Presenting a new puzzle game comes with a lot of different aspects to be put together. From deciding how difficult the puzzles will be and the variables that will be included in them are some of the main components. Then there is the choice of what the environment will be like, who the character is, and sometimes a bit of a story as to why they are doing that.

Chucking the idea of a story away and giving players control of a green blob underwater to solve various puzzles on their path to control the ‘Mastermote’ is the development team Luminawesome Games. With the help of Wired Productions, they have published a unique puzzle game called Lumote: The Mastermote Chronicles. After playing this game, I have to say that this is the kind of puzzle game I have wanted to play for a while now.

Gameplay

As a little green blob underwater, you may expect some floating or swimming physics, but that is not the case. Instead, you have simple controls: movement, jump, double-jump, and grab. Everything in this game will revolve around these few actions. With these controls, you begin your journey of turning all towers that are red into the color blue.

The way they make this work is by giving you a lot of things you can control by grabbing it. Of course, this is mostly after the first few areas of the game where they keep it simple and the only thing you grab is the trigger block that once placed on the goal location, the pathway opens up to the next area. You won’t be given a tutorial or any instructions, so these early areas are your learn-by-doing sections.

Eventually, you will work your way to towers that will introduce different elements of the game. The jellyfish on a leash (which actually doesn’t seem to really limit your movement or get tangled, but rather just act as a visual representation of its connection to a specific energy source), a cubed anemone that is only safe to touch when its the same color as the item touching it, and the laser balls that take the energy it is sitting on and redirect it in a specific direction. Learning to use each of these elements separately in a tower full of puzzles builts around that new element was a great way to prepare for the next part.

The final section of the game combines all of these elements and utilizes them together. These were the hardest section of the game while trying to complete the segment that is turning everything blue and becoming the Mastermote. Then the game surprises you with a continuation here and sends you on a new journey; this time with the goal of turning everything red!

Nothing new is really introduced in this part of the game, but be ready to face some of the hardest puzzles in the game! They did a great job making all of the original area’s puzzles gradually more difficult, but this area of the game doesn’t hold back. By this point, you have completed the main game, so this is sort of like extra content, but it is where the true challenge is at. I recommend playing through this segment of the game, if you can handle the difficulty that is.

Audio and Visuals

This game’s aesthetic is truly beautiful. The colors are very attractive and are able to guide your path a bit. There was never a question as far as what my end goal was, where the point of solving the puzzle is at, or anything really. It is amazing how telling they are able to be with their environment alone!

As for the music and sound effects… they were mostly fitting, to put it nicely. After the first few times connecting my bluetooth headphones to my Nintendo Switch to play this game, I stopped doing it. I found the sound effects to be weird and distracting while the music was either none existent or just used to emphasize a moment.

Replayability

Other than going through to find and collect all of the golden collectibles in the game or gathering that one speedrun achievement they have, there isn’t much reason to play the game again. Solving puzzles is only truly entertaining to do the first time around and they offer a ton of puzzles in this game.

What It Could Have Done Better

I get that this game is supposed to take place underwater, but I think they could have done a bit better with the sound effects. Something less distracting but still giving off the sea life atmosphere would have been preferred.

There were a few visual glitches that were hindering. Most namely, sometimes the lasers just weren’t visible until I died and reloaded the level. Those lasers are part of solving the puzzle, so it is important to make sure they can be seen. Hopefully, this is something they can patch quickly.

Verdict

Lumote: The Mastermote Chronicles is a gem for puzzle players! There are only a handful of games in the last few years that really pulled off providing a puzzle-solving experience that is both entertaining and challenging. Yet this game manages to pull that off while having a simplistic setup and a beautiful aesthetic. Definitely a title I am very happy to have experienced personally and one I recommend to players looking for their next mental challenge.

Lumote: The Mastermote Chronicles is now available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam, GOG, and Epic Games Store.