14 DAY TRIAL // I jump onto a jellyfish-like creature that can move across rails made of energy. But I quickly realize that I failed to activate one energy conduit, so I move back, hop onto another creature, complete a short environmental movement puzzle and then get back to the jellyfish. I can now turn this entire area blue, move through a portal and try to deal with another puzzle.
Lumote: The Mastermote Chronicles is developed by Luminawesome Games Ltd and published by Wired Productions. I played the game on the PC via Steam, where it is set to launch before the end of the month. This is a puzzle platformer with plenty of interesting ideas, including a game world that can always be seen as players move through it.
The narrative setup is simple: explore the great depths, eliminate some form of corruption by solving puzzles, find and deal with the Mastermote from the title. The game delivers some storytelling via its environment, but the focus is squarely on the gameplay.
The game has no classic tutorial but it starts off with very simple puzzles that quickly teach the player how to move, activate environmental actions, or interact with other creatures. The complexity curve nudges up slowly, asking players to deal with more complex spaces and puzzles. Even though, apart from movement, the game only uses jump and control buttons, it delivers some very good puzzle designs.
I failed some timed-based platforming challenges, especially the first time around, but most of the time, progress in Lumote is all about thinking about environments and how they can be re-arranged. Make sure to move the camera around if you get stuck and see the world differently.
Lumote: The Mastermote Chronicles is pretty and alien but in a good way. The design mixes an underwater and bio-luminescent vibe spires and blocky towers that suggest a long-lost civilization. The sound design and soundtrack suit the rest of the world well, although repetition can become a problem.
Conclusion
The level of cuteness and slowly increasing difficulty curve make this a very good experience for newcomers or younger players. But it will also deliver some solid headscratchers for those looking for a challenge, later on. I look forward to engaging more with Lumote when it arrives on March 24.
Preview code provided by the publisher.
