I love games with lots of action, but sometimes it’s nice to play something more chill. Case in point: Application Systems Heidelberg and Lantern Studio’s LUNA The Shadow Dust, which earned a warm reception on other platforms when it launched several years ago but is now available on mobile platforms in front of an entirely new audience. For my money a mobile touchscreen is the perfect place for a point-and-click adventure, and LUNA The Shadow Dust is no exception.
This is a game that has a very old-school feel, but it’s actually not a whole lot like the point-and-clicks you might be remembering from the ’90s. There’s no inventory or items to muck about with, as all the puzzles are built around the objects and environments in each room of a gigantic tower. You also will come across a small companion creature before too long, and you’ll be able to swap between your main character and this companion at will in order to solve puzzles. Alluding to the game’s title, light and shadows play a key part in this world and there’s some elements of a room that only exist as shadows which your companion can interact with but you cannot.
The puzzles run right up to the edge of being obtuse sometimes, but never really cross that line. Some of the solutions are actually really clever and even help flesh out the world and its lore. There’s no dialogue written or voiced, and everything story-wise in LUNA The Shadow Dust is explained by absolutely gorgeous animated cutscenes or within the game world itself. Some things are well-explained and some left fairly vague, purposely I think, but overall this is a game world that definitely sucks you in and has you wanting to learn more. This is especially true of your character and that cute little companion of yours.
LUNA The Shadow Dust is a very slow-paced game, and there’s not a whole lot of hand-holding when it comes to puzzles or exactly what you’re supposed to do next. It’s a game that you can poke around with and explore and make your way through bit by bit as you enjoy the environments and the world-building. That said the puzzles are very satisfying to solve, so if you for some reason don’t give a lick about aesthetics or story there’s still plenty for your brain to chew on, but really this is a game that should be appreciated for all its parts as an interactive piece of art. If that sort of thing is jam you should be well-served adding LUNA The Shadow Dust to your collection.
