Lunicus
Encyclopedia
Lunicus is a 1994 computer game developed by Cyberflix
and published by Paramount Interactive. It shares many traits in both graphical style and gameplay with some of Cyberflix's other games, like Jump Raven
.
It was released for the Mac
and Windows 3.1, and was one of many adventure games released to capitalize on the adoption of CD-ROM
drives.
s contained within, with full voice acting and some stilted animation which is characterized on the game packaging as "Talking Cyber Puppets".
During the combat missions, the player enters various parts of Earth and cleans out alien infestations either on foot or in a vehicle. The player's weapons are relatively static throughout the game, including machine gun
s, rocket launchers
, and grenade
attacks. While in the vehicle, the player can opt to duck inside one of the buildings to find additional ammunition and supplies. Nearly all buildings (except for quest-specific ones) are identical.
The game's latter missions involve defending the moon base itself from attack by the alien forces, and then attacking the alien mothership.
The player's activities are seen from a first person perspective
, but they can only face one of four directions, turning left or right on a tile-based grid similar to games such as Scarab of Ra
. Direct targeting is accomplished with the mouse, while movement is accomplished with either the mouse or the game's heads up display.
The game included several pre-rendered
full motion video
sequences, usually bookending the combat sequences. Several difficulty levels are available, which alter the strength and numbers of the enemy waves.
Nearly all graphics in the game are pre-rendered sprites, including walls and city components.
moon base, Lunicus, to defend against the threat of the alien attack, led by the Hive Queen.
The aliens are present as an archeological dig in 2023 unearths several alien artifacts, one of which is mistakenly activated and alerts the alien force.
Cyberflix
Cyberflix Incorporated was a computer game company founded in 1993 by Bill Appleton. Cyberflix was based in Knoxville, Tennessee. They made many interactive story-telling games in the 1990s, but went out of business in 1998....
and published by Paramount Interactive. It shares many traits in both graphical style and gameplay with some of Cyberflix's other games, like Jump Raven
Jump Raven
Jump Raven was the second game released by Cyberflix, in 1994. The game's technology is similar to that of Lunicus, released by Cyberflix one year prior, but this time employs a more detailed storyline and environment...
.
It was released for the Mac
Mac OS
Mac OS is a series of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Inc. for their Macintosh line of computer systems. The Macintosh user experience is credited with popularizing the graphical user interface...
and Windows 3.1, and was one of many adventure games released to capitalize on the adoption of CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
drives.
Gameplay
Lunicus is primarily an adventure game; in between combat missions you may wander the moon base you are stationed on and talk to the various NPCNon-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
s contained within, with full voice acting and some stilted animation which is characterized on the game packaging as "Talking Cyber Puppets".
During the combat missions, the player enters various parts of Earth and cleans out alien infestations either on foot or in a vehicle. The player's weapons are relatively static throughout the game, including machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
s, rocket launchers
Shoulder-launched missile weapon
A shoulder-fired missile, shoulder-launched missile or man-portable missile is a projectile fired at a target, small enough to be carried by a single person, and fired while held on one's shoulder...
, and grenade
Grenade
A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
attacks. While in the vehicle, the player can opt to duck inside one of the buildings to find additional ammunition and supplies. Nearly all buildings (except for quest-specific ones) are identical.
The game's latter missions involve defending the moon base itself from attack by the alien forces, and then attacking the alien mothership.
The player's activities are seen from a first person perspective
First person (video games)
In video games, first person refers to a graphical perspective rendered from the viewpoint of the player character. In many cases, this may be the viewpoint from the cockpit of a vehicle. Many different genres have made use of first-person perspectives, ranging from adventure games to flight...
, but they can only face one of four directions, turning left or right on a tile-based grid similar to games such as Scarab of Ra
Scarab of Ra
Scarab of Ra is a Mac OS shareware computer game written in 1987 by Rick Holzgrafe and released by Semicolon Software. It is an adventure set within an Egyptian pyramid.-Story:...
. Direct targeting is accomplished with the mouse, while movement is accomplished with either the mouse or the game's heads up display.
The game included several pre-rendered
Pre-rendered
Pre-rendering is the process in which video footage is not rendered in real-time by the hardware that is outputing or playing back the video. Instead, the video is a recording of a footage that was previously rendered on a different equipment...
full motion video
Full motion video
Full motion video based games are video games that rely upon pre-recorded TV-quality movie or animation rather than sprites, vectors, or 3D models to display action in the game. In the early 1990s a diverse set of games utilized this format...
sequences, usually bookending the combat sequences. Several difficulty levels are available, which alter the strength and numbers of the enemy waves.
Nearly all graphics in the game are pre-rendered sprites, including walls and city components.
Plot
As the game begins, the player is stationed on the United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
moon base, Lunicus, to defend against the threat of the alien attack, led by the Hive Queen.
The aliens are present as an archeological dig in 2023 unearths several alien artifacts, one of which is mistakenly activated and alerts the alien force.