Deliver Us The Moon

I did play this game in one playthrough, so it must have done something good. I quite enjoyed the story, although the plot twist is already quite quickly obvious and nothing else unfolds itself beside that. It felt like a budget experience of games like SOMA and Moons of Madness. Graphics are just ok, but the graphical design is pretty boring. I get that the moon is grey, and a space station is functional, but compared to Prey or the other titles mentioned above, it is all pretty bland. The puzzles are easy, which I like, although at the end there are a few frustrating parts where you know what to do, but the game doesn't help you find out how to do it. Your only means of interacting is with the X button on the controller, so it is also a bit frustrating that the cue to hit the X button doesn't always appear when facing an interactive object, causing some puzzles to seem impossible to solve until I stood at the right angle in front of the object, and the cue to interact suddenly appears. I still don't quite know who I, the protagonist was though, I felt no connection with him/her, as I didn't even quite catch my own name, and he/she never speaks in the game. If you have already played SOMA and Moons of Madness, want more and are prepared for a cheaper version of those two, pick this up in a sale and play it on a rainy day.

In short it's a great story driven experience with casual gameplay elements. Platforming & Puzzles are not too difficult but can be frustrating due to the performance issues. Demanding areas saw my fps drop to 10-15. Graphics are beautiful though and the moon looks breathtaking. It is a full journey with start middle and end all tied together nicely. I gave it 4/5 purely because of the performance issues, particularly in the last quarter of the game. Parts of the game had to be replayed by myself as the fps drops were making it impossible. This is a shame in an other wise fantastic game. I'd definately recommend it pending you're prepared for some technincal issues. I wouldn't advise playing it with anything less than a good dedicated graphics card.

This could have been a great mix of Bioshock, SOMA, and Edith Finch. Unfortunately, it doesn't have Bioshock's interesting locations. Nor does it have SOMA's tension and thrill. And it most definitely does not have Edith Finch's story telling prowess or love for details. Maybe it would have been a better game if they had ditched the quick time events and puzzles and jumping passages and low oxygen countdowns, and focused on story and world building instead. Edith Finch showed that there's no need for elaborate gameplay when the story and locations are topnotch. With a setting like this, Delive Us The Moon could have pulled it off. PROS - Good graphics - Some surprising scripted events (for example Pearson space station) - Many parts of the story are revealed with in game cut scenes - with low polygon shadows instead of people, but still better than audio or text only. - The ending is good. Don't skip the outro. - Some locations look really interesting... CONS - ...until you reach them and they're basically empty and boring and there's little point in exploring them beyond the path you're supposed to take from A to B anyway. - The writing and dialog are not up to par with Edith Finch or Bioshock. Tropes make some big reveals predictable and unbelievable (for example Sarah / Isaac scene at the broken monorail). - One location has sudden quick time events that dont appear in the rest of the game and will kill you. - The puzzles sometimes feel forced instead of like something fitting the environments. Some rooms are built to house those puzzles, making them seem absurd if you think about them. - Some puzzles are repeated with slight variations. - One or two puzzles did not make sense to me. If they come with a deadly countdown, it's over. - The controls are clunky - especially when you're in the pseudo Dead Space shoulder view and slowed down by low gravity. I could deal with them, but people with less shooter / action games experience WILL struggle and curse.

Deliver Us The Moon is a visually sumptuous feast where you play as an astronaut uncovering a sci-fi mystery as you explore an abandoned moon base. The environment is truly remarkable, a work of craftsmanship and detail that makes for a believable, immersive experience. The voice acting is very strong, and the soundtrack simultaneously chilling and inspiring. Genre-wise, Deliver Us The Moon is closest in style to Tacoma. They're both space mysteries that slowly unfold as you uncover audio logs, holograms, and other bits of information. The one major difference is that Deliver Us The Moon features some gentle survival elements. They're never severe enough to stress you out, but they do add a level of realism and adrenaline to the game. For this dimension, the experience is a bit like Kona, another mystery game with lite survival elements. If either of those games suit your fancy, then Deliver Us The Moon is another must-play. The story is very good, with some interesting philosophical themes alongside a small cast of characters that allow a bit of drama to unfold. There are a few loose ends up the ending is still pretty satisfying. The whole shtick of having both third-person and first-person gameplay turns out to be more a gimmick than doing anything interesting. I found the switches to FP distracting and disjointed in the early parts of the game, and then bizarrely the FP goes away almost entirely in the second half. The one place where the FP makes sense and adds realism are the spacewalks; for the rest of it I would have preferred it just stay third-person. Still, good experience overall.

I trusted the 5 star reviews too much, too much monotone dialogue, levels are empty, bland walking simulator. This does not compare to SOMA... Interesting story idea that reminded me of Ad Astra so I was excited going in, but everything just felt bland bland bland.