Luminance is a highly unorthodox character who sports unusual movement properties and unconventional attacks to run opponents down. While they are lacking in various conventionally solid tools such as quick pokes and safe panic options, they more than make up for it with slippery movement, solid range on their normals, and an explosive combo game that can absolutely rip the opponents to shreds at the slightest opportunity.
Whenever you perform a strong or special attack, chaotic light begin to build within Luminance until it is ready to burst over the course of a few seconds. Once the charge is built, one of 3 powerful projectile attacks will go off automatically depending on which move initiated the charge. These projectiles are useful for neutral, combos, and edgeguarding, all while Luminance is free to act. The charge can be canceled by the opponent hitting Luminance, and the charge time gets reset to the start whenever Luminance parries or performs another special move.
Gleam Type A: Shock – Luminance shoots off a fast-traveling projectile towards the opponent’s current location, launching them upwards on hit for a combo extension. This charge is generated whenever you perform Ustrong or Nspecial and is useful as an additional zoning tool or to initiate offense. Hitting Luminance before the projectile comes out will prevent it from spawning.
Gleam Type B: Cascade – Luminance releases a chain of explosions in front of them, hitting multiple times before launching them upwards. This charge is generated whenever you perform Dstrong or Fspecial and is useful as a combo extension tool and to wall off the space in front of them. Hitting Luminance before the projectile comes out will prevent it from spawning.
Gleam Type C: Implode – Luminance’s head suddenly launches off their body before exploding after a short delay, dealing heavy damage and having high kill power. This charge is generated whenever you perform Fstrong or Uspecial and is useful for controlling space, as an edgeguard tool, or as an unorthodox combo breaker due to it not despawning if they get hit after it is triggered.
Luminance lacks a conventional double jump, instead spawning a platform of light beneath them whenever you press the jump button while airborne. While on this platform, you can perform most grounded actions, enabling more flexible horizontal movement in the air, stronger recovery, and a terrifying combo game. The platform lasts for a few seconds, though that duration is shortened depending on how high or low you are relative to the ground. Initiating the float forces you into a bit of landing lag, making it inherently less safe to just do than a normal djump.
Luminance shoots off a bulb out straight forward in front of them, generating a Gleam charge as they do so. If performed in the air, Luminance will instead shoot it off at a down forward angle, propelling themselves in the opposite direction as they shoot. A fairly conventional projectile that is good for keeping opponents at bay at range, especially when coupled with the Gleam projectile it preps.
Luminance coils up before charging forward in the shape of a top, hitting opponents caught in it multiple times while generating a Gleam charge. A multi hit burst option that is jump cancelable on hit, enabling strong combo conversions off of it whether you’re on the ground, which goes into aerial attacks, or in the air, which goes into grounded attacks. Can also serve as a decent horizontal recovery option when you don’t have float available, though performing the move in the air puts you into pratfall if you don’t hit someone with it.
Luminance leaps into the air before falling in a coiled formation, creating a blast of light and generating a Gleam charge when they hit the ground. A decent recovery move that is decent when you don’t have float available or as a potential finisher at the end of combos. During the fall, Luminance’s body can spike opponents, which is the only way they can spike opponents at all. Holding parry during the initial rise will cancel the move early, putting them into pratfall.
Luminance raises its head and lets out an uncanny roar, causing any prepping Intensifying Gleam charges to go off instantly. A very powerful tool that enables you to choose when you want to unload the Gleam attacks, though with the caveat of having to commit to doing so as opposed to letting the projectiles go off on their own.
-Like the other Moji’s, Luminance’s crouch has no friction, enabling you to maintain your dashing momentum while lowering your hurtbox significantly. They also have the shortest crouch out of all the Moji’s, though at the cost of being easily the biggest of them when doing anything else.
-Pressing jump while crouching will cause Luminance to perform a Super Jump, covering about the same distance that an average character would get if they were to full jump into a double jump. Useful for getting to heights they’d normally not be able to due to their float mechanic.
-Luminance’s Jab, Flash, is a fast to start up attack with god awful range and poor endlag. However, it deals high damage on hit and has the same effect as Mollo’s Flashbang, flipping the opponent’s DI. Jab can also be charged to increase the damage.
-Luminance’s Dattack, Scrape, is a fast burst option that flings you up and back during its active frames. On hit, you can either double jump cancel it after a few frames or hit fall it, enabling extremely strong conversions if it connects.
-Luminance’s Dtilt, Spire, is the classic Moji styled Dtilt, stretching your body super high upwards and leaving you airborne afterwards. This attack hits 3 times and leaves opponents close, enabling solid combos afterwards. Is also very useful as a recovery tool when paired with Float.
-Luminance’s Dstrong, Cyclone, is a front hitting combo starter rather than being a conventional two-sided kill option. Serves a similar role to a Dtilt, enabling extremely strong conversions on hit while being fairly safe to throw out.
-Luminance’s Dair, Grasp, is a strange multi hit aerial which has huge downwards range and pulls you and the opponent upwards. This move can be double jump canceled on hit, enabling very strong followups at higher percents.
Animation, attack implementation, Intensifying Gleam coding, playtesting, and just generally being obsessed with the funny traffic light – ArtistOfSeer
Float mechanic coding, Intensifying Gleam coding –VVizard
Creators of Mojibake and Tamat, who were the main inspiration behind Luminance in the first place: Archytas and Ravyn