PAX East: A Look at Fast-Paced Metroidvania LUCID

At PAX East, we had the opportunity to sit down with developer Eric Manahan while he showed us an early build of his new game LUCID, a fast-paced, colorfully designed experience that feels like Celeste meets Mega Man, all set within a Metroidvania type map. Eric's showcase of LUCID was a last-minute decision, literally troubleshooting bugs in his hotel room over the weekend to ensure a relatively smooth experience. Despite the early stages of this build, LUCID was a charming game that looked incredibly fun to play. We didn't have the opportunity to get our hands on it, but Eric did play through some of a stage for us to show off the game's mechanics and the character's moveset.

LUCID Puts a Focus On Fast Movement and Dynamic Combat

One of the abilities of the character in LUCID is a dash mechanic that can be strung together to move through the air or along the ground quickly. This can make short work of traversing the maze-like map and uncovering all the secrets along the way.

I mentioned to Eric that this is the type of game that speedrunners would have a field day with, and he agreed, saying speedrunning was one of the elements he had in mind when designing the overall feel of the game. Inspired by an age when 2D side-scrolling adventures dominated the playspace, LUCID is a gorgeously designed pixel art experience that will eventually include an interesting cast of characters that you meet along the way, all while becoming more powerful.

Absorb Different Abilities in LUCID

We didn't get to see much of the combat in this game, but LUCID's protagonist, Oenn, has several abilities available to him that can be quickly selected from an on-screen radial menu. He can also absorb abilities as you move through the game, adding a sense of Kirby-like wonder to this adventure. The different biomes in LUCID will vary from frigid landscapes to claustrophobic caverns, with each area hosting a formidable boss that'll put all of Oenn's abilities to the test. Find the right combination of absorbed abilities and attacks to come out victorious.

LUCID Release Date

LUCID is still in early development, so there is no firm release date set. The fast-paced gameplay, enchanting music, and engaging combat caught our attention, making it one of the highlights of PAX East 2022.

If you'd like to stay in the loop with future updates, LUCID is currently available to be wishlisted on Steam.