Following Dark Souls’ controller-breaking impact, countless Soulsbornelikes emerged from the shadows looking to contend with Fromsoftware’s super-tough formula. Now, one indie game is instead paying homage to the studio’s forgotten gems.
Lunacid released earlier this year - on October 31 - and is heavily inspired by Fromsoft’s 1994 dungeon-crawler King’s Field and 1998’s Shadow Tower. (It’s a KingsTowerLike!) As such, you’ll be doing the usual first-person sword-swinging, spell-slinging, and cautious exploring.
“Long ago, a great beast arose from the sea and covered the earth in a poison fog,” reads the game’s Steam description. “Now those deemed undesirable are thrown into a great well, which has become a pit of chaos and disease.” Unfortunately for us, our player character is one of those unlucky undesirables and needs to dig further below to “confront the sleeping old one.” That certainly sounds like a modern, mysterious Fromsoft setup.
Lunacid's retro throwback and surreal world seem to have been a treat for fans of the genre, as it currently holds a “Very Positive” rating based on over 4,700 Steam user reviews. Many reviews shout out the impactful character progression, the charming writing, and the alien fantasy world.
Reviews are definitely impressive, but they make sense considering Lunacid’s year-long tenure in early access. Upon hitting 1.0, developer Kira added new enemies, levels, weapons, spells, and endings to the game. (Also, shrimp, for some reason.) However, 1.0 isn’t the end for this world since “there’s a prequel also in the works,” according to a recent developer blog post. More good throwbacks in the pipeline, hopefully.
Fromsoftware itself is far removed from those dungeon-crawling roots. The studio is now working on Elden Ring's first expansion, called Shadow of the Erdtree, and development is reportedly "progressing well," even if it's still a "little ways off."
