Moonscars Reviews
Moonscars is a standout example of what a 2D souls-like should be. From its beautifully atmospheric world, exceptional animations, to its fluid and gratifying combat, makes Moonscars an absolute pleasure to play. A best in class 2D souls-like.
Anyone who enjoyed games like Blasphemous, Dark Devotion or thought that Symphony of the Night was bloated with extraneous RPG elements, will adore Moonscars. The core combat mechanics are deep enough to carry a determined player and the multitude of systems give less skilled gamers just enough wiggle room to tip the scales in their favor without it ever becoming an easy game.
Moonscars remain an utterly impressive debut outing for Black Mermaid, an entertaining action-platformer that is full of atmosphere and cryptic worldbuilding, and a visual style that showcases just how awesome pixel art continues to be in modern gaming. At about 20-odd hours, it is a game not to be rushed but savoured, and the darkness never looked so enticing.
Moonscars is a beautiful, grimdark homage to the Soulsborne genre, with engaging art and challenging action. Not everything is well explained, and both the game’s narrative and mechanics can feel unnecessarily opaque. It takes some time and effort to master Moonscars’ combat and systems, but the effort is worth the reward. It can be punishing, but only rarely feels unfair, and it’s one of those games that will probably compel you to keep inching forward.
The gorgeous pixel art and dark themes within Moonscars help make it an enjoyable action-platformer by new developer Black Mermaid.
Moonscars is an amalgamation of different ideas merged into one 2D Soulslike package, and while a few feel undercooked, the rest manage to tie everything together into an excellent action-RPG experience. The gorgeous visuals are also worth experiencing, as it's rare to see a gameplay pull off an art style as well as Moonscars. The dark world of the clayborne is a fascinating and deadly one, and like its clay protagonist, the player only gets stronger as each death reshapes them.
Black Mermaid debuts with a brutal and punitive action but at the same time manages to give great satisfaction once you learn the different nuances that characterize its gameplay.
Review in Italian | Read full review
That Moonscars is like so many other similar releases only serves to make its ability to differentiate itself and stand out that much more remarkable. A well accomplished title that is easily recommended to anyone with even a passing interest in the genre.
Moonscars is a great soulslike for those willing to deal with the steep difficulty spike of the last two levels, but it will undoubtedly fall very short for those that don't already like the genre.
Tough as nails and unforgiving, but with an incredibly fun & engaging gameplay loop that always dares you to try "just one more time".
Moonscars uses agile action to create a good interpretation of the soulslike genre. The fast-paced combat is the highlight and, as usual, the difficulty is intense, but fair. The maps are not memorable and the battle mechanics evolve little over the course of the journey, but the constant frenzy and tension manages to compensate for these imperfections. The dark fantasy universe envelops us with the elaborate visuals and bleak atmosphere, reinforcing the dark themes. The setting is cryptic and thought-provoking, but the excess of obscure dialogue hinders the pace. In the end, Moonscars is a remarkable experience.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
I came into Moonscars thinking that I was about to play yet another soul-like title in a game-scape riddled with them. I also found myself thinking that I’d grow bored with the title resulting in a poor but well-reasoned rating. Instead, Moonscars’ fluid combat mechanics, fun boss battles, and lovely art stylings kept me engaged and made me a believer that there is a lot more enjoyment still to be milled from the souls-like subgenre. Black Mermaid has molded themselves a familiar work of video game art that is also unique in enough ways to stand out as its own thing. It reignited my interest in the genre enough to want to revisit other games of this style, so I’ll take this game as the early Fall blessing that it is.
Minor blemishes aside, I had a thoroughly great time with Moonscars. When all is said and done, Moonscars is an example of what makes indie developers so brilliant. Risks have been taken here, in terms of artstyle and approach, but a masterful understanding of what makes such games engaging makes Moonscars one of the more stand-out titles in this genre.
While it has visual flair, challenging combat mixed with not-so-great mechanics make it “Souls-like” in more ways than one
Moonscars is a souslike (although 'lite' would better describe it) with a very evocative visual style and well-written characters. The gameplay is also good, but it suffers from a certain lack of enemy variety and a poor balance of character options, especially egregious when it comes to special weapons. Still, it's not a bad game by any means, but the competition is fierce in the 2D metroidvania / soulslike genre and standing out is not an easy feat.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Despite taking clear inspiration from other prominent Soulslike and Metroidvania titles, Moonscars does enough with its unique art direction and gameplay features to stand out from an increasingly populated crowd. Although its lore and plot could have stood to be more clearly communicated, and not all of its additional mechanics feel as enjoyable as the core combat and exploration, Moonscars' visceral gameplay and gorgeous visuals make it worthwhile to check out for Soulslike fans seeking a new challenge.
Moonscars brings a deeply satisfying core combat loop and exciting art direction to the Soulslike genre, even if it has some teething issues with its overlapping systems and narrative.
Moonscars is a video game that knows what kind of atmosphere it wants to create, how to create it and how to dance on those notes from the first to the last minute of play. The combat system is simple but satisfying and, although it needed more attention from a technical point of view and the story does everything to keep the player away (at least in the first hours), the adventure manages to entertain from start to finish.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Moonscars is an intentionally bleak adventure in an unforgiving world, but players who seek a genuine challenge will certainly find it here.
Moonscars won't set the world alight, but is a decent enough time for soulslike fans.