There’s something that cuts in a specific way when it comes to Japanese indie games. For whatever reason, there’s this inherent, almost incredible level of detail when it comes to storytelling that permeates through some of the most innocuous titles. Take, for example, Exit 8, which has garnered immense attention through minimalist, liminal horror that strikes at specific chords for all who play. You don’t need to know anything more, and yet that tells you all there is: there’s something rotten in Kabukicho and you’re going to loop until you die or figure it out. Similarly, the aesthetically pleasing LUNA-3X, coming from Pygmy Studio, seems to think that having a difficult but addicting gameplay loop isn’t enough: they also need to end the world for you.

An old man who is clearly out of his mind has convinced two children and their giant guardian robot that a cataclysmic tsunami is coming, because this is what happens when you don’t institute proper care for the elderly. These kids decide they will definitely enact the plans of Doomsday Grandpa, and start trying to rescue at least one of every animal in certain biomes. But extracting the critters can be tricky, and the massive metal man clearly can’t be trusted to handle these furry beasts. Instead, robo will sit on the lip of a massive crevice and lower a child down (please pay attention to these words) on a fishing line, where the kid will play the tambourine in time to unseen music to attract the fauna. Once enough jump on said child, the robot will extract them and try not to slam them into the walls too much. 

Everything I just wrote is true, and LUNA-3X has such a wild approach to the concept that it has to be seen to be believed. While the game is programmed with using motion controls in mind, Pygmy Studio graciously allows players to do the operations with buttons and joysticks as well, much to my relief. You have sixty seconds to slam the tambourine in a good rhythm, sending colorful music notes to make the animals leap into the air, where you have to swing and touch them so they stick to you. Then you need to have the robot reel you out while carefully avoiding all the obstacles along the way (jagged rock faces, thrown snowballs, massive hands) and then count up the collection once you’re out. There’s five standard animals you must collect, and bonus points/completion badges for getting three rare animals and three plants.

LUNA-3X is anything but menacing or cruel, despite what the idea might imply. A delightfully designed game, the graphics are so soft and endearing it feels like this could be a children’s book (and I’ve certainly seen my fair share of Japanese children’s books that deal with crazy ideas like this). The animals are all unique and special, from a walking stick, to a jungle fish with legs, and even various, furry bugs. The obstacle monsters are also cute, which says something considering how frustratingly angry I got with them as they impeded my rescue mission. No one seems to respect that the world is ending these days.

The adorability is only further enhanced by the presence of costumes, which have both visual enjoyment and actual stats within the game. Each costume that you don can affect the game in some way, like improving your robot’s extraction, making more of a certain type of animal attracted to you or even just making you stickier so it’s harder to lose the critters on the way out. Best of all, the costumes come with a double price tag, allowing you to unlock them through hard work and accomplishment OR simply paying points, which you’ll be swimming in by the time you finish the third stage. I could have unlocked most of the costumes by the time I hit the sixth level, but chose to wait to see if I could succeed in the old fashioned way.

The musical soundtrack is also a very sweet and ambient cascade of moods and tones. Exploring a lot of atmospheric concepts while mixing in beats and electronic riffs to help give a sense of centering, the soundtrack and the gameplay don’t exactly line up, at least in terms of execution. Given that the main concept is to bang your tambourine in time with the tune, I had a massive amount of difficulty trying to figure out where and how I should be striking my instrument. I did my best but could rarely get above a 2X combo, and that’s trying speakers and wired headphones. Ultimately, I just started mashing the A button like crazy and that inexplicably worked, so bully for that. It made it a little hard to simply enjoy the music, but the disconnect between gameplay and aural stimulation eventually took over.

LUNA-3X also has a very odd sense of difficulty. The very first level (which you must do three times to finish) is a great set of training wheels, allowing you to figure out the main purpose of the game. Basically, you have plenty of space to bang your tambourine, catch the animals and then begin your ascent to freedom. The path up isn’t completely straightforward, so you do need to be careful as you sway back and forth and dodge around jutting ledges and such. The critters also don’t have the strongest grip, so too many collisions can immediately strip you of your cargo and make you descend all over again to pick them back up. With a time limit in place (and pickups that only restore a handful of seconds), you get into the groove of things very quickly.

However, the second stage is almost unfairly steep in the difficulty spike, as we bring in both floating monsters that impede your exit (and can knock off your bounty), but also another monster who hurls massive snowballs with very little warning. The new antagonist can also throw the snowballs up, and these are much smaller, much faster, and just as dislodging as the dropped ones that can ruin your day. I got time up a few times before I even finished the first wave, not to even mention the subsequent second and third. By the time I got out of the snow-capped arena, I was deeply frustrated and annoyed.

Then LUNA-3X decided to take me on a tour of what could be without settling on a specific trajectory. The massive fish of the water world wasn’t as bad as the snowball, but I had a higher likelihood of getting stuck on my way up and then the fish knocking off all the critters in one go. The level with the mushroom bells felt like it was going to be alright, and I even managed to elude the huge paw that lashed out to knock over all my friends I had just picked up. And then I was in a daydream level where I just…went up? It was like the first level all over again, but with different colors and monsters. This time, I had lived through the gauntlet of the last few days and now could rocket to the top without losing almost anything. It was weird but satisfactory.

LUNA-3X is an odd little duck, but it’s not bad, just different. The difficulty is spread unevenly, yet that can make it more exciting when you’ve visited the game before. The charm is there in the music and the graphics, and I appreciate the madcap way the story is told and the acquiescence from the party to the ramblings of a truly unhinged hippy dude. As much as I was frustrated when I lost critters, I wanted to dive back down. I think my longest single stage was close to five minutes as I would lose, drop, get more time bonuses and try again. It’s captivating, and, honestly, one of the more unique titles I’ve played on the Nintendo Switch recently. If you’re even a bit intrigued, I highly recommend giving it a go: after all, who doesn’t love saving the world?

 

Graphics: 8.5 Wonderfully designed levels and characters, I truly appreciated the homemade aesthetic of all the outfits, critters and animations that connected the world of LUNA-3X together. The colors and concepts popped from different biome to different biome.	Gameplay: 6.5 The idea is good, but the execution feels sloppy. The rhythm aspect is arbitrary and doesn’t play as well as it should. Motion controls are quaint and at least make the game more physical. Would have really liked a better incentive to rescue optional beasts than just a completion badge.
Sound: 8.0 Stunning ambience that weaves together a dreamlike state of concentration and enjoyment. Music explores a lot of different notions to help the player connect to the environment of the world and also the task at hand. Very stimulating and relaxing, worth listening to by itself.	Fun Factor: 7.0 It keeps calling me back and and I keep going, so something is going right in the design. While I personally feel there’s a lack of long term game investment, not every title needs to consume your waking existence: sometimes a game can just be fun and done.
Final Verdict: 7.0

LUNA-3X is available now on Nintendo Switch.

Reviewed on Nintendo Switch.

A copy of LUNA-3X was provided by the publisher.