New indie games are always worth celebrating, especially when they mix and match so many flavors together. That looks to be the case with Lucid, an upcoming action-platformer/Metroidvania from Matte Black Studio and Apogee Entertainment that “embraces the flow-state fun of genre giants like Celeste while writing a love letter to the 2D golden age of Mega Man X, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, and Super Metroid.” Hey, I like all of those games!
“With LUCID, I’m devoted to letting players tell as much of the story as they like, in precisely their own way,” said Matte Black Studio founder Eric Manahan. “From the narrative threads you choose to tug on, to the Crystal Arts and movement tech you embrace the most, LUCID aims to let you write your own legend in a shattered world of platforming bliss.”
The game is further detailed as thus:
Explore Aedyn, an enigmatic land replete with crystals, in the wake of the apocalyptic Great Fall. The Lucid Giant has fallen and only the few remaining Sentinels, practitioners of the Crystal Arts, can stop the corruption soaking the land. Take up the fight as Oenn, a young, stone-skinned Junior Sentinel. Seek the shattered pieces of the Lucid Giant and confront the ancient, celestial entity which threatens Aedyn.
Expand Oenn’s mobility and enhance his combat arsenal with the five Crystal Arts—rewards for braving memorable dungeons like the icy climb of Onyx Ridge or the toxic gloom of Welltown. While Oenn can jump, dash, and pulse on his own, chain the Crystal Arts together to traverse impossible gap distances and unlock devastating combo attacks. Soften enemy armor from afar with the ranged Crystal Pulse before crushing their defenses with an overhead Crystal Axe slam. Fire the Crystal Spear to break open a pathway above or use its “down air” as a pogo to extend Oenn’s jump.
By equipping up to two Crystal Arts at once and fluidly swapping them mid-combo, lay bare the secrets of Aedyn. Solve devious puzzles in the deepest depths, defeat formidable bosses, and explore the overworld, aiding villagers and piecing together Aedyn’s history. Every item on Oenn’s journey possesses a world-building lore description, and translating runic language or defeating enough of one enemy will unfold a bigger narrative tapestry.
Seems like really cool stuff! Lucid is quite a ways away from release, with a broad given window of 2024. But this early glimpse shows a whole lot of cool stuff, and we’ll be sure to report on anything else new that comes along.
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Written by Amelia Fruzzetti
A writer and Nintendo fan based in Seattle, Washington. When not working for NinWire, she can be found eating pasta, writing stories, and wondering about when Mother 3 is finally going to get an official localization.
