Moons of Madness Reviews
A Lovecraftian horror title, Moons of Madness, is tense, and at times genuinely frightening. It does focus a bit too much on basic puzzle-solving. I did enjoy the stunningly haunting and interactive environments that you find yourself in. What other game allows you to escape from Lovecraftian cosmic horrors, and then proceed to pick up and fill a mug with coffee?
There really isn't much to say about the Moons of Madness. While it poses itself as a big horror game and that there is a lot to be excited for, it never quite builds off the initial hook. Often times you're stuck dealing with boring scenes that pad gameplay and do such a good job of keeping you guessing, you forget why you were interested, to begin with. For some, it will still be great but for many, it just isn't worth it.
Moons of Madness suffers from itself in many ways.
Moons of Madness is an engaging and atmospheric effort that feels like a Love(craftian) child of Half-Life and Dead Space. You'll be playing more for the cerebral rewards than the scares, though. Despite its seamless merger of cosmic horror and credible sci-fi, the game doesn't quite match its potential in the consistent emotional intensity of its execution. Plus, the ending feels rushed.
Still, there is a lot here to recommend. Moons of Madness delivers, and like the best horror experiences doesn’t outstay its welcome, or let you become too comfortable with your surroundings.
It is boring and relies too heavily on sci-fi tropes.
I'm not one of those people who wants to jet off into space and attempt to colonize or explore another planet. I've seen the Alien movies. Moons of Madness promised a fictitious version of Mars from the comfort of home, with all of the suspense and jump-scares a girl could want, but unfortunately fails to deliver. As much as I wanted this horror fantasy, I can't bring myself to go back to Mars. My patience has worn thin. Every time I hover over the graphic on my PS4 I audibly groan. Perhaps I'll find the energy to return to it at some point, but much like the game itself, I'm not in a rush.
If the atmosphere of Moons of Madness is rather well posed successful through its story and its compartmentalized environments, borrows paranoia any Lovecraftian in Martian confinement, difficult not to go around in circles quickly, the fault of a relative monotony in the course disappointing or agreed history and puzzles.
Review in French | Read full review
Moons of Madness is the best of the recent rash of Lovecraft games. It isn't as dark or atmospheric as some of its macabre competitors, but it's well-crafted, nicely varied, and builds to a satisfying, pulse-pounding crescendo. If you don't mind your Lovecraft with a touch of Michael Bay, don't hesitate to blast off for the Moons of Madness.
Moons of Madness may be light on scares, but the great use of its setting and very strong storytelling make for a compelling narrative-driven experience.
Moons of Madness manages to balance the stylistic elements of the walking simulator with some different game mechanics and its puzzles. Rock Pocket Games has handled the available Lovecraftian material as it should, setting up an adventure that can easily walk alone with dignity.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Though Moons of Madness isn’t the first game to do so and it likely won’t be the last, it’s a survival horror experience that succeeding in giving a grown man nightmares, which is something a zombie game just can’t do.
Moons of Madness is a pleasant and very beautiful adventure with nice puzzles and a well-written story, which includes references to the films "The Martian" or "Prometheus", and the legacy of the cult author. It is a pity that the oppressive atmosphere of sticky nightmare and horror failed because of not impressive monsters. Otherwise, if you are a fan of this format of games, it is definitely worth a try.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Moons of Madness is an okay horror game couched within a super science fiction game. While this identity crisis may be a bit off-putting (and there are a few sections of the game that make you wish it would just get on with it), there is some fun to be had with the nice visuals, great writing, and solid puzzles. If there weren't so much Cthulhu, this would have been an even better game.
It’s just too bad that, for what Moons promises, it so rarely delivers.
There is something engaging here, but it’s marred by weak scares and, less forgivably, dull as dishwater gameplay.
In the end, I think Moons of Madness is an ok game that could have used a little more fine tuning with both the story and the horror/survival mechanics.
Lovecraft fans will have to look elsewhere. While Moons of Madness has some exciting ideas and goes a long way on its premise alone, the story is too dense, and the gameplay is too simple to make it worth your time... unless you need to kill five hours.
Moons of Madness plays more like a cinematic experience than an actual game. Its immersion visually is sublime, and though objects are intuitively interactive, the story lacks the emotional pull needed to match the tone and mood set forth. You will undoubtedly feel as if you are on an alien planet, but that's it. The imbalance of story, gameplay, and interactivity with the enemy becomes apparent the more you play. And with much of the story being told through accessing terminals and listening to banter dialogue, I often felt as if I was no longer interested in what was occurring around me.
An unsettling and beautiful experience, with a pace that's just too slow. If you can get past the walls of text and all too familiar puzzles though, Moons of Madness is good for a few scares.