The Luminist

About

The Luminist strands a lone engineer in a deserted underground mining town after a sudden blackout. Armed with jury-rigged light emitters and makeshift guns, you push through crumbling tunnels teeming with grotesque creatures that hunt in the dark. The environment itself is a hazard, collapsing floors, flickering power, and radio static from distant authorities hinting at buried secrets. Combat leans on light as both weapon and tool, blinding foes or carving paths through the gloom while fending off relentless hordes. The game’s standout is its dual focus on exploration and survival. The main story weaves environmental storytelling with tense gunplay, while the Horde mode escalates the chaos with waves of enemies. Developed by DigiPen students, it balances polish and ambition, though its 2019 release date means it’s best suited for fans of gritty, under-the-radar shooters. The light-based mechanics feel fresh but don’t overshadow the core thrill of escaping a nightmare beneath the earth.

Storyline

The subterranean mining city of Bravst is vast. It has flourished under the rule of its authoritarian governing body known as The Order. The Order has fostered an industrial and scientific revolution by harvesting a powerful resource from oil rich mushrooms which grow deep underground. Dietrich, an engineer, is trapped in a long-abandoned district of the city after a freak accident. Completely alone with only intermittent contact with the city via radio, he must traverse the ruins to escape. As he navigates the dark tunnels and abandoned dwellings he discovers clues leading to a revelation as to why this area of the mines was condemned. Now, time is against him as the rulers of Bravst hope to keep their secrets locked away in the depths of the mines. The Luminist is a single-player third-person shooter in which the player, armed with makeshift light-based tools and projectile weapons, must repel swarms of cave-dwelling monsters in an effort to escape the treacherous mines. In addition to the main story there is also a ‘Horde’ game mode where the player can hone their skills defending against endless waves of monsters.