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This 3D puzzle-platformer is the six-person studio’s Master’s degree project and was created over ten months, with the result being a pretty polished game that you can download and play for free, provided you have a gamepad. Lumen has you play a young girl who really does wake up in a nightmare world with just a camera. There are huge teddy bears, thick brambles and buff skeletal demons all around, some of which you’ll need to clamber over. The voice that stirs her during her slumber guides you through the entirety of the twenty-minute-long game, and by the end, you’re given context as to why this voice is so helpful. What’s most interesting is how you can manipulate certain objects in the environment by taking a photo of them in designated spots and applying forces upon them by tilting and shaking the insta-printed picture that is produced. It’s the main puzzle mechanic. The other feature of the camera is using the flash to make transparent platforms solid for a few brief seconds so you can jump over them, which is pretty standard fare for a 3D platformer. Once you enter the Library, which is the second area in Lumen, you’ll discover that there are two different layers of gameplay to overcome. The first has you sneaking and sprinting across the floor to avoid the demons that patrol along predictable paths, and should they spot you, then you’ll have to run to a hiding spot while your heartbeat thumps in your throat. Once you’ve surpassed the library’s floor, which involves uncovering some of its secrets, you’ll climb up to the top of the bookshelves. Here you have to avoid giant swinging blades and stone crushers with a couple of timed dashes – nothing too stressful. There’s also an organ that you need to play in the library to open a door, and to do so successfully, you’ll need to memorize a sequence of thumbstick pushes. |
