The Lumencraft debut trailer is what sold me on the concept. It’s simple physics-based, lava flowing through every tunnel and moat that you build, despite all the bug-shooting and rock-blasting particle effects.
2Dynamic Games, the Lumencraft developer, describes it as a top down shooter with tower defense elements such turrets to defend against huge underground bugs. The last hope for humanity to get the rare Lumen minerals that store enough energy to avert extinction, you are it. You’re not the only macguffin after the Lumen mineral, nor the only one who will fight for them.
You will be drilling through caves to find resources and enemies in “not your daddy’s Dig Dug” gameplay. It features some very detailed physics. You can feel the same satisfaction from power washing or toppling a tower in Teardown as you create tunnel walls around you while you drill. The similar physics-based Noita reminds me of this, where every pixel can be simulated and impacted with elements. The blast radius of a grenade will sever everything, but the rock wall that remains is strong enough to melt under the heat from the lava.
You are now being pushed closer by the lava. Use your drill to create a moat or tunnel to divert it. You can also use environmental destruction to build and defend a base. This allows you to shoot through the walls of your base’s walls to create chokepoints. In the trailer’s final, you see the player evading swipes from a large cave-troll-like creature. The troll takes a piece of cave with its arm every time it swings its arms. This alters the battlefield.
2Dynamic Games claims they are inspired by top-down action games such as Alien Breed or Darkwood. Star Drifters, another Polish studio that has experience in top-down shooters through their game Danger Scavenger, is helping 2Dynamic to produce.
Lumencraft will be available in Early Access “in the next months”, but the full version will add a skill progression system through nonlinear mission, more biomes and different map types. Good news! The good news? Lumencraft’s demo will be available for you to try on October 1, as part of Steam Next Fest.
