Moonscars is a 2022 platform game developed by Black Mermaid and published by Humble Games. The game was released on September 27, 2022 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One.[2] In the game, players control a warrior named Grey Irma, who searches for her maker, the Sculptor.[3] The game received generally positive reviews on release.
| Moonscars | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Black Mermaid |
| Publisher(s) | Humble Games |
| Engine | Unity[1] |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | September 27, 2022 |
| Genre(s) | Action-Platformer |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Gameplay
editMoonscars is a 2D Side-scrolling platform game with Soulslike elements. Players take control of Grey Irma, a warrior made of clay and bone, who must track down her maker, a being called the Sculptor. To find the Sculptor, Irma must fight through a world inhabited by creatures made of clay, where most human civilization is in ruins.[4] Irma can defeat enemies by attacking them with her broadsword, which can cut through multiple enemies at once. Irma can also dodge or parry enemy attacks, with a parry giving the player the opportunity to both hit and push back an enemy.[4][5] Each time Irma damages an enemy, she gains Ichor, which can be spent to regain hit points.[3] Ichor can also be spent to attack with magical abilities, called Witchery.[4][5] Each time Irma dies, she is resurrected at the last checkpoint the player used, and the power of enemies is increased. To alleviate this increase in enemy strength, the player able to acquire items called Glands from slaying monsters, which they can use to reduce the game's difficulty.[5]
Reception
edit| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 75/100 (PC)[6] 71/100 (PS5)[7] 65/100 (NS)[8] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Jeuxvideo.com | 15/20[9] |
| Nintendo Life |   [3] |
| TouchArcade | 3.5/5[10] |
| IGN Italy | 7.4/10[11] |
| IGN Japan | 7/10[12] |
According to review aggregator Metacritic, the PC version of Moonscars has received "generally favorable reviews",[6] while the PlayStation 5 and Switch versions have received "Mixed or average reviews".[7][8] Nintendo World Report rated the game a 5/10, praising the game's art style and options in combat, but criticizing the high level of difficulty and the rarity of the Gland items.[5] Rock Paper Shotgun similarly praised the artsyle and compared the game to Castlevania, but considered the Blood Moon mechanic of increased difficulty to be a punishing addition.[13] Nintendo Life said that the game was reminiscent of Dead Cells and liked how it deviated from other Soulslike games with its combat, but found the game's difficulty to be frustrating.[3]
References
edit- ^ Saver, Michael (December 27, 2022). "Made with Unity: 2022 in review". Unity Technologies. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
- ^ Romano, Sal (August 10, 2022). "Moonscars launches September 27 for PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC". Gematsu. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
- ^ a b c d O'Reilly, PJ (October 11, 2022). "Review: Moonscars - A Brutal, Beautiful Soulslike In Need Of A Performance Patch". Nintendo Life. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
- ^ a b c Ramée, Jordan (August 10, 2022). "2D Action Game Moonscars Delivers Creepy Bloodborne-Like Energy In New Release Date Trailer". GameSpot. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Miller, Zachary (October 11, 2022). "Moonscars Review - Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
- ^ a b "Moonscars for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
- ^ a b "Moonscars for PlayStation 5 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
- ^ a b "Moonscars for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
- ^ "Moonscars : Entre Elden Ring et Dead Cells, un solide jeu d'action à découvrir !" [Moonscars: Between Elden Ring and Dead Cells, a solid action game to discover!]. Jeuxvideo.com (in French). October 15, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
- ^ Musgrave, Shaun (October 31, 2022). "SwitchArcade Round-Up: Reviews Featuring Signalis and Sophstar, Plus Today's New Releases and Sales". TouchArcade. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
- ^ Cinelli, Diego "Syd" (October 5, 2022). "Moonscars - La recensione" [Moonscars Review]. IGN Italia (in Italian). Retrieved November 25, 2022.
- ^ Kino, Keigo (October 9, 2022). "『Moonscars』レビュー 探索は退屈で成長要素も薄味だが、硬派な死にゲーとしては十分に楽しめるメトロイドヴァニアな2DアクションRPG" [Moonscars Review A Metroidvania 2D action RPG that's tedious to explore and doesn't have a lot of growth elements, but it's fun enough for a hardcore death game]. IGN Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved November 25, 2022.
- ^ Castle, Katharine (September 27, 2022). "Moonscars is too punishing for my blood". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved October 22, 2022.