Netflix’s latest game is a fresh take on platformers
When you think of a platformer, you probably think of jumping. The simple move is a staple of the genre, whether we’re talking about classic side-scrolling adventures or larger three-dimensional worlds. But Lucky Luna, the latest release on Netflix’s fledgling games service, offers something a little different: it removes the jump altogether.
Lucky Luna takes place in a beautiful pixel art world of ancient ruins and tasks players with navigating a series of levels to uncover its secrets. It has many of the staples of the genre, like collectible orbs, hidden areas, moving platforms, deadly spikes, and enemies that move in specific patterns. The twist is the lack of a jump button. In fact, Lucky Luna doesn’t have on-screen buttons at all. To move, you simply swipe left or right; a hard swipe will see Luna dash across the screen, while lighter taps will result in smaller movements. Safely getting around involves using those limited options together with smart timing to avoid obstacles and get to the end of each stage.
I’ve played the first few levels, and while I can say that Lucky Luna is definitely pretty challenging, I was also surprised by how quickly I adapted to the lack of a jump button. After a few stages, I didn’t miss it at all; the vertical levels are cleverly designed around the swipe mechanic, which feels intuitive once you learn to let go of the jump. It’s sort of like the inverse of Super Mario Run, another mobile take on the platformer but one where jumping is the central way to interact with the world.
According to Andrew Schimmel, a producer at developer Snowman — best known for the Alto series of snowboarding games — the idea was to “evoke those like classic experiences that we grew up on but not be
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