You can watch my video review of Moonscars by following this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtEmN67j2dM
Otherwise, enjoy the text version below!
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Greetings, fellow gamers! I’m the Soulsborne Seeker and today I’ll be reviewing Moonscars, a game developed by Black Mermaid and released on September of 2022 for PC as well as current and next gen consoles.
Moonscars is a metroidvania/soulslike game along the lines of Hollow Knight and Slain: Back From Hell, and takes place in a decaying world overrun by the Clayborn, creatures made of clay, bone and ichor that were created to resemble humans but eventually grew mad and ravenous. We follow the story of Grey Irma, an elite Clayborn Blade-maiden who awakens on the outskirts of a massive castle, surrounded by visions of former allies taunting her and a voice inside her head telling her to seek out the Sculptor, an enigmatic figure who appears to be responsible for her creation. With only vague recollections of what may have transpired up until that point, Grey Irma embarks on a journey to reach the Apex of the castle where her maker presumably resides, in order to find answers about her past as well as the reason behind the downfall of the realm. As expected, her quest is a daunting one as her path is littered with treacherous traps as well as countless feral Clayborn who attack ferociously on sight and cannot be reasoned with.
In true soulslike fashion, the story of Moonscars is discovered in small fragments by observing the world, collecting items, completing side quests and interacting with the various odd and tragic figures you come across, whose conversations act like pieces of a larger puzzle that sheds light on what the world used to be like before its ruination, as well as the relationships between these characters. If you’re a fan of lore discovery, Moonscars will definitely scratch that itch. Though the story may seem simple at first, there are many layers to uncover for those willing to dig deep.
Now, starting with the positive aspects of the game, the first thing that stands out about it is the combat. You cannot have a good metroidvania/soulslike title if the fighting is lackluster and, thankfully, fighting is one of the things in which Moonscars truly shines. From the beautiful animations to the tightly responsive controls, Grey Irma dashes, jumps, hacks and slashes with grotesque grace, making each battle a delight to go through. Enemies can be dealt with in two different ways, either through physical combat by utilizing Irma’s greatsword, or through the use of witchery, which is the game’s equivalent to magic and allows our protagonist to deal massive damage by unleashing powerful special attacks at the cost of her ichor, leading to interesting combinations and strategies during your fights. You can have up to two witchery special skills equipped at any time, which can be purchased from a sprawling skill tree at the cost of bone powder, the game’s main currency. Combat is further enhanced through the use of special amulets that you can equip, which provide certain bonuses in order to accommodate your playstyle. Considering that certain enemies can only be damaged by witchery attacks, and that ichor is also used to heal your wounds, certain battles will require planning and quick thinking in order to make sure you emerge triumphant.
Another aspect of Moonscars that I truly enjoyed was its presentation and aesthetics. The game utilizes a semirealistic pixelated art style similar to Slain, which gives the characters a lot of personality and, combined with the fluid animations, results in a seamless experience that keeps the momentum going. Aside from the characters, a lot of care has also been infused into the crafting of the world itself, with certain sections allowing you to witness breathtaking vistas as well as impressive areas within the castle itself, which is brimming with small details relevant to the lore itself. All in all, it really gives you the sense of a dead world drenched in history just waiting to be explored. And that leads me to another thing I liked in Moonscars, which was the exploration aspect.
The areas you explore are filled with hidden paths and rooms that, if discovered, can yield useful rewards to those inquisitive enough to look for them. These items can range from bone powder to equipment, all the way to upgrades for your health, ichor and damage, making the effort to stray from the beaten path a rewarding experience worth pursuing.
Last but not least, bosses! Soulslike games are famous for their impressive boss fights, and while Moonscars doesn’t have the most impressive ones I’ve seen, there were definitely many interesting big bads to go against, both in terms of design as well as battle tactics, a few of which were quite challenging and did require some planning and pattern observation to defeat.
Now, moving onto the downsides of the game, the first one I want to touch upon is difficulty. This can really be considered either a negative or a positive depending on what you are looking for, but I found the game to be somewhat on the easier side for my tastes. That’s not to say that it poses no challenge. On the contrary, there were certain parts of it that were suitably difficult to go through but, overall, especially for someone used to playing games like these, most of it was relatively easy to go through. Adding to the reduction of difficulty are also specific equipment items that you can use, which provide certain benefits that make even some of the hardest boss fights a breeze to go through. For example, there was a certain amulet I discovered that made me invulnerable while healing, which made one of the most frustrating bosses I went up against much less demanding. Another item significantly reduces the damage you take by enemies, to a degree you almost turn into a tank, at the cost of movement speed. Granted, most of these items also come with downsides, but the benefits still surpass the detriments. The game also utilizes an interesting mechanic which makes the enemies much harder and dangerous every time you die, but you can lower the difficulty back to normal by making gland offerings to the moon, a secondary currency which is very easy to find. That being said, the lower difficulty can be considered a positive for those looking to get a taste of these types of games, or those looking for a break from the incredibly high challenge of other similar titles.
Another thing that stood out to me in a negative light, were certain aspects of the game’s presentation. I know I mentioned aesthetics as a positive previously, and I stand by that claim. However, there were a few things that rubbed me the wrong way, one of which was the color palette of the world. Moonscars mainly utilizes dark colors, which definitely fit the atmosphere it’s going for. However, there were certain areas where the coloration made the surroundings quite bland and almost indistinguishable from one another. That being said, I also noticed a lack of variety in specific parts of the map which, combined with the color palette issue, made the world stand out much less than it could have. For example, places like the Apex and the High Castle tended to be much more visually interesting than the Castle Bowels, which looked largely the same throughout all its paths.
Finally, and speaking about lack of variety, this was also noticed in terms of the enemies. While there is a decent amount of different types of Clayborn monsters you go against at the beginning, after a point the models are repeated in different colors, to distinguish harder versions that cause more damage. They also make certain enemies only damageable by witchery instead of physical attacks later in the game, but the models remain the same.
Overall, I had a lot of fun playing Moonscars from start to finish. I thought the combat was sublime, I loved the general aesthetic, animations and environmental traversal, and also enjoyed the exploration which led to some interesting secrets and side quests. I did have my issues with the difficulty but, once again, this is a subjective point which others may enjoy so, to each his own. In conclusion, if you are a fan of metroidvania/soulslike games, Moonscars should be right up your alley and comes highly recommended, especially at the low price it is being offered for.