Moonscars

That Moonscars is like so many other similar releases only serves to make its ability to differentiate itself and stand out that much more remarkable. A well accomplished title that is easily recommended to anyone with even a passing interest in the genre.

Even if we feel that the Moonscars formula is not at its full potential, the Black Mermaid studio delivers here a solid and often quite ingenious action-RPG. Between mixing genres with a touch of rogue-lite; two-speed difficulty; good sensations in combat and beautiful artistic direction, there is really something going on, controller in hand. It is finally two or three inaccuracies, in terms of balancing and finishing, which pull Moonscars down. Regardless, it's always a pleasure to restart a game. A good pickaxe for fans of demanding action games.

Whether you’re into challenging Soulslikes or sprawling Metroidvanias, there’s a lot to like about Moonscars. Its atmosphere is thick thanks to its moody visuals and soundtrack, while its moment-to-moment gameplay is utterly engrossing once it has its hooks in you. If you’re up to the task and can accept that the experience won’t always feel fair, this is a game well worth sinking some time into.

Quotation forthcoming.

Moonscars is a collection of good ideas executed poorly and held back by a baffling story. In the heat of battle with one of the game’s well-designed and memorable boss fights, it shines almost as brightly as those it's inspired by. Unfortunately, the saturation of the genre means it’s not enough to nail the core mechanics of a soulslike anymore, and Moonscars falls down whenever it tries to stand out. It’s a fun enough time if you’re wild for the genre, but those looking for something more unique should steer clear.

I wouldn’t call Moonscars a must play game, but I can appreciate that it tries to do a couple of new things with a sub-genre of Souls-like games that has become increasingly popular over the past few years. I think there are better examples of 2D Souls games out there, but Moonscars doesn’t overstay its welcome and the combat/exploration is fun enough that I found myself willing to overlook most of the other issues. I wish the magic/special abilities were more useful, as it would be nice to switch up combat encounters a bit more, but it’s perfectly serviceable as is. So if you’re in the mood for another attempt at a 2D Souls-like, Moonscars might just be the game for you.

Moonscars has so much potential, but its ruthless battle format and flat character dialogue left much to be desired. There’s no denying that it’s beautiful and the customization of weapons and attacks makes the character-building process exciting, but I was still left wanting more bang for my buck, and less doom for my gloom.

With better game design choices and no hard crashes – Moonscars would be a great addition to the 2D Soulstroidvania genre. It’s hard to enjoy the bleak aesthetics and the rich lore of the world when the game doesn’t let you finish it however. The combat is fresh yet familiar but every mechanic outside of that isn’t really needed. But this may be one to perserve with, if you need that Souls itch scratched.