoints, level select after beating the game, and bug fixes. Limited Run Games released physical and collector editions for the Nintendo Switch. Critics such as Luke Plunkett of Kotaku praised the rotoscoping, and Shaun Musgrave of TouchArcade considered the game one of the all-timers of cinematic platforming.
Did You Know?
- Lunark was mostly developed by a single creator, Johan Vinet, who also composed the music and filmed all rotoscope footage himself.
- Jordan Mechner, creator of Prince of Persia, noted that Lunark looked like something Eric Chahi could have made.
- A quality-of-life update in May 2023 added additional checkpoints and a level select after beating the game.
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