Luminous Corridor 2 is a twin stick shooter by Loren Schmidt that calls back to great games like Robotron. With oppressive arcade music and a trippy, neon wasteland to blast baddies in, it has equal parts charm and challenge. Itâs this weekâs Indie Pick.
Thereâs no understating what strong visual aesthetics can provide for a game. Given the right combination of art design and graphical flourish, otherwise standard affairs can transform into unique and bold experiences. This is the case with Luminous Corridor 2.
As an arcade shooter, the game holds up well. A variety of tiny pixelated enemies rush around and threaten to devour the player as they scurry around trying to collect crystals. Droves of silly skeletoids and big teethed chew chews hound you all the way.
The waves can get overwhelming but you have a secret weapon: the crystals. Theyâre not just items to collect. Fire at them and they can be made to explode and take out groups of enemies. Itâs just enough to give the player meaningful moment to moment decisions.
However, the real draw are the visuals. Wavy biomasses and wiggling creatures create a silly, if slightly unsettling vibe. Coupled with music by Katie Rose Pipkin thatâs full of blaring bleeps and droning boops, it feels like youâre playing an arcade cabinet thatâs slowly chewing itself up from the inside. The high energy gameplay belies a very specific kind of digital rot thatâs creeping at the edges.
 Luminous Corridor 2 doesnât have the raw strangeness of some of Schmidtâs other titles, particularly Strawberry Cubes or the collaborative work Realistic Kissing Simulator. Instead, it slightly warps a familiar arcade format into a genuine mood piece. I highly recommend giving it a look.
Each week, I show off a new, affordable indie game using the tag âHeatherâs Indie Pick.â
If youâve found a cool game or made something youâre proud of, reach out to me at [email protected] or on Twitter @transgamerthink
