Lucky Luna Review

Descend Into Mystery

Have you ever started a game and just knew that you were in for a good time? That was my experience with platforming adventure game Lucky Luna. From the first notes of raindrop-like synth music to the serene moonlit visuals of Lucky Luna’s title screen, I knew that I was in for a fulfilling gaming experience.

Lucky Luna is developer Snowman’s newest game in partnership with publisher Netflix Games. The game stars Luna, a violet-haired adolescent sporting a flowy white gown and a red and white kitsune mask, as she explores a labyrinth of temple ruins and dungeons. Lucky Luna opens with Luna descending stairs into strange ruins. After discovering a red fox napping by a portal, Luna is beckoned to give chase. Once you’ve cleared the initial level, Luna falls asleep, and you are shown her backstory through her dream. Prior to her descent, Luna awakens on the beach of a strange land, at the feet of temple ruins. She then sets off in search of her missing memories and presumably, a way home.

No Turning Back

Lucky Luna’s controls are as simple as can be—you use your fingers to scroll left and right to progress vertically, downward through stages. Unlike most platformers, there is no jump button. At first, this was really irritating, as I’m used to hopping my way through levels. I was also afraid that the lack of jumping would dampen the sense of exploration so common in platformers, but to my surprise, this was rarely the case.

In Luna, once you’ve fallen to the next platform, that’s it. Your path is set. However, I found myself rarely missing important areas, as most of the maps are straightforward. The most you could miss is a set of pearls or jewels—the game’s main collectibles or temple challenges that reward the player with a piece of the story slates. Story slates are great puzzle-piece-shaped slabs of hieroglyphics that reveal Luna’s past. Even if you do miss these story pieces (and you probably will overlook a couple as some are well-concealed), levels are easily replayable. Replaying areas doesn’t feel tedious, as revisiting the different levels in search of secrets adds to the game’s sense of wonder.

There’s Beauty in the World

Speaking of wonder, Lucky Luna’s got it in spades. Artist Anaïs Maamar’s 2D pixel art is crucial to Lucky Luna’s story. The minimalist style and cool, pastel color palette (think Steven Universe) give the game an ethereal feel, which lends well to Luna’s very dreamy journey. The dreamy aesthetic is also supported by the playfully drippy, synth-infused soundtrack by Todd Baker. The soundtrack is reminiscent of Animal Crossing’s late-night tunes, but with more contemplative gravitas and less jovial levity. Despite the game’s lack of high stakes, the music and art do a great job of conveying the game’s curious yet reverent tone.

While colorfully rendered, dungeons feel largely abandoned. From towering windmill-like structures to stars dotting the temple walls, there’s plenty here to admire. There are six dungeon portals with different environments. In addition to the initial simple portal level through which Luna reached the temple, there’s a forest crawling with bugs, a volcanic labyrinth, an air temple with moving platforms, a garden filled with spiky terrain and a fountain-filled water level. Still, even with the colorful design, I could feel the loss and loneliness hanging in the air of these long empty sacred spaces. This vibe, thanks to Lucky Luna’s adorable design and contemplative music, fostered the curiosity that kept me exploring.

A Tale of Two Modes

There are two main modes to the game—Story and Endless. Story mode is relatively short, clocking in at around an hour for platforming veterans. The story let me down a little in terms of length and depth, but was pleased enough overall. The ending is cute and it gave me Sailor Moon vibes, which is always a win in my book. Yet I wish the story had more depth. The world is so colorful and interesting, and the hints of lore hold so much potential. If only there had been more cutscenes devoted to exploring it fully.

Endless mode features Luna progressing through an endless maze of challenges unique to each dungeon portal’s level. I found myself most engrossed in Endless mode, especially given how fluid the gameplay often was. That’s not to say that the Story mode was boring because it certainly wasn’t. I needed the Story mode to really drink in each dungeon’s environment and creatures. However, Endless mode kept me moving, and I found myself paying less attention to the scenery and focusing on finding jewels and progressing quickly.

There are no enemies looking to destroy you, only beetles, grubs, dragonflies and comically large koi fish. These critters, specifically the dragonflies and koi, are sometimes a means of progressing through as you can utilize them to jump and fly. My only criticism is that I wish I had known that they were of use early on, as opposed to enemies to avoid, like in most platforming games.

Rhythm and Flow

The game flows beautifully and I appreciate how well-designed, balanced and straight-forward the levels are. Even in the more explorable areas, it was obvious where to go next. Just follow the trail of pearls or the occasional appearance of the red fox. It’s clear that a lot of care went into balancing tough areas with moments of ease. For example, I was tasked with guiding trampoline-like floating platforms across spiked areas into specific “keyhole” locations to unlock doors. Luckily, I found myself on the other side of this nail-biting task simply collecting pearls and jewels. In the lava areas, you’ll need to rush past fire-breathing statues, while your platform floats under them. Then you’ll have to slow down and wait for the perfect opportunity to fall past a series of those same statues. This hurry-and-wait play style isn’t annoying, however, and offers more of that balanced feel.

To save your game Luna needs to land on glowing temple poles to drive them into the ground. These save points are necessary, as the game is unforgiving in certain areas, especially given how overly responsive the controls can be. This wasn’t a constant problem, but it did happen. Luckily, there’s a setting for controlling how fast Luna moves through the game to help mitigate this issue. In addition to the two modes, Lucky Luna offers around one hundred achievements, two different trophy rooms, and photographable moments. There were several moments where Luna would stop at a location, and a prompt would appear to take a screenshot. I could then either upload it to social media or send it as a text message. I was a little puzzled as to why these were included, as they broke up the gameplay a bit, but each photo moment felt worth the inclusion.

A Diamond in the Rough

With so many options in the adventure and platforming genres, Lucky Luna manages to set itself apart through its simple, yet innovative controls and charming visuals. While light on the story, the game is packed with hours of fun thanks to its Endless mode and achievements. Fans of adventure and platforming games will delight in this addictive gem.