Lunars Preview

When you think of multiplayer games today, your thoughts may turn to the likes of Valorant, Lethal Company, Helldivers 2, or one of the many yearly sports-themed franchises. However, before we had the magic of the internet and the current offerings of titles, there was one genre that dominated the party game scene at many gatherings and parties, Mario Party! This local multiplayer mini-game mashup destroyed many friendships, caused many arguments, and is remembered by many as a “good time” and has had a following of sequels and similar titles all the way to the modern day. However, even with the popularity of the genre, the formula has stayed more or less the same, which is why we were quite surprised upon starting our first session of Lunars in our Steam Next Fest jamboree.

On the surface, this title seems much like any other: cute characters — Chinese Zodiac-themed ones in this case — throw dice and progress on a board, with each square representing a gain or loss of some kind and a shiny thing to try and get before anything else. Once everyone has had a turn, a minigame is played, with the winners gaining money and bragging rights and the losers being ridiculed. Sure, Lunars uses a d12 instead of a classic, but that's it, right? Wrong! One of the big selling points of the title is a game mode called Blitz, wherein everyone throws their dice and moves at the same time!

This may not sound like much, but one of the big problems with this style of boardgame-esque party games, especially when played online, is how long they can take; everyone has to do their turn one after another, with item management, strategy, and picking a competitor to mess with all taking up time. In Blitz mode, this is all thrown out the window and everyone is allowed to do their turns at once! This adds a lot of chaos to the game, especially if multiple players are near the Jade Buttons, which are required to win, but it also sped up the game immensely! A full round that would usually take from five to 10 minutes could now be played in one, keeping the pace and excitement of the game running high. I’m not sure if other party games have employed this idea yet, but it felt very fun in an online setting; so much so that I wonder why this isn’t a standard feature.

The mini-games themselves were a mix of old classics and new ideas, with some being heavily inspired by both Mario Party and Crash Bash, among others. They were often easily understandable and fun, featuring battle royales and team-based battles. As the demo was limited to about 10 games, we did end up playing through most of them multiple times, which was a shame, but the current selection left me hopeful for the full game. Hopefully, they can keep up their level of creativity, homage, and new ideas in the full release. We also only had one board to play on, so I’m excited to see what else they have in mind.

The characters and design of the game itself are very lighthearted and cute, with everything having an arts-and-crafts look. The characters themselves are plushies with visible patches and wear, making them even more adorable and reminiscent of our own teddies we loved to — sometimes literal — bits. The amount of customisation was fun as well, with lots of referential items to wear.

In summary, I think if you’re in the market for a fresh party game to break out during those long family meetings or when you have your friends over, Lunars is definitely one to keep in mind. It is difficult to say if they can keep the game entertaining in the long run with more games and maps, but I feel safe in saying the demo has me hopeful.