‘Luna’s Wandering Stars’ Makes Astrophysics Fun!

Who says that astrophysics has to be hard? Well, most people. But that didn’t stop Serenity Forge! Following the nerd community standard of taking something incredibly complicated and boiling it down to something both fun and easy to use, Serenity Forge has created the game, Luna’s Wandering Stars.

Luna’s Wandering Stars is a game about gravity, momentum, and hope. It utilizes a physics simulator to provide the player a journey of discovery as they guide Pluto through the solar system. Along his way Pluto will encounter a cast of characters as big as the planets they represent. A puzzle game at heart, the majority of the game will be focused around solving the different planet’s “problems”, which will invariably involve rocketing celestial objects around and possibly shooting lasers at them.

Each planet has a different set of abilities and handicaps that help them get along in this big empty galaxy. Right now the art style is being changed from a cartoonish, almost Worms-like effect to a more realistic one, and so I am not sure what that will mean for the story aspect of the game. However, this game isn’t exactly about the riveting plot. It’s about making something difficult and daunting (astrophysics) and turning it into something manageable. Luna’s Wandering Stars doesn’t force you to understand exactly the forces that are being manipulated throughout the game, however it does pique your curiosity and if a Wikipedia page gets opened because of it, then all the better. The key point of this game is that the physics and properties used are realistic in nature. The numbers work out and there has been a great deal of effort made to make this an accurate yet fun simulation. In light of the spirit of experimentation and fun, once you’re finished with the campaign mode there is a level editor that will allow you to create and share levels that you design.

This is Serenity Forge’s first game, and they’ve certainly come out of the gate strong. Their Kickstarter is almost completely funded with plenty of time left to get some of those neat little extras. So if you have a friend or a kid who might be interested in learning some difficult physics the easy way through hands-on education; check out Luna’s Wandering Stars.

Check it out on Steam Greenlight.