LUCID climbs its own mountain to both emulate and set itself apart from Celeste

In the six year since it first released, Celeste has become an inspiration. It isn't just that it's tough-as-nails platforming put together in a relatively low-resolution package. It's that it's so crisp and responsive while also requiring such pinpoint accuracy. It's challenging and frustrating, but it's the good kind of frustrating. Solo creator Eric Manahan is among those inspired by Celeste, as well as a handful of other classics, and that's something that comes through in the upcoming LUCID. Shacknews recently traveled to the Game Developers Conference to give it a look.

Shacknews first tried out LUCID back at PAX East 2024. The game's unforgettable pitch is that it's a "Celestoidvania," which goes to show how far Celeste has come as far as being an influence in the indie gaming world. This certainly bears a resemblance to Maddy Thorson's classic in terms of its art style, as well as its platforming physics. However, to simply boil it down to a cross between Celeste, Super Metroid, and Castlevania feels like a disservice. The game is influenced by several other classics, like the Mega Man and Ninja Gaiden games, in the way that combat, platforming, and difficulty are structured.

My experience didn't differ too much from Lucas White's back at last year's PAX East. LUCID's platforming style wears its influence on its sleeve, testing players with multiple jumps and air dashes that then require precise landings. More advanced jumps will take advantage of the main character's melee weapon, which can be used to flip switches and phase through certain walls. There are elements of LUCID that are slightly more forgiving. This doesn't have the one-hit kills that Celeste does, for example. However, it is possible to take a series of jumps in such a way that it ends with getting stuck in a bed of spikes.

Combat is a key component of LUCID's experience. One key difference between the PAX East demo and what was available at GDC is a new boss fight, one that Manahan notes is a work in progress. A giant beast will fire off columns of flames and laser blasts that will shoot off across the screen. The idea is to exercise their platforming skills to avoid incoming damage before finding an opening to strike with the sword. Because the sword can be used as a traversal tool, it was too easy to accidentally trigger that aspect of it and fly into the boss, taking unnecessary hits along the way. With that said, what was on display was certainly encouraging and should go a long way towards helping LUCID stand out from the games that have inspired it.

Publisher Apogee Entertainment hopes to have LUCID ready to cross the finish line at some point this year. Look for the game to come to PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch in 2025.

This preview is based on a private Steam build played during a private meeting at the 2025 Game Developers Conference. The final product is subject to change.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?