Moons of Madness

Moons of Madness ditches the cold New England setting of Lovecraft’s eldritch tales for the dry, arid wastelands of Mars, and what results is a textbook example of how “cosmic” cosmic horror truly can be.

Inconsistent voice acting aside, Moons of Madness nails the eldritch ambiance and unmitigated madness that its Lovecraftian influence deserves.

Moons of Madness is the best of the recent rash of Lovecraft games. It isn’t as dark or atmospheric as some of its macabre competitors, but it’s well-crafted, nicely varied, and builds to a satisfying, pulse-pounding crescendo. If you don’t mind your Lovecraft with a touch of Michael Bay, don’t hesitate to blast off for the Moons of Madness.

Moons of Madness is a great tribute to Lovecraft's works that will immerse you in a dark and terrifying story on the surface of Mars.

Moons of Madness is a wonderfully chilling outing that blends horror and sci-fi to excellent effect, delivering a palpable sense of dread. Most pleasingly, it channels the spirit of H.P. Lovecraft without yelling “CTHULHU!” in your ear every five minutes.

Moons of Madness may be light on scares, but the great use of its setting and very strong storytelling make for a compelling narrative-driven experience.

Moons of Madness is a solid cosmic horror that knows how to tell a compelling story and promote well designed puzzles.

Moons of Madness manages to balance the stylistic elements of the walking simulator with some different game mechanics and its puzzles. Rock Pocket Games has handled the available Lovecraftian material as it should, setting up an adventure that can easily walk alone with dignity.

Quotation forthcoming.

Though Moons of Madness isn’t the first game to do so and it likely won’t be the last, it’s a survival horror experience that succeeding in giving a grown man nightmares, which is something a zombie game just can’t do.

Moons of Madness is a welcome addition to the wider Lovecraftian catalogue, and its cosmic aspects really get to the heart of the mythos’ insanity. While there are annoying moments when the developers see fit to include some of the worst excesses of modern horror games, the quality of the writing and the atmosphere is enough to justify seeing things through to a conclusion that is as epic as it is satisfying. This is one trip to insanity that you shouldn’t pass up.

Moons of Madness is an overall decent cosmic horror for hardcore survival horror fans.

Overall I wouldn’t recommend the game. If it’s on special, a really deep discount, maybe get it if you really think it will be your thing, but for me personally it just didn’t hit any of the right notes, it promised a lot and failed to deliver.

Moons of Madness manages, through the atmosphere it creates and its soundtrack, to effectively convey the oppressive isolation of this team stranded on the red star and facing paranormal phenomenons where dreams mix with reality. The graphics, although not the sharpest, are well made. However, it doesn't really give us any freedom in terms of exploration and rarely manages to startle us. And for those looking for a fight, it's essentially a puzzle-game that shows in variety what it lacks in challenge.

The problem with all puzzle games is that they are almost always a single-play through experience, so that initial run has to be the memorable one. Moons of Madness has some jump scares and other surprises, but its biggest draw might be that it takes Lovecraftian elements into a wholly new environment and replaces combat with exploration, puzzles and a slow-growing sense of confusion and dread. Fans of all those different elements and genres might find Moons of Madness just the right companion for Halloween night video gaming.

There is a lot here to recommend. Moons of Madness delivers, and like the best horror experiences doesn’t outstay its welcome, or let you become too comfortable with your surroundings.

Moons of Madness is an engaging and atmospheric effort that feels like a Love(craftian) child of Half-Life and Dead Space. You’ll be playing more for the cerebral rewards than the scares, though. Despite its seamless merger of cosmic horror and credible sci-fi, the game doesn’t quite match its potential in the consistent emotional intensity of its execution. Plus, the ending feels rushed.

Moons of Madness is a good adventure game with some horror touches. We like the atmosphere, its pace and its Lovecraft-inspired universe, although it feels somehow limited and the story ends up being a bit cliché.

Quotation forthcoming.

Even if the puzzle density and technical issues may drive you to madness, this cosmic horror still has something unique to offer.

At the end of the day, if you feel like getting startled and wandering around a horror atmosphere for a few hours, Moons of Madness will serve adequately. The visuals and sounds are well crafted and immersive. Just be aware that the game itself is mainly a walking simulator with a B-movie plot and some minigame puzzles mixed in.

Technical issues aside, Moons of Madness is an experience that we felt compelled to stick with until the end credits rolled – on the strength of the mood alone. Something it has in spades. And it nails the pacing, striking the right balance between moments of quiet, tension, and revelation.

The game is most engaging when it doesn’t actually try to flood us with visions straight from a low budget scary movie. It shines most when Mars itself and the base’s secrets get to be in the center of our focus. [13/2019, p.92]

Moon of Madness isn't a good horror experience, mostly because it doesn't manage to keep the player stressed more than a few minutes after the game's beginning. That being said, it still has a nice atmosphere and a Lovecraft-like story that will please the fans.

Moons of Madness needed to cut away all of the extra ideas on the periphery and figure out what it’s about. There are so many themes and concepts shoved into the adventure that they sprawl all over each other, taking up time and space, and failing to scare anyone.

Moons of Madness incorporates Lovecraftian-style themes and a desolate planet setting of Mars to offer a creepy experience that, while interesting, falters when gameplay is involved.

A barely above-average horror game which wages everything on the Lovecraft licence and its impressive, exotic Mars. The rest of it is just pathos, boredom and frankly not a very good game.

Good atmosphere and some nice design, but really poor gameplay and predictable story.

The developers have built themselves a Martian base that would be a pleasure to live and work in — it’s just a shame they couldn’t craft a game that was as enjoyable as their setting.

Moons of Madness capitalizes on the Lovecraftian principles that made The Secret World such a great game. Unfortunately, the game play itself can feel tedious, and overly detailed in all the wrong ways. There is a lot of ambiance and depth to the story that is sure to delight adventure horror fans, at least for a time, just be ready to slog through some long, slow stretches of game play to get to the good parts.

Moons of Madness is a good interactive experience, but we felt the story wasn't explained in the best way possible and we suffered some technical issues too.