Gamers old enough to remember the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum will more than likely remember classics such as Knight Lore, Alien 8 and Head Over Heels. These puzzle-based, isometric adventure games were innovative for their time, thanks to their pseudo 3D environments and challenging gameplay. Lumo by Triple Eh? attempts to encapsulate all the features of the aforementioned games pioneered back in the day, but with modern graphics and revised game mechanics.
Lumo starts with a simple character creation process, where the player can choose their gender ( i.e. boy or girl), and the color of their clothing from an available palette of 6 colors. From there, the player can choose between three different control orientations – Diagonal (the classic control method); 4-way ; or a reversed version of the original, classic controls.
Afterwards, the player’s character is shown standing before a house. While it’s possible to explore the surrounding yard, it’s quite small and fenced in. The only available choice is to enter the house, where a group of people are enjoying various classic video games. In the back of the house is a ZX Spectrum computer sitting on a computer desk. As the player approaches the desk, a camera device activates and ‘digitizes’ the player into the world of Lumo. The best way to describe this is to think back to the 1982 Walt Disney movie Tron, where Jeff Bridges is pulled into the digital world when his ‘digitizer’ equipment attacks him.
Lumo is a casual, puzzle platformer that takes place inside a dungeon consisting of 400 different rooms. The objective is to evade dangerous traps, solve puzzles and find keys to unlock the different doors located throughout each level. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, not exactly. Lumo is vulnerable to everything, and will die the moment the player comes in contact with water, fire, etc. Basically, the entire dungeon is a hazard.
The gameplay involves traversing thin walkways that snake along deep pools of water; avoiding pillars of fire that spin in a clockwise motion; and pushing boxes around to create ‘steps’ to reach certain items.
A good example of the game’s many puzzles is a furnace, which is found later in the dungeon. The only way to make the furnace functional again is to find a wrench, which is located in a tower on the opposite side of the level. Once the player has recovered the wrench, they can return to the furnace and repair it. After making the repairs, a conveyor belt (which is needed to reach a suspended platform) activates elsewhere in the level. Unfortunately, repairing the furnace turns on a new environmental hazard that makes exploring the dungeon more difficult. The player will encounter many scenarios like this one.
The game is chock-full of secrets, too. Without giving too much away — some rooms have hidden areas that can only be accessed by experimenting with the environment. There is one thing to keep in mind when looking for these easter eggs – what may seem impossible (or ridiculous) usually ends up being the answer, so don’t hesitate to experiment.
Fans of the isometric, adventure puzzle genre will instantly fall in love with Lumo. The game captures the magic of the genre without skipping a beat, while also providing modern amenities like 3D graphics and good sound to enhance the experience. Casual gamers, on the other hand, will appreciate Lumo’s challenging puzzles and slower pace.
Mike Pittaro
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Developer: Triple Eh?
Publisher: Rising Star Games
ESRB: E 10+ (Everyone 10+)
Price: $19.95
Lumo Official Website:
http://play-lumo.com/
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Graphics |   |
| Decent graphics that could use some additional detail. | |
| Sound | |
| The sound of crackling torches, echoing footsteps, and an ambient, but low key soundtrack add to the game's appeal. | |
| Gameplay | |
| Lumo is classic platforming at its finest. | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Fans of the isometric, adventure puzzle genre will instantly fall in love with Lumo. | |
