Moon Hunters

I wanted to like Moon Hunters, I really did, but so much of the game is so underwhelming I had to delete it. The best parts of this game are the visuals, atmosphere, and worldbuilding. There is a lot to like, and it's those things that really help this game differentiate from others. The main idea is that each run is a different tale, and even if the main character "fails" more of the truth is revealed, and more options reveal themselves and stats carry over. It really makes it feel like every run serves a purpose. Unfortunately, there is a lot of RNG (which is the inital appeal) and the moment-to-moment gameplay is broken. It is difficult to get certain events to appear and then trigger is certain order. Whether it's familiars or certain sections of the map, they just may not be there when you want them. And the combat is the worst part of the package. I played it solo, so let that give you some perspective, but most characters are pretty bad at dealing with regular enemies. That should be the reason for upgrades, except the initial areas can easily wipe people out. Example, sword guy does melee attacks. Each swing takes him closer to the enemy, and if he get too close and use move, he'll take damage. The most common reasons I failed a run is because of something I couldn't deal with, such as running into the final boss early. I fought him before, knew his moves, had an okay level progression, but then he spawned adds, did a laser attack, and an AOE attack that covered the entire area. My full health character, built for health and damage, was instantly killed. And honestly, similar scenarios are not uncommon. I can't recommend Moon Hunters, unless you have someone to play it with and get it on a good discount. There's a lot to like, you'll just see most of it pretty quick.

The single player is ok. The multiplayer part didn't worked for me well. Desync and connections drops even we were in the same network. I didn't get it. Why using Unity for the whole game and then the matchmaking server (which is horrible) instead of the Unity classes to enable a LAN mode.

The game narrative and choices are interesting. You get to play a role in several ancient myths, and the final obituaries are amusing. I kept replaying for the multiple endings and secret characters; but also because of the excellent world-building and music. I agree it's a great game for "quick runs"; especially if you enjoy dungeon crawlers. Plus, Mina from Battle Chef Brigade makes a cameo and I "fangirled" about that.

This game shares elements with many other roguelites, however its story presentation and local multiplayer functionality set it apart. It is an excellent choice as an introductory pseudo-rpg for those who are new to video games, and those who are familiar with the format can at least have fun conquering the main story. Speaking of, the campaign (or any part of the game, considering the only other is the seemingly world-resetting arena mode) really won't present most with any challenge whatsoever. Most enemies can be conquered by spamming attacks at them, and certain characters are blatantly overpowered in terms of the skills available alone. That being said, the characters do at least have variety, ranging from the typical swordsman and spellslinger to druid werewolves, ice summoners, and a musical spellcaster whose attacking style almost completely changes the way one plays the game. The pixel art is all very solid and detailed, no real complaints to be made graphically. Some of the musical choices can feel a tad odd at first (took me a minute to get used to the reverse-singing), but ultimately they suit the atmosphere quite well. The player choice elements appear gratuitous at first, but they typically amount to a slight stat increase or additional trait (barring if you get the ability to speak to ghosts and such). This took my partner and I about 14 hours to properly clear (although that's with a significant amount of faffing about). If you or someone you know is interested in it, or if you have a few friends who'd be down to spend an afternoon fecking with this, then by all means buy it. Just don't expect anything close to Planescape.

I can go on about what looks to be a clearly thought out story line and I am sure it gets pretty cool as the game progresses. The art? also pretty neato! But the combat system is severely misplaced and it gets boring fast. Imagine you have a top down action-RPG with the combat style of Raiden (Scroll shooter not MK), and to attack you just hold down a button to spew forth your attack bits ad nauseum. The enemy actions funnel you to repeat a nearly singular attack strategy: run away from regenerative hostiles, loop around and re-spew attack bits, vaporize the baddies, and maybe get a little coinage. Are there choices in game to alter the thread of the story? --I couldn't be bothered to care. The combat is spiritless. (Review transferred from my steam account)