This game is such a vibe. Inspired by King's Field, one of Fromsoft's first products, and even games such as Dark Souls and Bloodborne, Lunacid allows you to relive the old Playstation 1 era. Although it is not very difficult in terms of difficulty, since there is no automatic save system in the game (which I cannot judge since it is a design style), saving frequently is an important element for you to continue enjoying the game. The slightest mistake and you dying and losing hours of progress will cause you to become bored with the game or even quit it. I also experienced it from time to time and quit, but when I regained my patience and came back, it is the kind of production that you will have a lot of fun with, especially if you play by researching, getting stronger and saving frequently. Many times you will get lost in the game and not know what to do, which is completely normal. Therefore, I recommend you to turn on the compass in the settings to find direction more easily in the game. Of course, do not hesitate to look at the wiki frequently when you are lost and want to find direction. There are many secret parts in the game, so researching them plays an important role. You can find many powerful weapons and spells in the secret sections and continue the game much more easily. As a result, Lunacid is like a spiritual sequel to Fromsoft's King's Field, with old Playstation-era graphics and mechanics. Unlike other indie souls-like games, it is not uncommon for them to take King's Field as an example in terms of style and style and to do this successfully, so the producers should be appreciated. With its music, old-style mechanics, atmosphere and level designs, Lunacid is one of the successful souls-likes that you should definitely try.

I was a big fan of Kira's games before this one came out, so it was quite the pleasant surprise to learn they too were King's Field and Shadow Tower pilled. Lunacid not only does a beautiful job emulating the charm of its spiritual predecessors, it also modernizes and iterates on them in a clearly very passionate, loving, and respectful sort of way. Of course, it also has no shortage of its own ideas, and they really do give it a fresh, endearing identity. And goddamn is this game sweet— if I fell down its well I don't think I'd want to return either.

It's such a vibe to do some old school dungeon crawling to the tune of lo-fi, listen to the Banjo-Kazooie speak of an adorable little cast of characters, then shit myself when moments of this game are lowkey scarier than any horror game I've ever played. There's also not really a speed or jump height cap so far as I know, so if you wanna grind and turn the game into Quake, the world is your oyster. And don't get me started on all the cute little nods to some of my favorite game series, King's Field and Shadow Tower obviously, but off the top of my head, also Castlevania, Drakengard, Zelda, and Kira's other games of course! Shit, even the real life moon cycle buffs your in game magic, if that doesn't sell it I dunno what will.

I've always wanted to make a game like Lunacid, and seeing someone inspired by all the same shit I like honestly really inspires me. Given aspects of it can be a little obtuse I'm sure it won't be for everyone, but maybe give it a shot if it's a rainy day (or preferably, full moon) and looks like your thing!

Игра крайне заманчивая для жанра данжен-кроулер с элементами метроидвании и очень атмосферным, гнетущим сеттингом на уровне какого-то Dark Souls 3 с элементами хоррора, где все выполнено крайне напряженно, а мир ощущается потерянным, полностью уничтоженным и увядающим. По мимо мира, обращая внимание на геймплей, можно сказать что он не выдающийся. по крайней мере, я не могу сказать, что нажатие кнопки удара и уклонение вправо-влево от линейных атак, в боевой системе, можно назвать увлекательным. С другой стороны, для данного жанра куда более интригует сам мир и его исследование. И поверьте, мир этот может вас иногда нехило удивить! Сюжет так же интригует и синергирует с миром, от чего и происходят все те эмоции, что я описал выше. Чего не скажешь о концовках, я не совсем понял, что автор хотел ими сказать, но они просто выбивают тебя из колеи после прохождения.

Lunacid harks back to old fromsoft games like Kingsfeild and does so greatly while also having its own aesthetic with a cool lofi wavy style.

I finished the game while it was in early access and found it really interesting and beautiful, Akuma Kira's style oozes through with both the amazing soundtrack and glamorous visuals, particular highlights were the library and forest level. as well as the amount of unique weapons and spells allow you to explore freely and play the game how you want.

There were some things I found that did hinder the experience. The combat for example is pretty bland however having to use different weapons in order to defeat certain enemies faster was nice and allowed for a bit of variety the actual combat was more just stepping back and forth until the enemy falls. Also there is some grind to the game which i don't think is bad, however when you are killing slugs for a fair while can be a little boring.

This doesn't detract too much from the game though as once you gain some momentum you keep it and the fun of exploring the variety of locations in the pit becomes a cool adventure. I'd definitely recommend this game, especially for its price.

Very cool first person dungeon crawler. Exploration is fun and carries the game. Combat is simple but functional, and there a lot of secrets to uncover.

OST is very good and complements the game chill atmosphere.

Only bad thing for me is the kinda nonsensical ending and the fact that you get way too strong too early in the game.

Recommend for everyone who likes RPGs/Exploration in games.

This game is a game of extremes. As others have said already the athmosphere and general feel of the game is amazing. Some levels are just chefs kiss in their design and how they feel. That's by far the best thing about this game.

On the other hand you have the combat, and oh boy it really isn't that good. It feels a bit like your typical Elder Scrolls melee combat, in that you pretty much just slap at the enemy until it drops dead. Also ranged weapons are absolutely OP in this game and the combat just isn't strong enough to carry me through this game.
Besides that you have mechanics like alchemy which felt really tacked on for me.

If you love exploration games totally get this one. But if combat gameplay is important for you then maybe just skip this.

Finally, a game that understands that dungeon crawling is all about the a e s t h e t i c s. It uses a more modern control scheme so it plays a lot faster than the old fromsoft games that inspired it. This does take away some of the challenge but also makes it far less frustrating, so that's probably a good thing. Exploring the dungeon is the main focus and it's good fun. Each area has a distinct vibe with a phenomenal soundtrack to back it up.

There's also lore about lesbian vampire mums and their son who's basically Alucard. A masterpiece.

Lunacid is really really good if you're into the kind of game that's more an exercise in ambience and exploration than it is a game about action combat or difficulty. Which is to say, I think this game is maybe too easy, some of the spells especially are broken strong. That being said, I don't think that really detracts from what Lunacid does very well. This game is shockingly restrained. Through much of the early game I kept expecting to encounter a big boss or extremely scary threatening enemy, but it never really came, and honestly I very much think that's for the best. Running around with your arsenal of weapons and spells is a pretty good time and the world feels extremely good. I do think that some of the vibes fall off in the later game, especially as you get strong, but the way the maps weave in themselves and connect to each creates this perfect maze that feels both easy to get lost in and easy to visualize. There are also of course an absolute plethora of secrets. This game is very much designed for people who love searching for secrets and puzzles. There are times where I think the game could be a liiiiittle more giving with it's hints, but it's down to taste really.

Definitely a strong recommend from me.

Incredible atmosphere, exploration and soundtrack unfortunately tainted by combat that, despite offering a huge arsenal of weapons and spells, feels monotonous due to bare-bones and predictable enemy AI.

Still a great game that I recommend if you like exploring and finding secrets. It gets really weird with the secret endings :)

Lunacid made me a fan of Kira's style and from now on, I will likely play everything they release.

Lunacid was a fantastic game and the first time I've ever played a game in the Kingsfield style. I really enjoyed the style of game, getting lost (literally) in the world and soaking in the atmosphere. The music was amazing, a lofi kind of feel but still matched the tone of the game. The exploration and the music were the shining parts of this game, I always felt rewarded when exploring every nook and cranny, looking for secrets. One thing I wish there was more of is boss fights, but honestly, some of the encounters alone were harder than the boss fights, so I can't complain too much. Overall a great experience and I highly recommend it if you like Dark Souls in any capacity!

I may get back to this at a later date when my yearning for a lovecraftian-esque atmosphere in a art style reminiscent of older playstation consoles comes back to me as it does while I continue to write this review, however, the pure amount of backtracking within this game mixed with its very simple and sometimes annoying combat (due to a focus upon enemies health and time-to-kill than making fluid or enticing combat) simply push me away at the moment.

As I've stated above, the atmosphere of this game is simply breathtaking and possibly among the best I've seen before, I was constantly stopping in place to turn off my HUD just to take screenshots of the beautiful areas. While the combat and gameplay itself may not be the cleanest or grasp you into it's world as other games may, it's atmosphere is beyond breathtaking and, to be honest, the main reason I'd want to get back to this game.

The lore within this world is also fascinating too, given to you mostly through your own acts of stitching the narrative together through dialogue and books found upon the ground scattered throughout the world, it's very interesting and reminds me a fair bit of Dark Souls reading item descriptions and diving into tiny bits and pieces to truly build the full picture.

Overall a definite positive experience, but one I'm conflicted on getting back to in the near future.

With the heavy saturation of Souls-likes on the market, I've always wanted to see modernisations of From Soft's extensive past. Lunacid is one such game, taking directly from the King's Field and Shadow Tower series. I was unfamiliar with these games, and therefore was able to enjoy a new kind of gameplay experience.

The exploration is incredibly engrossing. Aided by amazing atmosphere and music(shout out Thor High Heels), it's easy to get lost by design, but this means that the player must be attentive at all times, and build a mental map of each sprawling dungeon. It was satisfying to start each level feeling completely aimless only to get a feel and mastery over the layout.

Combat is also surprisingly fun, despite its simplicity. There's a ton of build, weapon and magic options allowing for various approaches, and while battle can start out relatively difficult it's not hard to build up something that can end up shredding them. Again, the progression feels really nice.

That said, sometimes the game was a little too obtuse for its own good. Overlooking a single easy-to-miss ladder in a dungeon can lead to missing half of it as the rest leads to nowhere. Some dungeons are completely optional, yet I had no way of knowing until I exhausted every corner thinking I had missed something. One door that's mandatory for the rest of the game is very confusing on how to open. Needless to say, I had to resort to a guide more times than I'd like.

Overall though, the obtuse parts of the game weren't enough to ruin my enjoyment, and in some ways did add to its mysterious nature somewhat. I loved Akuma Kira's last game Lost in Vivo, and it seems like he's only improving. I'm very much looking forward to a potential sequel to this game, or trying out some of its inspirations.

Lunacid has a lot of things going for it, but I still have a feeling that it underdelivers, mainly because of the limited resources. It has a great atmosphere and a fantastic ambiance, but the design in some places is completely lacking or unoriginal. Nonetheless, many areas are still charming. This game is all about exploring, and, for me, it is both its strength and weakness. The exploring is really fun and the game has tons of secrets that you can discover, with or without the help of the internet. On the other hand, a lot of exploration comes down to you finding a healing item or some other potion, and doesn't feel rewarding at all, but only lessens the incentive of exploring the areas more thoroughly. The best part of combat is spells. However, even here, spells work the best not during the combat itself, but during the exploration, when a big share of the spells is directly applicable to the environment and with which you can discover already mentioned secrets. My favorite spell in this regard is "Coffin", simply because of how badly it functions in the game and how absurdly high the number of coffins can get when you finally reach the place you need to get to. As for the combat itself, I mean, it's there, but it does not bring any depth to the gameplay.
The plot of this game is pretty simple, but still compelling, mainly because of the cool environment. The lore, however, feels rather amateur and is sabotaged by some of its aspects like the Egypt-themed area which seems extremely out of place and kinda boring, and the game's size - a lot of areas are too short and seem too insignificant.
Overall, still an enjoyable experience, and a feeling that Lunacid had much more potential, had it had a bit more substance to it.
Grade: 6.2/10

This review is totally not biased in anyway.

Anyways no I love Lunacid, I already considered it one of my all time favorites games before I got the ability to work on music for it in October of 2022.

Kira is a developer I have an extreme ammount of respect for. I love their story telling through notes only, their atmosphere and areas they create, their characters, and worlds. The only thing that I was never a fan of was the genre. I hate horror, this of course hasn't stopped lost in vivo being one of my favorite games of all time and just an overall extremely important piece of media to me. But I do not like them, so in 2019ish when Kira started teasing a new project inspired by Castlevania that was a spiritual successor to lost in vivos midnight mode I was extremely excited.

Lunacid takes what Kira is the absolute best at and puts it in an ambient exploration game and it works so so well. The thing this game less succeeds at is in difficulty and combat but, in my completely honest opinion. In depth combat has ruined exploration games for me, as it oftent slows down combat in general, and games like that very often force you into combat arenas which slow down exploration even more. See games like castlevania lament of innocence or Hollow Knight.
Games like castlevania symphony of the night I don't think were unfocused on combat because of the time they were made but because exploration is the actual important and fun part of these games.

I think lunacid has the perfect ammount of exploration mixed with some combat, it's a chill, relaxing, and atmospheric game.

That still has horror in it Kira why :(