New Roguelike Game Lunavania: Intense Combat & Relaxing Base-Building!
0Lunavania is a charming pixel art game that combines roguelike mechanics with base-building elements. At its core, it delivers an engaging mix of tight gameplay, strategic progression, and an irresistible "just one more run" loop. While it shines in many areas, the game is still in early access, with room for growth and polish. Here's a breakdown of what makes it stand out, where it stumbles, and where it could go from here.
The visuals are a delight, with beautifully crafted pixel art and characters that feel fresh and distinct. The attention to detail in the design ensures the game is visually engaging and immersive.
Lunavania hooks players with its roguelike progression. It’s challenging at first, but as you complete loops and improve your skills, boss fights become rewarding milestones rather than insurmountable challenges.
The base-building aspect adds depth, offering bonuses through furniture placement and upgrades. While the system could use more decorative options, like lighting, the foundation is promising and complements the gameplay well.
Movement and combat feel snappy and satisfying, making even the smaller encounters enjoyable. Though weapons and skills don’t stray far from genre standards, they’re executed competently, keeping the game fun.
At only $10 USD, Lunavania offers excellent value for its content. Even in early access, the game’s charm and depth make it a solid investment for roguelike fans.
Here are some areas where the game could really step it up:
While promising, the base-building lacks key quality-of-life (QoL) features. Players can’t remove furniture en masse, stack items efficiently, or zoom in and out during placement. These limitations feel restrictive, especially since base-building is integral to progression.
Later stages suffer from a lack of visual clarity due to overwhelming particle effects. Projectile-heavy fights, particularly against bosses, can flood the screen, making it hard to keep track of your character. This issue is reminiscent of Terraria's Calamity mod, and while it may appeal to some, it can frustrate others.
Minor bugs, balancing quirks, and underwhelming features—like chips that provide negligible benefits—detract from the experience. For example, some weapons feel ineffective against higher-level bosses, and certain mechanics, like health recovery, are punishingly limited.
While the game supports English, some UI elements remain untranslated, which could confuse players unfamiliar with the primary language. The numerical panels for stats also lack clarity, leaving players guessing how weapon upgrades or effects impact gameplay.
Lunavania has incredible potential if the developers address its current shortcomings. Here are some suggestions and opportunities for improvement:
Enhancing Base-Building
Adding more decorative options, lighting features, and QoL improvements—like item stacking and easier furniture removal—would greatly enhance the base-building experience.
Simplifying or refining particle effects during combat would make intense battles easier to follow. Adding toggles or sliders for visual effects could also cater to different player preferences.
Adjusting the balance of weapons and chips to make them more impactful and rewarding.
Adding clearer tutorials or explanations for mechanics like sacrificial offerings, health recovery, and progression systems to reduce confusion.
Addressing bugs like unpickable hearts and blacked-out level interfaces to improve overall polish.
Introducing new furniture, decorative items, and gameplay elements to expand the base-building system.
Adding unique character abilities, more meaningful chip combinations, and unlockable weapons to enhance gameplay variety.
Improve stat panels and weapon descriptions to make their effects intuitive.
Implement better hit detection and collision mechanics for smoother gameplay.
Adding zoom options for base-building and gameplay. Offering difficulty modes or accessibility settings to make the game more approachable for casual players.
Final Thoughts:
Lunavania has laid a strong foundation for a captivating roguelike with adorable visuals and engaging gameplay. While it currently struggles with polish and clarity, these are issues that early access can address with the right updates. For fans of roguelikes or pixel art games, it’s an exciting project to dive into—and one that promises to grow even more addictive and refined over time.
If the developers capitalize on its potential, Lunavania could become a standout title in its genre. For now, it’s a charming gem that’s worth its price and deserving of attention.
Read the latest full patch notes here:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2770460/view/515199938040169115
Lunavania - Early Access Launched on January 24, 2025!
Platform: PC (Steam) Price: $9.99 USD
Link:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2770460/Lunavania/
Lunavania isn't just about high-octane combat!