By Super Searcher
Lucidity is a game made by LucasArts, but it’s a magical storybook experience that’s very different from Star Wars.
Lucidity is a 2D side-scrolling platform game that follows a little girl named Sofi who is searching for her grandmother. The girl walks through a dangerous forest, full of giant critters such as frogs and snails. Rather than controlling her directly, your job is to place objects (bridges, stairs, springs, etc.) in front of the girl (who will continuously walk forward and never stop) to keep her away from the monsters. If Sofi falls into hazards such as thorns, you will have to start the level over again. While keeping Sofi safe, you must also help her collect as many fireflies as possible to unlock bonus levels. There is no real dialogue in the game. But at the end of each level, you get a postcard with words of wisdom written on it.
Lucidity takes a while to finish; it took me about a week. If you’re in a hurry, it can probably be done in a day. I can’t say too much more about the game content, as that will begin to give away the story. But I will say that the mood of the game is a mix of somber and hope, with a touch of sadness. The unique art style of the game looks kind of like paper cutouts (a la Eric Carle’s Hungry Caterpillar) but with more CGI. The game has a fantastic soundtrack and music score to go along with Sofi’s dreamlike world. The background noise of crickets chirping seemed to come from all around me – and I don’t even have surround sound! The haunting main menu song, “Byssan Lull,” has been one of my top ten favorites for years now.
Lucidity was released in 2009 and it’s only $5 on Steam. Despite what critics say, I consider it a terrific game to play through at least once.