Lifeless Moon is the prequel to Serenity Forge’s 2014 cult-favorite Lifeless Planet, and it brings back many of the design features that made its predecessor stand out from other indie titles at the time. In this prequel, many of those features are built upon and expanded to help highlight the new environment. Among many of the new and returning features, one area will stand out above the rest—the story and themes therein. Those who want to dive into this new adventure from Serenity Forge can play now on PC, but the game is also slated to release on consoles sometime in the future.
Recently, Game ZXC spoke with developer David Board about narrative differences from the first Lifeless title, as well as his hope that his personal narrative embedded in Lifeless Moon will move players. At the very least, he hopes it gives them a new perspective on some difficult subjects.
Lifeless Moon's Story Took a Surprisingly Personal Turn, Says Dev
Much like its predecessor, Lifeless Moon is primarily an action-adventure title. The game will feature many of the core mechanics from the first title like exploration of strange human-made towns in unexpected locations and light platforming.
Board notes that among some quality improvements to previous mechanics like platforming, the game will highlight some new features more heavily than Lifeless Planet did. This includes more first-person puzzles to solve that will help unravel the mysteries and generally more fleshed out environments, teeming with life in ways that they were not in the first game. Above all else, Board wanted to make sure there was more attention given to the story this time around.
“What I did learn was that it’s important to listen to your fans and the kinds of experiences they want.”
Focus on storytelling was not just an idea that came out of nowhere. Board tells Game ZXC that while working on his second installment in the Lifeless series, he made sure to pay attention to the kinds of experiences that fans wanted. This included wish lists like less obtuse platforming mechanics and more focus on narrative. However, Lifeless Moon’s narrative is not just the result of community suggestions; rather, it’s a story with deep roots in Board’s personal life.
When asked about what he hopes players will take away from Lifeless Moon, Board gave a surprising, somber response: two years ago, he lost his childhood best friend in a car accident. Now all the references in-game to his childhood and his best friend had suddenly become very poignant and deeply personal. He hopes that players will take something away from those moments, too, whether it be a moment to empathize with the experiences of the characters or simply a moment to reflect on the themes within the story.
“Maybe it’s too much for this game to bring healing, but at the very least, maybe it can provide a meditative moment and a chance for players to expand their perspective a little bit.”
The exploration of personal experiences via video games is perhaps one of the most appealing qualities of indie games today. Recent titles like Venba explore the tenuous balance of family, old culture, and assimilation into new cultures. Unpacking tells a story about how a person changes over the years of their life solely through unpacking boxes and placing items in specific locations in a series of new dwellings over the years. These games, among many others, tap into the player's heart and utilize one’s empathy to engage with storytelling in a way that is genuinely unique to indie titles.
Serenity Forge’s Lifeless Moon learns many lessons from its predecessor and offers improvements on previous systems, while also shining a light more closely on some previously less fleshed-out aspects of the game. Its story becomes profoundly personal and remains one of the most alluring qualities of the gameplay as a whole, and hopefully, players will be able to feel that too.
Lifeless Moon is available now on PC and will be coming to consoles sometime in the future.