- Dev Update: Pixel Aurora Borealis - 26 October 2025
hey everyone,a few exciting updates from The Lumenites world:Improved environment visuals: check out the new aurora borealis lighting the skies.The first island is now almost complete: Heavy cleaning needed for the player. Not only Trash, also some toxic waste.Added a new powerwashing mechanic, so you can help restore the islands more interactively.The Lumenites now have their own needs, like housing and rest, they’re becoming truly alive.I’m currently working toward a small internal demo, and I’ll be looking for testers and feedback soon.Stay tuned, and join our Discord if you want to follow progress or help shape the next steps.Thanks for being part of this cozy little world 💚And yes, some good or bad news (depends on how you feel about it): I postponed the release to 2026 - I take the time needed to create this world. Hope that's fine with you.kr, Simon
- Cozy Start Screen - 6 July 2025
A cozy start screen is the game’s first impression, and we’re happy to share ours with you.You’ll see our lovely main character and the Lumenites, eager to get to work and clean up the world.The turtle remains hidden for now. That moment is something we want you to discover yourself.kr, Simon
- City Builder & Colony Sim Fest - 26 March 2025
We’re excited to be part of this week’s City Builder & Colony Sim Fest on Steam. Happy to share some behind-the-scenes insights from the development of The Lumenites. A cozy, non-violent village builder on a flying turtle. If you love the way it feels, don’t forget to wishlist it! 💛 Whats new? New Main Character, somehow with a frog companion perched on their head? Added a Desert, a warm, cozy atmosphere by night
- 3,000 Wishlist Milestone Reached! - 2 February 2025
...i mean, how?...crazy we have it, 3'000+ Wishlist! Thank you so much for all your amazing support. I’m excited to keep programming and creating new art for you!
- 99 Followers on Steam! Will You Be Our 100th? Write comment and get into game! - 27 October 2024
Dear Lumenites, We’re thrilled to celebrate reaching 99 followers on our Steam Hub! It’s been an incredible journey, and your support means the world to me. As a small token of appreciation, I’d like to give a special “honorary mention” to our 100th Steam Hub follower! If you think you are the 100th, simply write as a comment to this post, and include the name you'd like to see in the credits of The Lumenites. If your name is eligible (*), I’ll be happy to include it in the credits! Thank you again for your amazing support! Best regards, Simon (*, only names that I consider suitable and non-offensive will be accepted. Max length 12 chars and in Latin alphabet)
- DevLog #0: New GUI and Powerwash feature - 23 October 2024
Dear Lumenites, we're excited to share our first development update for our charming city-building game. Building on the turtle has been reworked. Adding new Features like "Powerwash": Or simply on the island to tidy up the "mess." stay tuned, soon we have a new trailer to show-case! kr, , Simon
- A love letter to the community - 16 August 2024
Dear all, It's crazy, and we feel incredibly blessed to be part of "Wholesome Games" this year. Even though our role may be small, it means the world to us as indie developers. We might look slow and steady like a turtle, but when it comes to this awesome cozy and wholesome community, we're happily hopping around like a hare! 🐢 Many thanks, our community is turtley awesome! - Simon
- Meet us behind the Pixels - 27 June 2024
Hi all, Let’s take a minute to introduce ourselves as the developers behind the game. This is a great opportunity for us to share a bit about who we are. We are Simon and Sophie - two enthusiasts working on an indie game. While traveling the world in a motorhome 🚐🏕️, Simon came up with the initial idea for the game and tirelessly 👨💻🔥 programs it, Sophie has created the lore and shares content on social media✨. Both contribute to the art-style 🎨 of the game. On our journey, we met, collaborated with and were inspired by very talented musicians, artists and amazing people. Many thanks to all of you! 🐢 Simon & Sophie
- 🌅 20 layers of parallax with a cozy atmosphere... - 28 May 2024
We've made significant progress in the past few weeks with several exciting updates. We not only want to update the screenshots, but also give you some background information. Enhanced Dialogues Get to know the unique visuals and surprising character of our gentle turtle Seamless Island Landing Explore your islands without any loading screens, maintaining a seamless and cozy exploration of the skies. Improved Building System Based on player feedback, we are refining our building system to provide clearer guidelines for placement, ensuring a more intuitive building experience. Enhanced Visual Depth With 20 layers of images, we’ve enhanced the realism of the island, creating a more immersive environment. We hope you enjoy these updates, 🐢, Simon
- 🐢 30-frame Turtle animation in pixel art 🐢 - 26 April 2024
Our game is inspired by nature, so we decided to use footage of a real turtle swimming underwater. Let me share some inside footage of that process... Here’s how we did it step-by-step: Extract 40 frames video footage via ffmpeg make colored markers on key points of the turtle stabilize and adjust the image draw the outlines for your turtle colorize it 🐢 here is the result of this 30 frame animation in pixel art:
- 🌴 Explore tropical Islands 🌴 - 24 February 2024
🌴 Let's embark on an exciting voyage to an unknown island! 🐢 With your giant turtle and the little Lumenties by your side, prepare to find mysteries and encounter strange yet funny inhabitants. 🛠️👨💻 Currently, we're working at crafting various islands, including a pirate haven, a farmers village, a fairy town, and many more! 💡Here's a sneak peek into our development progress, giving you a glimpse of the direction we're heading. If you like it, click on wishlist . Soon there will be more exciting news... 🌿 Hope you are excited as we are, to discover the rich fauna and flora! Join our Discord to steer the development and provide input! we are happy to see you there.
- 🌟 Introducing Our New Building System 🌟 - 5 February 2024
We are thrilled to announce the launch of our new building system for your village. 🏡 Discover Over 300 Unique House Combinations! 🏡 Our new system provides an expansive palette of over 300 different combinations of houses. Whether you prefer cozy tiny hosue or grand mansions, our diverse range ensures you can create the home that the Lumenites needed. 🌼 100+ Cozy Decoration Assets 🌼 But what's a home without its decorations? Dive into our collection of 100+ cozy decoration assets. From hammock, glowing lamps, to to cute garden flowers, each piece is designed to add warmth and character to your village. 💬 We Want to Hear From You! 💬 As we implement new features on high pace, we're eager to get your impression of it. Share it with us on our discord. Thank you for being a part of our journey.
