Gold-Plated Games

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I am the biggest sucker for exploration games. By that I mean I will play anything that gives me a wide open world to explore, and doesn’t make it too onerous to explore. Platformers usually do exploration the metroidvania route, but there are a few quality indie games that just let you run freely around their world. Lunnye Devitsy happens to be one of those, a relaxed platformer in the vein of Knytt but without the sort of sprawl that really defines those games.

The only story you’re going to get is that you’re a tiny alien who fell off his tiny planet and onto a great big mountain. You want to get home, and as it turns out there are six wholly different and pretty entertaining ways to do that. But you’ll have to find them and piece together a few puzzles to make them work. Some are as simple as jumping on a springboard, some are as complex as building a rocket, and some defy any sort of logic whatsoever.

You can run and you can jump, and that’s all you need to start unraveling Lunnye Devitsy’s secrets. The running takes a little getting used to, since you have to build up momentum before you really get going, but there’s plenty of space to practice your sprinting. You also can’t die here, which takes any possible edge off the game. Anything that looks lethal most assuredly is not, and falling off the screen just wraps you around to the other side.

It’s not hard to sink a few hours into this one trying to divine its secrets, but without any sort of character progression, collectibles, or story, it’s also not hard to get bored quickly. I certainly appreciate it for its stark, otherworldly atmosphere and simple exploration, but not enough to suss out all the endings. Still, I got a bunch of them and thoroughly enjoyed my time working them out across the charming alien landscape. If you’re looking for something light to while away a few hours in, you could do far worse.