DaRmaZat If you’re in the market for a nimble RPG that blends artistic presentation and an intimate story with surprisingly tough real-time combat, Lunarium delivers just that. Playing as Ave, a light-armored knight, you are thrust into a world on the brink of collapse.
Ave’s journey begins in a dense forest as you head toward the Dark Shadows – a dangerous region your mentor Theodore warned you about while teaching you how to swing a blade. As you press forward into crumbling ruins, one constant remains: a thick, mysterious mist hanging over every single environment. At first, your primary threat consists of local wildlife like wolves, mole rats, and longhorn trolls. Encounters with larger black wolves and a massive troll boasting a beefy health bar force you to rely heavily on dodges and parries to stagger enemies and simply survive.
Or so you think. Right after you defeat that first big troll, it suddenly revives with full health and magically paralyzes you on the spot. You wake up next to a mysterious figure known simply as The Girl, who later introduces herself as Lune. She gifts you a magical bracelet that links your souls together, granting you access to a healing Pray ability. Through Lune, you discover that the local beasts are possessed by the Nihilus – an otherworldly, ghostly matter that makes them exceptionally dangerous.
Not only will you need each other to clear away the Nihilus blight before you can explore any further, but your bond also changes combat significantly. For instance, Ave can execute a Resonance attack where Lune fires a Lumina-powered arrow. Striking an enemy causes them to collapse, leaving them helpless on the ground while you rain heavy damage upon them with basic and charged attacks. As the difficulty sharply increases, Lunarium‘s combat quickly layers on more depth with skills like Perfect Parries and Perfect Resonance, along with various special abilities for both Ave and Lune. To upgrade their stats, you’ll need to collect shards or purchase them from Nina and Cody, the merchant duo known as The Twins.
Other concessions to ease the difficulty include sanctuaries, which offer rest and a chance to learn new skills using Lumina Stars – though resting also respawns all the enemies in the area. Later on, benches take over this role while adding fast travel. And while the boss fights can be quite tough, shrines placed right before these encounters serve as convenient respawn points for a quick retry.
Despite these solid foundations, Lunarium shows its rough edges now and then. Beyond the combat, the game puts a heavy emphasis on story, dialogue, and atmosphere. The characters and interactions are presented with plenty of charm, but when paired with the laid-back music, these talking segments can slow the pacing down to the point where they become almost sleep-inducing.
You will occasionally run into placeholder text for dialogues, character details, or item descriptions. Environmental readability is another hit-or-miss affair; it is not always clear whether you are facing a dead end or a path forward. Given how many tiny, individually loaded levels make up the world, blinking lights to mark exits are a necessity – yet they aren’t always there when you need them to show you the way. Platforming suffers from similar issues. Even if a button prompt appears or a dialogue line gives a hint, reading the actual terrain can be frustrating, making it hard to tell if a ledge is climbable or jumpable until you physically run up and bump against the wall.
On the visual and audio front, the title offers a lovely soundtrack and a compelling art style, but some may find the combat sound effects somewhat monotone, bleeding slightly into the feel of the combat itself. Fortunately, the sound design never became a total dealbreaker for me, as the overall art direction, charm, and striking backdrops manage to redeem much of the experience.
Final Thoughts
Lunarium is a rough-around-the-edges action-RPG that manages to stay afloat thanks to its genuine charm, beautiful art style, and engaging combat synergies. While issues with level readability, clunky sound effects, and occasional pacing lulls hold it back, the intriguing lore and the core dynamic between Ave and Lune keep the experience interesting. If you can look past the quirks and navigation stumbles, there is a captivating atmospheric journey here to discover and enjoy.
Additional Information
Release Date: July 29, 2026
Reviewed On: PC. Download code provided by the publisher and PR agency.
Developer: 月相仪Lunarium
Publisher: 月相仪Lunarium, Imperfect Games
Relevant links: Available via Steam.
