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LUCID Returns With New Trailer and a Confirmed Spring 2026 Launch
Apogee Entertainment has offered the most detailed look yet at LUCID, the crystal-punk 2D action RPG from solo creator Eric Manahan. Debuting fresh footage during the 2025 Winter OTK Games Expo, the showcase also confirmed that the game is officially set to launch in spring 2026 on PC, with console versions to follow.
Created under The Matte Black Studio, LUCID blends the precision of classic platformers with modern movement-driven combat and a narrative that threads through a fractured world. The new trailer introduces several never-before-seen characters, including major bosses and potential allies, while highlighting the expanding toolkit available to its protagonist, Oenn.
A Crystal-Punk World Built on Fluidity and Challenge
LUCID positions itself as a Celestoidvania, a term coined by Manahan to describe its hybrid approach that merges side-scrolling exploration, fast action, and a character-driven story.
Oenn, a young Sentinel, travels across Aedyn after a devastating catastrophe, bound by a personal promise that shapes his journey. The crystal-punk world is filled with ruins, luminous caverns, stark mountain ridges and fragmented civilisation, all interconnected through deliberate platforming design.
The game’s focus on precise movement is evident in the newly revealed gameplay. Oenn’s controls encourage fluid transitions between platforming, dashing, airborne combat and traversal techniques. The sharp responsiveness is built to evoke the golden era of 2D sidescrollers while delivering a modern sense of speed and verticality.
Crystal Arts and Combat Depth
A major highlight of the new LUCID footage is Oenn’s growing arsenal of Crystal Arts. These abilities, such as the Crystal Blade, Spear and Axe, each reshape how players approach combat and movement. Crystal Arts unlock new mobility paths or combat patterns, allowing players to chain aerial strikes, reposition quickly, or break through enemy defences.
Players can upgrade these skills by collecting Crystal Shards and rare materials to enhance Oenn’s Bracers. This upgrade system encourages experimentation with builds as new Crystal Arts evolve throughout the adventure.
The trailer also teases several formidable boss fights that anchor the story’s most dramatic encounters. Each boss appears designed around deliberate patterns, forcing players to combine mobility mastery with careful observation.
Exploring the Mysteries of Aedyn
As an interconnected world, Aedyn offers a range of environments that players can explore at their own pace. The showcase highlights snowy peaks, glittering caverns and the eerie gloom of Welltown, each designed to reward curiosity through secrets, traversal challenges and narrative fragments. The atmosphere leans heavily into its crystal-punk aesthetic, giving the world a distinctive identity among contemporary indie platformers.
LUCID is set to launch first on PC via Steam in spring 2026. Console versions are planned but will be detailed at a later date. Players can already try an early slice of the game through its playable demo on Steam.
