So real does Lumino City’s paper crafted world appear that it actually takes a while before you realise that you can actually interact with most of the people and objects in your path. Lumino City is the product of cardboard cut outs, photographed from multiple angles and then pieced together to create an environment that, on an iPad’s Retina display, looks as if it was actually laid out on the table in front of you. Rather than simply animating the city’s 3D world in standard fashion, developer State of Play took the bold (and no doubt time consuming) decision to use real, physical objects in its world.
It’s not superficial to suggest that all this plays second fiddle to just how Lumino City looks, however.
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It’s then that you set out on a quest through Lumino City in order to find him, turning to his manual at almost every turn in order to open up the path ahead. Said manual is actually a guide written by your Grandfather, who mysteriously disappears at the start of the game after revealing he has something of utmost importance to tell you.
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I found it a very moving and touching adventure and look forward to playing it for a third time as soon as I can clear my work load.Most puzzle games don’t come with a step-by-step manual telling you how to solve almost every physical quandary that blocks your path, but Lumino City – the product of a small studio, State of Play Games, based in London – not only gives you the answers to a large portion of all of the questions it poses, but it does so in an especially elegant way. Yes, you could barrel roll through it, especially as you are furnished with an incredibly detailed and beautiful handbook from the start which, if you wish, gives you solutions to each and every puzzle (similar to, but far more easy to access than Machinarium) but in a lot of ways that's missing the point of what they've created.Īs all of the scenes have been hand built and photographed they've used so many clever aspects to make the journey rich, from the refraction in beautiful glass globes, camera moves between locations and extremely beautiful and clever set design within the smallest of puzzles that throughout the game there are rewards at every turn. There are obvious parallels with games such as Machinarium with the craft of the artwork and the nature of the point and click-ness but Luke Whittaker and team have lavished so much care throughout that, if you let yourself indulge in the surroundings, the characters, the art work, the music and sound, the experience continues to multiply the further you go. You won't be disappointed as you guide the fearless Lumi around the great heights of the city while you get to the bottom of the mysterious kidnapping.įor me the depth and beauty of this game is just the tip of the iceberg. The sound is varied with catchy tunes and appropriate mechanical noises. While sometimes there are arrows pointing the way, other times you have to click on that out of focus ladder in the background in order to climb, so be aware of that if you are feeling stuck.
At times, the unique perspective of the game can make it difficult to tell where you can tap to explore different areas. Every screen is beautiful and just draws you in to the world and makes you wish you could physically explore it yourself. The handmade three dimensional world of Lumino City is absolutely amazing to look at. The puzzles generally make sense, and vary in difficutly over the course of the game, and interacting with the people you meet on your way is always a treat. For the most challenging experience, look up the pages corresponding to the area you are in only if you can't figure something out yourself, though it is nice to know you've got a hint book at hand. It says right in the front of the manual to only use in emergencies, and that is what I would recommend as well.
Other times it will just give you a push in the right direction, while on occasion it will just give you the answer you're looking for out right. Sometimes your grandfather's book is essential to solving the task at hand. To use an item, tap and hold, then drag the item where you want to use it.
Here you can access your grandpa's book (all 900 pages-don't worry, it's easy to rifle through), as well as anything else useful you may have picked up along the way. Just tap where you want to walk or examine.
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