Retro-styled 3D platformer Lunistice from Deck13 and A Grumpy Fox is ready to go on Nintendo Switch. Learn more in our Lunistice review!

 

Retro-styled 3D platformer Lunistice from Deck13 and A Grumpy Fox is ready to go on Nintendo Switch. It’s a linear experience that has been heavily inspired by the 32-bit era of the Nintendo 64, the original PlayStation, and the Sega Saturn. You’ll take on the role of Hana the Tanuki, who will explore seven different dreams as she runs from dreamscape to dreamscape and works towards reaching her ultimate goal: the moon!

But before you get going, you should give the tutorial a go so that you can learn all of the basics. You’ll be sent into Stage 0 – a.k.a. Training System – where you will move around with the left analog and jump and double jump with the R or B buttons. Since this is a 3D platformer, that means you’ll have to swing the camera around every now and then by using the right analog stick so that you can properly line up your jumps, which can prove to be a bit trickier when you’re running at a faster pace.

 

Hana can attack with the L or Y buttons by performing a fast spin. If you use the spin attack after jumping or double jumping, you’ll perform a short spin jump, which can help you clear some longer gaps since it will act as a triple jump. You can either run by pressing and holding down the ZR button or by activating the always run option in the corresponding menu. Always running is set by default, which means that pressing and holding down the ZR button will actually make you walk at a slower pace.

For each level that you play, there will be a series of origami cranes to collect, so if you want to 100% the game, you’ll have to explore each path in every level in Lunistice. This is twice as important when you consider that, in classic 3D platformer fashion, each level will have four 3D letters for you to collect in order to spell out Hana’s name – that means the letters to look for are H-A-N-A. They’re usually located at the end of paths that offer trickier platforming segments that usually then loop back to the main path.

 

Since Hana doesn’t have a lot of hit points, and with death being a very real possibility due to all of the ways you can be defeated either from enemy attacks or from falling into the void, the game will have a series of checkpoints that will save your progress up to that point. That way, if you’re defeated, you’ll be able to quickly respawn from the last one you managed to activate. Activating a checkpoint will also reward Hana by recovering one hit point if she’s been hurt along the way.

Lunistice is a fast-paced 3D platformer that pays homage to the classics of the 32-bit era. It offers seven main levels to complete, which are split into a couple of substages, and you’ll be aiming to beat each level as fast as possible while collecting all of the origami cranes and the H-A-N-A letters in each substage to 100% the game. Who knows, there might even be some hidden items for you to find in some of the substages! Lunistice is out on Nintendo Switch at a budget price of only $4.99, making it an easy one to recommend.

Disclaimer
This Lunistice review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by Deck13.