Blood, guns, and neon: Pinoy-made game ‘Lithium City’ coming to Steam this June 16

“Lithium City” is a riveting isometric action game set in a neon-soaked world of violence and mayhem, and it’s coming to Steam on June 16. 

Created by Filipino game developer Nico Tuason with the help of a small team, “Lithium City” is part brawler, part shoot ‘em up, and all badass action. It has strong elements of strategy and puzzle as well, as surviving its many obstacles requires tactical thinking.

In “Lithium City,” you play a woman who is on a mission to reach the top of a dazzling neon tower.

Standing between you and your goal are vicious punks, armed guards, and Terminator-like automatons capable of taking you out with a few powerful punches. There are also traps and other sorts of environmental hazards to deal with.

Thankfully, you’re no slouch when it comes to combat. You can overwhelm foes with lightning-fast punches and kicks. You can pick up weapons such as knives, guns, and grenades. Most importantly, you can close in on your target at dizzying speeds, thanks to a dash ability. This is what you’ll rely on to dodge bullets, phase through traps, and get around obstructions quickly.

Expect to bounce grenades off walls, trade punches with robots, and use an arsenal of firearms to clear out roomfuls of thugs, all the while grooving to head-bopping, foot-tapping music.

Building the neon skyscraper

“Lithium City” was inspired by a myriad of things. The stylish minimalism of its visuals can be explained by Tuason’s love for clean and vibrant art styles. Classic PC games such as “Baldur’s Gate,” “XCOM,” and “Age of Empires” meanwhile gave shape to its 2D isometric view.

The gameplay has more modern influences, such as the exhilarating gunplay of “Hotline Miami” and the meticulously crafted levels of “Half-Life.”

“Lithium City” took almost 6 years to develop.

“The project started out with a lot of excitement, but after the honeymoon period, we really had to dig in and get the work done,” said Tuason. “There were many times when it felt like we were trapped in a project that was never going to end. Still, the only way forward is to solve one problem at a time until you start to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

While Tuason did all the art, programming, and game design for “Lithium City,” he didn’t work alone. His wife, Terry helped design its interior environments, as well as the game's marketing, PR, and business development.

His brother John Camara provided the audio, and even composed the game’s original soundtrack.

“We are very proud of the audio and visual impact of the game, which we spent a long time perfecting,” said Tuason. “But I think I am most proud of how the game has no filler content, or ‘grind.’ Every level in the game is a unique experience that had to be handcrafted and tested over and over until it felt just right.”

The game's launch has given Tuason immense satisfaction as well as relief.

“Over the past 6 years the game has occupied all the free space in my mind,” he said. “Whenever I wasn’t doing anything, I would tell myself, ‘Shouldn’t you be working on the game?’ I’m so excited to finally be able to pursue new game ideas.”

While “Lithium City” is a complete game, there’s a good chance it’ll eventually see additional content.

“A lot of planned content had to be cut from the game to hit our release date. I’m planning on adding that content back to the game,” said Tuason.

He added: “If the game does well, we’d love to get the game onto game consoles like the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox.” — LA, GMA News

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