Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight

Completed the game in hard difficulty in slightly above 5 hours, on Linux (Ubuntu 20.04). One can imagine it could go up to 8 hours when trying to 100% it on a first playthrough. Finishing the game unlocks Insane difficulty and NG+. Death resets all progression, even acquired or equipped items, and occurs often, to the point of annoyance. This gimmicky design cost the game one star, as it is does not suit the rhythm of the game. In itself, Momodora is not really difficult, just punishing for the sake of it, and extending the play time. The pricing definitively helps to seal the deal.

Only problem i had with this game is that it's too short! I want MORE!

Playing this in 2025 and it's still a great game. I bought this several years ago and for some reason barely played it. The movement is great, I love the art, and the music fits nicely. All in all a great little game.

I think Momodara had so many shortcomings, playing it was somewhat tiresome. You might like Momodora if you are into anime art style, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I expected. Graphics are OK and unique in style, probably the best part of the game. Especially human characters and most of the backgrounds are quite well done. Story is there, but there isn't much of it. Character designs are all over the place (kiwi like birds and cat girls with scythes), but that didn't bother me. Level design is somewhat generic, and some areas feel like draft versions. Game in general is quite short and minimalistic, it takes a couple of evenings to finish the whole game. Biggest issues I have are related to gameplay. Enemies spawn into rooms and each every time you enter a room. Some enemies are small and/or blend into background. Enemies throw projectiles long distance away from screen area. Controls feel sluggish. Melee hit range is short, combos suck you towards enemies and you'll get contact damage, hitboxes don't feel that good. Save game is very old-school and punishing. Spikes for example mean instant death, you lose progress you made since the last save. Boss design feels hit-and-miss, some are OK, most don't have interesting attack patterns. Giant witch girl with big boobs (which feels like a major selling point for this game) is pretty much the only larger boss, while most bosses are player size or medium size. Telegraphs are not very clear or are too minimal, and many projectiles are really transparent and visually messy. These things make some boss battles a bit tiresome for casual player. Changing spell items is cumbersome. I didn't do this at all during boss battles I like the fact that developer added easy mode - I tried the normal mode, but because of the above mentioned reasons, I restarted the game in easy mode. There is also a map and late game allows you to fast travel, and there is also a new game plus mode after finishing the game.

Momodora was my first metroidvania game. I liked everything about this game. I played on normal difficulty, but got some problems with some bosses, maybe because I'm too old for such games :) But practice makes everything perfect, so I managed to beat the game in 7 hours. Pros: - art style looks fancy - pretty animations - price is good, especially on discounts - neat controls Cons (comparing to steam verion): - no achievements - no cloud saves So if you like short metroidvania with nice animations - it is a best bet, especially on discounts.