Sometimes you take a chance on a demo and it just grabs you, and that’s what happened with me when I played LUCID, an upcoming precision platformer that’s also a MetroidVania.
LUCID makes no bones about its influences. In fact, a Kickstarter from solo developer The Matte Black Studio, refers to the title as a “Celestoidvania”, and honestly, that’s pretty accurate based on the demo. Inspirations listed include so many games that have shaped many a person’s tastes over the years, and I seriously recommend you grab the demo as soon as you can, especially if you have enjoyed the likes of Celeste or Super Meat Boy, and even more so if you have a Steam Deck or similar to have a quick blast of it.
With the demo fresh in my mind, I had a chance to speak to developer Eric Manahan about influences, the differences between the demo and final release, when that final release might be, and how you get across “game feel” in a trailer for a title like this. Without further ado, here’s our LUCID interview.
How are you finding development so far, is it right that LUCID is an entirely solo-developed project?
Development has been really rewarding. I left a 10-year architectural career to pursue this dream, so any day I am working on LUCID is a good one. While I consider myself a solo developer, I have subcontractors who occasionally assist me with their skills and talents.
It’s quite bold to liken your game to Celeste and co, but it does seem accurate based on the demo. Did you worry about making comparisons?
No not really! Comparing art to what came before it is so natural that it feels almost inevitable. When playing the game and making it, the influence is so clear, yet so different. It also helps make what the game’s hook is very concise.
Something we often discuss as fans of the genre is “locomotion”. How difficult is that to get across in a trailer? Does it make a demo essential?
Yeah, I’d say so. The number of times I’ve gotten to sit down next to a player, as they start playing the game for the first time, and they say something along the lines of “ohhh woooow… this just feels good to play!” It’s like trying to describe climbing a mountain vs. actually climbing it. The player needs to feel it for themselves.
On that note, you get some abilities pretty quickly in the demo. Is that flow something we can expect when the final game drops?
You get onboarded with the essentials at a steady but efficient pace to get you into the meat and potatoes of the game. But that pace isn’t kept throughout. There is more time to test and experiment what you gain in later areas.
In terms of the demo, is that a slice of the game, or is it as the opening will appear when the Lucid is finished?
It’s close to the opening, but slightly altered for the demo.
Are you close to announcing a release date, do you feel? We’re approaching the end of 2025, so it seems 2026 is more likely for the release?
2026 is the current target.
What other games in the genre do you look up to? Celeste is clearly an inspiration, but you also cite Mega Man, and others.
Super Metroid, Megaman X, Megaman Zero, The Legend of Zelda : A Link to the Past, Chrono Trigger, Super Mario RPG, DOOM 2016, Sekiro, Hollow Knight, The Messenger, Super Smash Bros… the list goes on.
How long an experience are you hoping Lucid will be? Can you give us a sneaky idea of how long to beat it?
This has been such an interesting question. I’ve seen players take their time and finish the Demo in 3-5 hours, and I’ve seen speed-runners beat the demo 100% completion in 47 minutes! It’s a nearly impossible question to answer accurately. But I could maybe say… It’s somewhere between a Super Metroid and Hollow Knight in scope.
Will speed-runners be catered for? Fans of the genre sometimes love to sequence break and this kind of platforming feels ideal for that.
Funny you bring this up, LUCID is currently holding a Speed Running Contest!
While I have designed the game with Speed-runners in mind, LUCID is by no means only for going fast. I’ve designed many systems to cater to players of all skill levels. They can play at whatever pace they are most comfortable with.
That said… I love watching speed-runs. I’ve watched so many GDQ during development, they each give me further insight into what runners like in a game. LUCID has sections of the game, trials called Circuits, that can be reset on the fly, done over and over again in attempting to complete them in a quick time limit. If you are successful, you are rewarded with loot. This system is heavily reminiscent of Mario Kaizos or even Smash Bros’ break the target trials!
Will there be plenty of story and exposition, or is gameplay a larger focus overall?
It’s a bit of both. A lot of the lore and world-building will be done the Fromsoft way through environmental storytelling and item descriptions. However, it’s one or two levels less obtuse, and NPCs are far less cryptic. A best of both worlds in my opinion.
When you have some spare time, what are you playing at the moment, or looking forward to playing?
What… what is spare time?
Thanks to Eric for taking the time to speak to us.
LUCID is coming to PC via Steam in 2026. The demo is available now.