In the upcoming cinematic sci-fi platformer LUNARK, the protagonist, Leo, will visit a diverse array of environments, from underground caverns to a vibrant forest to a flying penitentiary. But one of the most important locations is the massive, futuristic city on the distant planet Albaryne.
Since abandoning Earth some 300 years prior, humanity has made this unnamed city its primary new home, and as such, it’s unsurprisingly a place where Leo spends a lot of his time.
Housing, food, entertainment, industry – everything needed for human life can be found here. One of the key locations is the droid factory, where humans work tirelessly to create the robotic enforcers that, ironically, help keep mankind firmly under the rule of the totalitarian supercomputer NOAH.
Nevertheless, the factory is managed by Leo’s friend and mentor, Gideon, so Leo visits often to receive advice and courier requests. Leo also enjoys using the droid QA interface found here, which allows him to master the basics of actions and movement.
As events progress, Leo finds the factory under lockdown, and he must use his acrobatic skills to help the workers escape by unlocking the emergency exit. To do so, he’ll journey deep into the recesses of the factory and deal with numerous security measures: he’ll have to reset alarms to prevent doors from auto-sealing, dodge moving laser beams, avoid explosive traps on both floors and ceilings, and even fight armed security robots and probe drones. On the plus side, if you keep an eye out, you just might find a way to upgrade Leo’s weapon.
Beyond the factory, however, there’s much, much more to the city. Divided into numerous zones, the sprawling metropolis reaches high into the sky with multitiered structures that provide home to people from all walks of life. In the relatively neglected Zone F, adults work towards a better tomorrow while children play ball and stray cats roam the alleys. Families make the best of their conditions in simple dwellings topped with corrugated metal roofs, while businesses such as a barber shop, a restaurant, and a club help provide life’s necessities. For those of drinking age, there’s a bar where Maggi the bartender is ready to lend a sympathetic ear.
Though mostly peaceful, the calm is often interrupted by blade-wielding tax-collection robots known as Swordroids. Unfortunately for the citizens, the Swordroids don’t take kindly to excuses and are quick to exact punishment for non-compliance, and their presence tends to deter anyone from conducting business.
Life is easier in the comparatively opulent Zone A (where Gideon lives), but to get there, an average citizen would either need a very good government-approved reason, or they’d have to scale a 10-story-tall wall protected by disintegration beams, and no one’s crazy enough to try that!
We hope you’ve enjoyed this overview of LUNARK’s futuristic cityscape and are looking forward to exploring it for yourself in the months ahead. Developed by Canari Games and published by Wayforward, LUNARK arrives on Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox, PC, and Mac in late 2022, and if not done already can be wishlisted here on Steam!
Written by Chris Hoffman
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