Rising Star Games let me try out Lumo at PAX East 2016. This is an adventure puzzle game where you play as a little boy and wanted across several room and discover the secrets within. This isometric game reminds me a lot of Landstalker but of course that game was very action based. The goal was to find the key to complete the level. But before getting this key, I needed to travel across a series of rooms. Eventually I came a cross a powerup that would let me jump which is necessary in order to find all of the secrets in which there are a bunch.
Thinking “Outside the box” is not only required but something that is taken quite literally in this game. Many of the levels are shaped like boxes and you can actually jump outside of certain screens and find secrets. The puzzles themselves were perfectly balanced. They will make you think for a second but make sense as you play. In fact as soon as you get the jump ability you can come back to previous areas and get past some of the obstacles you saw before. This game cleverly previews puzzles before you can actually go and solve them, which is mark of solid level design. Throughout the game you will find books that will give you more info on the lore of the world and the music is so peaceful and calming that it really sucks you in. The music inside the elevator in particular made me smile, giving a new meaning to the term “Elevator music”. This is definitely a game to be played with headphones.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with Lumo. Its a basic game that achieves a lot while being very simple to play. Lumo is said to have 400+ rooms and I can see this one being a popular choice on PC. It’s the kind of game you can play to relax, but will still stimulate your mind. Check out Lumo when it releases on Steam, its an interesting and memorable experience.
