Luna: The Shadow Dust

Overall, LUNA: The Shadow Dust is a must-buy for fans of puzzle games or if you’re looking for a beautiful game to decompress to. As a point and click, the game isn’t stressful and the music is both serene and grand that it lulls you and before you know it, you’ve finished the game. While it isn’t incredibly long, the simplicity is worth the price tag because of how beautiful the art and story are.

LUNA: The Shadow Dust is a hand-drawn, story-driven puzzle game that is sure to catch attention, and even trigger some tears. LUNA is more than just a game; it is an artistic creation. Between its music and artwork, and its touching, unique story, this game offers much more than your typical PC game.

There’s a certain kind of magic that’s gone into LUNA The Shadow Dust. One that’s almost impossible to describe. Kickstarted in 2016, LUNA is a point-and-click puzzle game from Lantern studio. And for the studios’ first game, it’s an impressive showing. Featuring hand-drawn animation, complicated puzzles, and moving music, the game feels like it was made by an experienced team. The amount of work that’s gone into this game is impressive. But does the quality translate into a good ...

Even when I didn’t understand the storytelling, however, I still appreciated it. LUNA The Shadow Dust is a beautiful game. The music is excellent and the cutscenes are gorgeous, and I felt the bond between the two characters primarily because of how well the cinematics conveyed their emotions. Many of the puzzles make use of light and darkness, and the entire experience has a fairytale-like quality to it.

With all its puzzling adventures, out-of-the-box thinking, and stunning hand drawn visuals, it’s a memorable game in its genre. Solving the puzzles offers such gratification that one looks forward to continuing climbing the tower and solving the next. But with a lack of a meaningful story, it lacks complete immersion from the player.

Luna: The Shadow Dust is visually enthralling. The opening sequence shows a boy falling from the sky and entering a twisted tower that is both exotic and magical thanks to a gorgeous hand-drawn aesthetic. Luna looks like a picture book come to life, and its world is so warm and inviting that I want to cozy up under it like a warm blanket. Unfortunately, some of Luna’s point-and-click puzzles are so prickly they sour much of the experience.

Lantern Studio's whimsical point-and-click puzzler will leave you spellbound, if a little dazed.

LUNA The Shadow Dust is a beautiful game in a mysterious world. While not for those seeking a strong story or intimately clever puzzles, it provides a fun, whimsical experience.

There’s no question that LUNA: The Shadow Dust has been a passion project for Lantern Studio. The care and attention that’s gone into even the smallest details is plain and clear to see. While its puzzles can be quite obtuse at times, any video game enthusiast will be happy to turn a blind eye to experience what this game has to offer. It isn’t perfect, and it isn’t for everyone, but it’s a true accomplishment – of that I have no doubt.