LUXDRIVE EX

❗❗Note: This game performs the smoothest when played on Google Chrome❗❗

💧🌱LuxDrive EX is a side-scrolling action platformer in which you play as Lux, a courageous horticulturist-explorer, rebuilding and restoring regions back to their sustainable practices for animals and people to enjoy.

Explore and leap into the first region, The Rust Belt, where agriculture once thrived but something changed. The facilities have gone offline and with support from Professor Yara Brightwater and the witty robot-familiar S.I.L.A.S (Systematic Intelligent Lifeform for Agricultural Stewardship), Lux is on a mission to help, heal, and bring hope for a greener tomorrow.

This demo was created and developed to participate in the Day Zero Games: SOLARPUNK JAM hosted by Trevor Noah's Day Zero Productions and Anima Interactive, and sponsored by Cinereach.

🎮Gameplay Controls 

• A Key: Left Movement
• D Key: Right movement
• Space: Jump
• S Key + Airborne: Jump Slam
• J Key: Knockback
• K Key (pressed): blast small nanites
• K Key (hold + release):  charge and fire a larger nanite blast

📝Menu / UI Controls

• Escape Key: Pause menu
• J Key: Speed up dialogue
• K Key: Skip dialogue

Designing an action-platformer that focuses on positive change was important. In a way, this game jam challenged us to explore the intersectionality of the themes within Solarpunk and the platformer genre, through positive actions.

Leaning into the theme of potential futures, this demo helps illustrate for audiences the possible consequences of different climate change scenarios by depicting outcomes. For example, “The Rust Belt” region symbolizes overfarming (overcultivation) and the results of excessive farming practices. Visually, the player sees the agricultural land which led to soil degradation.

In relation to the theme of nature, technology, and harmony, we want to empower the player to act and be decision makers. In this platformer, the player has choices and can take action to change what is around them. The player can restore and heal creatures (using the Nanites in her Tech Gloves). Once creatures are healed, it will result in the aspirational outcome of helping cure the creature as well as for plants to grow.

Some of the questions we hope players will ask while playing this game include:

• How can we engage in building climate change solutions across identities (age, gender, ability, and etc.)?
  
• What do you hold the most value in: a large-scale goal or local impact?

Names and words have power. Professor "Yara" derives from Tupi-Guaraní language in South America which can mean beauty of the waters. The word “lux” has several meanings and definitions. Lux is a unit that is used for measuring the amount of light falling on the surface. In Latin, “lux” means light and can also mean hope, illumination, and restoration. As research has shown statistically women are disproportionately affected by climate change, this character, for us, symbolizes the embodiment of a female heroine's ability to bring light. Lux was design to create positive change in mind. Visually, the player can see once a creature is healed, a tile changes based on their positive action.

Theme lenses covered by Day Zero Games: Solarpunk Jam Toolkit:

• Making Choices
• Potential Futures
• History & Accountability

We also explored how policies and initiatives, such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals manifested within the game:

• In Game Reference: Using healing ability to restoring creatures. This triggers the change in tiles to become grass and re-grow of crops.
  • Goal 15 - Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

• In Game Reference: Re-activating the System Beacon to bring back sustainable and modern energy back to the region. 
  • Goal 7 - Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all 
  • Goal 9 - Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation 

Team Credits & What Solarpunk means to us:

🎵Austin (Audio & Sound Design): Austin is a sound designer and composer currently living in Brooklyn, NY. He cares very deeply about the art of game development, and draws inspiration from the people and community around him. He enjoys creating games that have something to say.

• "I think Solarpunk is an incredibly important philosophy and ideal, one that understands both the history and the “now” of the state of the world, and pushes for change rooted in community effort. It offers an invaluable lens for how we can create and progress with and for each other and the planet."

🕹️Charles (Game Design & Production Support): Charles is a designer and producer with a strong focus on creating innovative systems and working with teams to create something that is greater than the sum of its parts, and this is his first real jam! He has a strong interest in themes of cyberpunk and community empowerment. Check out his portfolio and story at https://www.playstarstudio.com/

• "I appreciate Solarpunk’s message, the concept of reclaiming a balance between technology and nature is an appealing one for me. I feel that this is an important concept in today’s world - we still have a chance to course correct our wasteful, production-driven ways, and solarpunk serves as an important, if cozy looking, warning."

🎨Christian (Pixel Art): Christian is a program manager by day and pixel artist at night. He is inspired by classical JRPGs pixel games. He enjoys concepting and transforming ideas to pixels. View more of his pixel art: 🐸 Curly 🐸 (@curlpixel) • Instagram photos and videos

• "What I enjoy about Solarpunk is the intersectionality of understanding history and the role we play in change. We all have the opportunity to create a positive impact no matter how little or big that may appear. "

🖥️ Doug (Software Engineer): Doug is an indie game developer with a focus on gameplay and systems engineering. He enjoys working on small, passionate teams who can really get the job done (like this one!) View more of his work at https://douglasguzman.com/work

• "I like solarpunk because it is a unique way to show both the problems and solutions for climate change. The many interpretations of the basic idea “green robots” give way to many possible solutions, and they can be shared in a fun and interactive way. "

🖥️ Patrick (Software Engineer): Patrick is a gameplay engineer with a passion for transforming early-stage concepts into fully realized game experiences—including contributions to over 25 freeware game teams. Check out his portfolio here: Itch Credits

• "I’m energized by Solarpunk’s hopeful vision of a future where communities harness technology to restore and celebrate the natural world. Solarpunk reminds me that creativity and care can thrive together, and that even small, thoughtful choices can grow into something truly transformative."

Licenses & Programs: Roberto Mocci's Text Font (Dogica) | Ableton's Sample Sound

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❤️ 🌳Thank you for taking time to play our game🌳 ❤️