Lunark

Lunark is a 2D cinematic platformer shown from a side view. It is set on a distant planet ruled by a totalitarian regime with a dystopian theme. The protagonist is Leo, a courier with a mysterious past who suffers from a disease that accelerates his ageing process. After a sudden turn of events he is hunted down and needs to delve deep to discover his past.

There are 12 levels and the environments consists of fixed screens linked together. Locations include a dystopian megapolis, a laboratory, an alien forest, a night club on the moon, dark caves and more. The gameplay is slow and mostly revolves around solving puzzles. The game borrows from classic cinematic platformers from the 90s, particularly Flashback: The Quest for Identity. Visually a similar pixel art style is used with large pixels. Mechanically this is apparent through the movement. There is a lot of platforming with fluent motions for running, swinging, daring jumps, hanging from ledges and rolling, but like in that game the character is often 'locked' into an animation when it is started, meaning movement is more of a sequence of planned actions than instant control with quick turns or reflexes. Each level introduces new puzzle mechanics, incorporating lasers, teleporters, switches and the strategic use of killing enemies in certain locations. There are often keys required to progress.

Leo can fight back uses his fists and a gun. The gun has infinite ammo, but needs to be reloaded. Gradually some permanent stat boosts are unlocked, for both the character and the gun. Often, evading enemies and using dodge rolls is required to survive. Health can be restored by finding certain flowers. Leo also has access to a limited number of shields providing temporary protection.