The Path To Luma Tips, Tricks and Strategies

The Path to Luma is an eco-conscious puzzler featuring SAM, a Sustainability Augmentation Model, whom you guide through 20 unique planets. SAM’s goal is to find effective combinations of sustainable energy sources to power dwellings of the Chroma civilization and …

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The Path to Luma is an eco-conscious puzzler featuring SAM, a Sustainability Augmentation Model, whom you guide through 20 unique planets. SAM’s goal is to find effective combinations of sustainable energy sources to power dwellings of the Chroma civilization and clean up pollution on the abandoned planets. Tapping along the paths will move SAM forward and swiping will operate the different devices and transportation options. The Chroma believe that once SAM has restored the galaxy with clean energy, they will be able to return to a thriving, beautiful state of abundance known as “Luma.” If you’re hoping to help the Chroma reach Luma, check out our tips, tricks, and strategies.

Follow The Signs

To clean up each planet and power each dwelling, you’ll need to determine the proper combination of power sources. At level six, you’ll stop receiving hints and will have to figure out what to do all on your own. Luckily, there are signs everywhere to help you.

If you see wind not channeled by a turbine, there is a very good chance you’ll need to use that wind for something. Explore around the wind channel to find the receptor base. In some cases, you’ll see a dotted power guideline which will show you exactly what the wind will need to power. In others, you’ll simply need that wind to clean the area.

The power guidelines appear for many different combinations of sources and recipients. When you start exploring a new planet, do a quick 360-degree sweep for guidelines. Track those guidelines between sources and recipients to make your plan for what devices you’ll need where.

Match It Up

Some of the planets are bifurcated, and will need to be rotated different degrees for SAM to progress. Use landmarks such as pathways or waterways to match up and then test out degrees of rotation to open up new areas. Some levels will also give you different colored pipes to match.

Also make note of symbols and color-coding on receptor bases. Each base is matched to a device (for example, a solar spear base has triangles and turbine wind base has lines). These bases will give you a hint of what you’ll need to be looking for.

Try New Things

Everything you need for a level is present on the planet or carried in with SAM. If you’re stumped, approach and attempt to pick up everything and anything that looks unusual or new. In some cases, what you need will actually be something already set up (like a turbine) which you’ll need to use somewhere else. Similarly, you may have to put down an old battery you’ve been carrying to charge a new one.

Stay Charged

On the subject of batteries, be warned: they can be frustrating. If you accidentally take off a battery or stop while on a transport device, the battery will lose its charge. Therefore, you should charge your battery any chance you get. You may not see a place to use it yet, but if you have an opportunity to charge your battery, you might as well charge it and carry it. While you can only carry one thing at a time in your hands like the sun spear or the carbon capture, you can always carry a battery on your back — so make sure it’s charged.

Set The Stage

Plan out your path by scoping out where you’re headed. Prepare as much as you can in advance by powering it with what you’ve got. When you’re on a battery-controlled trolley, open all gates before you try to pass through them; if you’re too slow to open the gate and stop, you’ll lose your battery charge. Also, be sure to look around on the other side of gates, because you may find what you need just on the other side. For example, I spent far too long trying to figure out how to bring a carbon capture box through a set of gates that were being powered by that very box. I finally discovered later that a second carbon capture box was available through the gate.

Bonus Tips

  • If you quit the game in the middle of a world, you’ll have to start it again; there are no checkpoints. Make sure you have finished the world or are willing to give up your progress.
  • Sometimes the first opportunity to do something isn’t going to help you solve the puzzle. You may need to come back to a device or receptor you’ve already passed after powering or cleaning something else.
  • Not every base receptor will be used to solve the puzzle.
  • With an awkward planetary axis to get sunlight or wind, you can’t always directly see what you need to do. Become familiar with the area before tilting.
  • Tap on environmental objects like piles of rocks and you may get a surprise!
Lian Amaris has been studying and writing about games, transmedia storytelling and immersive environments since 2003. She has two Master's degrees from NYU, was a new media professor for 3 years then transitioned to mobile tech in 2011. From 2012-15 she worked on bringing over 35 F2P mobile games to market.