Lunacid - A Love Letter to Dungeon Crawlers

[@maraganger]

PATREON : www.patreon.com/maraganger TWITTER : twitter.com/maraganger This one's for the guy who got mad at me for calling Lunacid a King's Field-like instead of Shadow Tower-like. Boyo, what do you think inspired Shadow Tower ? :^)

[@Irondragon1945]

I noticed you used some OFF soundtrack at 15:20 and 18:40! Did you ever consider making a video on it?

[@maraganger]

@@Irondragon1945 ye a while back but i don't think i'd have anything novel to say about it other than "well, i liked it" haha ! maybe someday tho

[@KBash]

i'm glad people make games like this still. it's not hopelessly niche per se, but it's a fight worth fighting

[@maraganger]

Hell yeah, now that the ball is rolling, someone's definitely gonna do a spiritual successor to Lost Kingdoms... right ?

[@greatrulo]

The man, the legend, glad to see you supporting great indie games.

[@AirLancer]

"Magic trivializes 95% of the enemies." Really taking that Fromsoft inspiration to heart.

[@1123-h4w]

Ten minutes in and despite not having touched a dungeon crawler in my life, you've already convinced me to give this a try. Also great editing and narration, it baffles me that you don't have more subscribers, but you have definitely earned one with this video.

[@desdro3246]

Yep same here!

[@maraganger]

Thank you so much, it means a lot to hear ! ; w ;

[@notakirakarakaza2118]

Wait kira is the dev that made spooky's and lost in vivo? This explains so much. The tomb and the temple early on were god damn terrifying. Kira has a really good handle on using psx-style graphics to creep people out and combined with the surprisingly chill ost, as well as the absolutely precious npcs in wings rest, this game has a really unique vibe that i have never experienced before.

[@Localgoast]

Man, there are just so many things I like about this game. Bought on your recommendation and honestly $7 is a steal.

[@maraganger]

Aw I'm so glad to hear ! There's defo even more to do now that it has received updates too. :>

[@calelkestifer3570]

I love how spot on the PS1 aesthetic is, but that you can tell without even having played the game that they were aiming for that while not being afraid to use certain enhancements made available by modern tech

[@postalmendes]

I don't think ANYTHING I've seen in a game made me more terrified and traumatized than going to the Accursed Tomb and seeing these fucking Mares for the first time I literally just closed the game Thank you so much for this video, it introduced me to one of my favorite games of all time (probably)

[@maraganger]

I feel you lmao, those mares and the migos were just horrifying, running through those halls is peak heart-rate stopper lmao. Glad you've enjoyed the video !! :>

[@tortue_]

I love everything scary about this game jotunn, these damn mares, invisible ghosts, a sea of blood and so on...

[@Cyan1d3.0c3aN]

The mares are genuinely the most terrifying enemy lmao, once you find out how to kill them they're less scary but man when I first saw them I was TERRIFIED

[@FlowersSunRain]

I just 100%ed Lunacid and had a lot of fun with it! Friend recommended it to me and she really liked it. It's probably in my top 5 games of the year now. Also I like your Kami no Kodomo avi!

[@rogerith7905]

You are making me realize I need to replay this game

[@greatrulo]

I'm absolutely loving this game, the soundtrack and sound design add so much to the atmosphere, its so comfy and viby, you just want to leave it on the background as you do other stuff after playing. I know its most likely not inspired by it, but the sounds, art design and colorimetry reminds me so much of Gauntlet Dark Legacy, an old game from the PS2 era.

[@thewrongesttrousers]

Really good in-depth look at Lunacid, it's really nice seeing people talk about a game I fell hard for on its initial Early Access release.

[@TheTomJones]

This is the first video I've seen from you and loved it! phenomenal video!

[@hollowtongue]

I'm so blessed this dude made this game. I fell in love with it as soon as the title screen popped up, and it only deepened as I played in, found more spells and weapons. It's an excellent love letter to kings field and shadow tower and very enjoyable to play. The atmosphere alone is impeccable enough to make this worth the chump change that the game costs

[@edgarcantu1520]

Thanks for this video! I am super excited to try this game!

[@maraganger]

Hope you enjoy it ! :>

[@edgarcantu1520]

@@maraganger Btw, would you consider that the secrets shown in your video spoiled too much? Some of them were really cool but I worry I might miss out on them now that I know about it. But I have no way to know if it is really that much that you showed.

[@maraganger]

@@edgarcantu1520 I wouldn't consider them too spoiler-centric ? I purposefully went out of my way to leave a lot of stuff out, especially now that the game's received updates past this vid's release date. ; w ;

[@arthurjeannin3357]

I played this like a month ago and I had SUCH a great time!! It's obviously inspired by King's Field, yeah, but it's full of little quality of life things - let's even call them improvements - that make the genre more bearable to play in 2022

[@maraganger]

Sure hope so too ! Lunacid was a blast, glad you had a fun time with it. :>

[@arthurjeannin3357]

@@maraganger Same goes to you, you had so much fun with it according to the video! It seems like Early Access is progressing quite rapidly, too, so I'm looking forward to making a new character to see all the new stuff in a few months :)

[@xanakina]

Whooooaaa!! The vibes!! The VIBES!! You killed it with this one!! Absolutely loved this and def gonna check out this game!!

[@maraganger]

Aw thank you ! ; v ;

[@couchmoba]

Absolutely solid video, this game looks amazing and you do it more than justice. Loved the mix of game excavation, review, and analysis; honestly, this might be my favorite video of yours yet! And I purchased the game-with such high praise and that well priced it was hard not to!

[@maraganger]

Thank you so much for the kind words. Definitely been trying to do some weird new style with this one and I'm glad it's resonating with ya'. Also hope you enjoy the game !! :>

[@kensloth]

Sold. This looks awesome and I love King’s Field/Shadow Tower.

[@JarrenCrist]

Really enjoyed watching this! I loved hearing about all the highlights and individual experiences you had with the game, it was super informative and interesting. I didn't even know about the secret near the start with the coffin stacking so that really sent me for a loop! (Also thank you for the parts covering the music and the compliments there, I'm glad you enjoyed my stuff + KIRA and Thor's great tracks)

[@maraganger]

I'm so glad to hear this ! Your work definitely left a positive impact on me so despite my lack of general knowledge in music, I wanted to highlight it in some way. ; w ;

[@goodsirsepsis8152]

Big props to you for the amazing video flow, it was a blast to watch

[@maraganger]

Thank you so much ! Glad you enjoyed. :>

[@Rolonomicon]

I so happy that i found your channel!

[@bacon6364]

I got the game a few days ago and burst through it in a short time because I just loved it! Looked for videos on it just to see what other people think and I'm happy to have found your channel! nieche old school games are my vibe, and Lunacid is just the right mix of horror and rpg

[@maraganger]

Aw hell yeah, glad you've enjoyed it ! :>

[@tgr3423]

Lunacid feels like a marriage between Castlevania, King's Field and Souls games. And it REALLY hits.

[@chesirecat8928]

Great video and great analysis. I've heard of this title only recently and it's a shame very few know about it. The atmosphere and the game design alone should be enough to convince anyone who like action rpg to play this game. I really appreciate that someone decided to make a game that reference directly FS's oldest titles; there aren't many first person action rpg, apart from the Elder Scrolls series, so this brave choice is also a huge bonus to the game design. The aesthetic option is a really nice touch.

[@americanfootball8194]

I hear Evergrace and lost kingdoms music, instant subscribe

[@maraganger]

Hell yeah, the Kota Hoshino enthusiasts win again ! Thank you btw ; w ;

[@Nulll591]

I am astounded you don't have more subscribers, you're going to blow up soon, I can tell, amazing content, can't wait to binge all your other videos!

[@maraganger]

Aw thank you, you're so kind ! ; w ;

[@ChuckART]

Awesome video!! This has tipped the scale, I'd heard about this game a while ago but I'm for sure checking it out now

[@Hunterverse]

Been so hyped about lunacid ever since I heard about it and I'm glad to hear that it delivers so well! It's really lovely that the game opts to not give you a map, though yes it's a design choice that could put people off, that air of mystic that the game is able to generate tonally is worth it. And tbh, most of the time when I'm given a map I still managed to get lost, not in a fun way, but in a frustrating one. It's great seeing games that are so confident in their design that they are willing to implement designs like that. Also that joke at 5:02 made me laugh maybe a bit more than I should have, I see you Mara, I see you lmao

[@maraganger]

I was waiting for that comment lmao !! I hesitated putting that joke in earlier ; w ;

[@Hunterverse]

@@maraganger Aww, I really respected that you did that. Creators, artists, whatever name you wanna call us, we are suppose to speak truth to power, to talk about and express our feelings on the uncomfortable. Takes a hella a lot of confidence to do it, and I really dig that, I'm glad you put it in. (It was also an A+ joke)

[@GlerpidyGlarson]

criminally underated channel

[@tortue_]

I used every weapon available and leveled them all up, explored everything i could, had the most fun then checked out the wiki after i was sure of everything. I love the game, i translated enemies words, got scared a lot, had the most fun really. I LOVE THE GAME!

[@SNOWFIELD]

I'm sold. Thanks for the recommendation!

[@maraganger]

My pleasure, hope you have fun with Lunacid ! :>

[@coraline2770]

So excited to get into this looks so fun!

[@maraganger]

Hope you enjoy yourself ! :>

[@stinky1895]

Aaaaah!! Another upload of a wonderful and criminally underrated game!! You're quickly becoming my very favorite KZbinr 😍

[@maraganger]

Aw thank you, you're so kind ! ; w ;

[@Bae_Cop2027]

Damn lady you sold me on this. Downloading now.

[@Kishy]

Loved this video, i'm looking forward to the next one already!

[@maraganger]

Aw thank you !

[@Kishy]

@@maraganger Also your voice is so cute and soothing!!!

[@maraganger]

@@Kishy Thank you so much, it's reassuring to hear my voice is not shrill to the ears haha ! ; w ;

[@Kishy]

@@maraganger It's beautiful don't worry about a thing darling

[@CloudlessStudio]

How do you not have like 10k, you have an awesome channel!

[@maraganger]

Haha, you flatter me ! I pride myself in the quality of my work, so it means a lot to hear this. ; w ;

[@CloudlessStudio]

@@maraganger I saw your reply on low poly depression on Twitter and I’m not disappointed at all, keep it up!

[@HyperfixationWizard]

One more thing I think Lunacid does well with music that you didn't touch on, are the sparse moments in the game where the music is *completely taken away* for dramatic effect. Coupled with the the places the music is taken away are usually extremely dark, bordering on pitch black sometimes, or are transitional hallways to other areas. As well as the fact that you're exploring a post-apocalyptic feudalist medieval world and it really gives that fear of the unknown kind of vibe.

[@alecwalker449]

this game kicks so much ass. the midnight filter + 4k + 144hz is great. so crazy to get that older game vibe from the textures and filter but having it be butter smooth at 144hz with modern controls and having all the details pop.

[@RudeFoxALTON]

Really great video, you desrve way more subscribers.

[@maraganger]

Aw thank you !! ; w ;

[@Neostrius]

21:18 To me, and this is just me projecting my own interpretation onto the character, I interpreted this little side-quest as Patchouli harbouring some sentimentality for someone. Perhaps simply a platonic admiration, or maybe even romance, but I feel like she wouldn't ask you to go out of your way for the skull if a planter was all she needed. I feel like, to her, turning his remains into a spring of new life is a noble gesture for one who led a secluded existence, nurturing life in forms both human and plant. A kindred spirit, save the care for human life. Perhaps she admired him, but also saw him as foolish for his futile endeavour to escape, as so many have tried and failed before. Who knows, maybe it was just so she could try to get you killed by asking you to traverse a rather precarious area. She certainly would not care if that did come to pass. While Patches is a dastardly fellow, he isn't exactly a ruthless cutthroat either. There is some humanity and even kinship to be found if you are willing to look past his misdeeds. In keeping with that theme, I believe her side-quest is meant to reveal her human side too. Either way, it makes me appreciate once more the effect that saying so little with a character can have.

[@ThatVia]

Sealed. Buying. Amazing video.

[@TheVioletBunny]

Just picked this up tonight pure kings field worship love it dread delusion is also awesome too

[@maxbroberg5586]

Great video. Weird that you only have 400 subs and only 77 views on this video. The quality of this video is great both in what you say and the presentation the video! Hope you do more great videos like this one!

[@maraganger]

Thank you, it means a lot to hear this ! :>

[@onetitwndr]

The "I'm just super dumb" at 8:05 absolutely killed me for no discernable reason

[@HannaManful]

came looking for a tips guide to continue my playthru and super glad to have found this video. great work!

[@maraganger]

Glad you've enjoyed ! :>

[@terrawest9500]

Really enjoyed the video. ❤

[@maraganger]

I'm glad you did ! :>

[@Gloomerous2177]

Hell yeah, always dig Evergrace’s chaotic OST

[@VerlixStone]

Man... I've been looking for a game like this for so long! And it is finally here! Just saw this game in a video and had too look it up. You did a outstanding job on this, and your niche videogame knowledge greatly enhanced the points you were making. I'm not a fan of early access games, and even though I really want to play this I will hold off until it is 100% finished. From what I've read on the Steam page they might be done by the end of this year, so fingers crossed! I'll be looking forward to your full breakdown on Lunacid in the future. Cheers~

[@tabbycrumch3062]

Mara, use the bloodletting spell on the skeleton at 14:30. That hallway also has a wall you should keep your peepers out for.

[@maraganger]

I don't think I mentioned it in the video but I already got everything available in this state of early access (including the many hidden walls and weapons). Ty for the heads up though ! :>

[@tabbycrumch3062]

@@maraganger oh i got u !! i am also a big fan of the shadow tower / king's field series so it's just been making me really happy to share the lil fragments of knowledge in the community that these games are known for. have a nice day Mara :3

[@maraganger]

@@tabbycrumch3062 As a huge fan myself, I can relate haha ! Hope you have a good day too ! :>

[@morganlak4337]

OH FUCK YEAH i loved this game so glad you covered it

[@MikaelaCaliber]

Today I found a channel I love

[@joearnold6881]

Sold. Someone let me know when it comes out, pls!

[@overdeadhills7387]

Very underrated channel

[@maraganger]

Thank you ! ; w ;

[@DanielSantosAnalysis]

I think I will wait for this game to come out of early access before I try it, but as a big Souls fan, this looks awesome, thank you for the insightful video, you've earned a new sub..

[@maraganger]

Aw thank you ! Glad I've made you want to try this out when it's fully released. :>

[@Angry_Karakuri]

welp. check again in a few days

[@odditypardonme]

oooooh, great channel and video.

[@maraganger]

Thank you ! :>

[@mervynjones9909]

*wrestling my wallet* DOWN BOY DOWN

[@mrmannsalt2444]

This game is surprisingly very fun! Also scary at times “screw you accursed tomb!”

[@hibernaculum]

People need to write more love letters to dungeon crawler IMHO - thanks for this ;)

[@skrbs2644]

This game honestly looks really interesting, I might have to check it out some time

[@maraganger]

Hope you do ! It's definitely worth the time.

[@morganraine9208]

after watching 10 minutes of this i went and bought Lunacid. I played it for 6 hours and fought the Prince of Wings, returned here to finish the video, only to see a bunch of other areas I didnt even know existed!

[@maraganger]

Aw hell yeah ! I kinda regret covering Lunacid so early just because the amount of cool stuff that came out after this review ! 😭Like the Prince of Wings fight and the Ballroom were just so cool.

[@Demonskunk]

Talking about Lunacid's moon tracker, there's a Boktai fangame called Kura5 that can pull from real world weather data in your area to track time of day and weather. It's a really cool mechanic, and a good replacement for the Solar Sensor.

[@maraganger]

Oh shit, that does sound cool as hell ! :0

[@elipsia5062]

Thanks for the video, it's interesting!

[@vagabundorkchaosmagick-use2898]

New follower here! 4:44 what's that music? I know I know it, but I can't recall where from. Anyway, the game sounds amazing and it's on my wishlist now. It would be my first first-person view Dungeon Crawler (my second if we count Obitus, in the SNES, but I never finished that game, it was not as good as the magazine of the time made me think), and I'd also like to ask, what other Dungeon Crawlers should I try? Specially for low-spec PC or for PS4, if you know of any. Patchouli: It is a plant related to mint and sage, used to make perfumes. So it's a good name for an elf. But, yes, it might be a reference to Trusty Patches.

[@maraganger]

The song at 4:44 is Dark Reality from King's Field IV ! As for Dungeon Crawlers, I don't usually play a ton of them but the early King's Field games, Shadow Tower and the Legend of Grimrock series are usually my go-to. B)

[@vagabundorkchaosmagick-use2898]

@@maraganger Thanks! Must have heard it in other videos about From Soft games, it sounds familiar but I've never player those games.

[@HelicopterRidesForCommunists]

I have no idea how I managed to miss all of Fromsoft's early games growing up in the 90s, but I feel robbed because of it. It wasn't until Elden Ring that I "got it" about the Soul's series and those "kinds" of games, but now that I do I want more because ER is a legitimate masterpiece.

[@RyuNoKiba47]

12:28 oh vampire hunter D's sword

[@Kane-5263]

Thank you for this nice review of the game :) I wonder how the game evolved since it's been fully released, I have not had the chance to take a look at it yet, your video is my first with it. at 12:12, "because I don't think players would be too happy with having to wait actual real-life days to continue playing" made me chuckle! Do you know about the game "The Longing"? You may like it with it's original take on time!

[@thewrongesttrousers]

A lot of the issues Mara brought up in this video have been addressed since this video and its 1.0 release. There's still little hiccups here and there, but they're negligible. It's still an incredible game worth your time!

[@VTsimpingSan]

No map made the catacombs really scary for me 😅 I got turned around and lost. I was just running around while being hunted by some ghost until I found the exit

[@violetnop4345]

Hey @Maraganger i fucking love your channel curious if you'd be able to give a recommendation for King's Field. Is it worth playing all of them in order ? Or skip one and replace it with shadow tower or eternal ring or whatever also please tell me you're making a video on galerians ash love ur shit, ce-que tu fais est incroyable j'adore j'adore

[@maraganger]

Merci beaucoup !! Can defo give a recommendation for all the King's Field, on top of the rest of FromSoft's gameography beyond that. Stuff like Evergrace, Eternal Ring, Shadow Tower Abyss, Otogi all deserve mad love. The early King's Field are a little unwieldy in my opinion, like take a while to adjust to the controls but very good regardless, super immersive. As for Galerians:Ash, yep I'm currently working on a Edgy PS2 vid whose entire idea sprouted from that game lmao B)

[@nzc9609]

great video :)

[@maraganger]

Thank you ! :>

[@slimbingi1470]

i found this game recently and was pretty hyped to maybe play it but i am hesitant because i really cant handle even minor horror elements lmao

[@maraganger]

Aw that's fair ! The game's defo got more than one moments of pretty heavy tension. ; v ;

[@slimbingi1470]

@@maraganger i gave in and got it LOL

[@maraganger]

@@slimbingi1470 Aw hell yeah, hope you enjoy !

[@unsweetenedfruit]

Sad you didn't cover my favorite spell, Lithomancy! Give maddening sentience to inanimate objects and listen to their horrid screams as they struggle with the existence of their trapped life.

[@paulunga]

1:00 Huh, is that Evergrace music in the background? Edit: I guess it is, yeah. xD

[@maraganger]

yep it is !

[@TheReapersSon]

8:06 -- Sounds like Elden Ring, lol

[@huyt9370]

Sold!

[@ironwolf7029]

What are the first two songs called?

[@maraganger]

Sunbeams Streaming Through Leaves On The Hill from Evergrace, followed by Plains of Rowahl from Lost Kingdoms ! :>

[@Trencher1375]

great review

[@Yourwaifuisntreal]

Fun fact: That creature that the crows are pecking at is called an Oarfish.

[@NuevoExistence]

Please tell me the name of background music!

[@gfhrtshergheghegewgewgew1730]

i do think the enlightened ones are the brains that escaped the bodies of the mummies too

[@CrimsonCrux]

The Evergrace music hit the nostalgia. It's a shame From moved away from their dungeon crawlers, King's Field 4: Ancient City was my fave. Lunacid certainly hit the mark.

[@maraganger]

For real, I'd love to see them return in some shape or form to dungeon crawlers, whether that be in a remaster, sequel or even just a spiritual successor. There's so much good shit that could be done with the format.

[@sovereigncrab8966]

well composed video, do more you.

[@lunatic0verlord10]

23:48 Wait, is that supposed to be the player character? Does that mean that the player character is just running around in their birthday suit?

[@coldjazz9991]

im here early!!!

[@kuutonen666]

Hey you have a fun voice! Thanks for the video, I was on the edge with the game but not anymore.

[@maraganger]

Aw I'm glad you've enjoyed ! :>

[@himthejim4106]

I have been desperately searching for games like lunacid after beating it recently…. I am obsessed. Any suggestions? What I’m looking for specifically is just a game with connected worlds like lunacid, cool secrets, and decent combat.

[@kid14346]

Will you be looking back at this game now that it is fully released?

[@maraganger]

Nope, don't really feel the need to change anything I've said other than "it's even cooler now" haha

[@BigBoyPudgy]

''constantly on edge never sure what could be right around the corner and i love that'' Yes, it's so fun being bricked not knowing what is going to scare the bejesus out of me next 10/10 honestly though, good game

[@Toad-o3t]

I’d love to see you talk about their other game, Dread Delusion

[@maraganger]

Dread Delusion isn't by Kira, it's by Lovely Hellplace. But for sure, I'd love to talk about it some day. :>

[@jackblades90]

Thorhighheels composed themes for this game? nice.

[@GAnafisMER]

Great review, subbd

[@maraganger]

Thank you ! :>

[@sozaj]

Now if I could just get my hands on a PC... ...I'd play this and Monomyth (another game that brings King's Field to mind).

[@maraganger]

Hope you do ! They're both hella worth it. :>

[@sozaj]

@@maraganger thanks!

[@kid14346]

Don't forget that the composer AsterVrisk who wrote a lot of songs too!

[@maraganger]

This review was before they had contributed to the game but yeah, love their tracks !

[@tortue_]

I love so much stuff about this game i cant list them i just cant list them i LOVEEEEE everything in this game so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! here is a list of stuff i hate instead: -specific weapon drop rates(id rather have special ones dropping 'em) -thats all thanks for reading guys!

[@Seama327]

I pray that From Software makes a King’s Field Collection someday 🙏😢

[@CrowFatherReign]

I just bought this earrrly this morning... already found the abyssal tower that's my goal for tomorrow

[@Clay-mation]

i softlocked the black book sidequest by giving both of the books to the guy at the same time so now I cant get bestial communion and my save file is ruined :(

[@a_wild_Kirillian]

Unexpected recommendation but a great one nevertheless.

[@OrichalcumHammer]

20:32 Majora's Mask and Baroque.

[@david_aug_1017]

Goddamn this is a good video.

[@maraganger]

Aw thanks !! ; w ;