Project Luster

Editorial Has potential

Project Luster is a Pokémon fan game with a clear adult focus, built on Pokémon Essentials. Players praise the sprite work, music, and the core concept of bonding with Pokémon in intimate ways — the game delivers what it promises for its niche audience, with genuine effort evident in animation work and world-building. However, the current build is rough around the edges: the empty male dorm causes severe lag, critical items like the Pokégear are hidden behind obscure puzzles with poor guidance, save files break between updates, and trainers can crash the game mid-battle. There are also scattered bugs (Pokédex display issues, Repel not working, evolution mechanics confusion) and incomplete features (missing quest markers, unfinished gym content, no renaming system). The writing shows promise but needs proofreading. Community feeling is split: some are forgiving of the rough state and actively playing, others have abandoned saves due to incompatibility or gotten stuck on unclear objectives. The dev is transparent about being a two-person team working on animations, but players are frustrated by the lack of clear roadmaps and the time investment required just to navigate incomplete content.