WhenLunarLuxreleases late next year, players can expect a game that gives them a futuristic world on the moon to dive into, welcoming players with Game Boy Advance nostalgia. This presentation is intentional, as it is infused with ideas that lead developer CosmicNobab has had since childhood. As a result, the indie title with a demo currently onSteamserves as Nobab’s dream game, and they’re offering to share it with people who wish to head into the stars too.
Game Rant spoke to CosmicNobab about the project they began with the wish to play a game with anime-styled characters on the moon. What started out as a solo endeavor became something far bigger as other talented people pitched in to help. NowLunarLuxis being published by Freedom Games, and the game is in full-time development with a dedicated team.
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The Core of LunarLux
“Game development was my dream job,” CosmicNobab said. “I wanted to take the leap into that field someday.” The budding developer learned how to programwith RPG Makerwhile also working as a full-time electrical engineer. Looking back, Nobab said they’re thankful for the experience that their former job gave them.
“I feel like my background in engineering was what gave me the team-building, communication, and collaborative skills that helped me take these connections to help make LunarLux’s development way more organized.”
The core concept ofLunarLuxwas inspired by ideas CosmicNobab said they “personally really latch onto.” They’ve enjoyed thinking of a future where the human race has advanced in space exploration to where society thrives on other planets. Whileestablishments like SpaceXhelp push this goal closer to reality, Nobab says they also look into more fantastical elements such as wormholes and antimatter black holes to expandLunarLux’s fantasyworld.
LunarLux’s Blend of Reality and Fiction
Instead of focusing on one or the other, CosmicNobab said the title aims to be a mix of both real, scientific concepts and fantastical sci-fi scenarios. These ideas can be seen in its demo through the lunar panels that protagonist Bella needs to collect in order to progress. While there were manysci-fi games shown off at Summer Game Fest,LunarLuxspecifically aims to get its players curious about the reality of space as they play.
“I always try to include some sort of real-world science into level designs and missions. For example, in the chapter one demo, Bella is trying to collect something called a ‘lunar panel,’ which is sort of like the opposite of a solar panel. Instead of absorbing light, it absorbs darkness. Players may look at that and go ‘whoa, is that a real thing?’ While lunar panels aren’t real, they might instead find something called ‘radiative cooling’ and learn about it.”
Just because thePC-bound indie gametakes inspiration from real life doesn’t mean the title is educational in nature. CosmicNobab wants to use scientific studies about space to influenceLunarLux’sworld, but players won’t get the whole picture if they only follow what the game shows. This is done deliberately to reward those who explore frequently, while also leaving it up to the players to learn more about space for themselves.
“There are a bunch of other nods to science inLunarLux,“they said. “There are characters in these areas as well that might be able to explain it to you further if you want to know that information.” This helps keep thefuturistic world immersivedespite taking place in a time far ahead of the present day. The use of real-world science helps Nobab and their team think about how humans would truly live in this environment.
Making a living, breathing world for players to explore is one of the most important parts ofLunarLuxin Nobab’s eyes. “I really enjoy being able to really delve into a world and fully immerse myself in it inrole-playing games,” they said, feeling that exploration is one of the most important aspects of the genre. In order to feel like they’re traversing a lively planet, players need plenty of detailed things to interact with. This seems to be an important tenet CosmicNobab Games aims to keep in mind as they build the world onLunarLux’smoon.
Players don’t have to wait to experience this world, asLunarLux’schapter one demo can befound on Steamas of this writing. While the demo may only offer a glimpse into what fans can expect, CosmicNobab said this demo is an example of the quality fans can expect when the full game launches next year.
LunarLuxis scheduled to release in late 2023 for PC, with a demo available now on Steam.
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