Man, I really wanted to like this one more.
I had this game on my radar for quite a bit now, and actually heard a few people say that this was one of their favorite games of 2023. The team on social media is actually what sold me though, as a lot of the trailers for this game looked really solid.
The issue is, this game really seems like it doesn't strive to do anything except be adequate. That is really the word for it. The gameplay is fine, nothing special. It is a nice mix of Megaman and Shenobi, but doesn't really do anything to surpass either franchise in that regard. The enemies are all fine, but mainly forgettable. Most stages only last for around 12 minutes, and are all fine enough.
The most frustrating elements though are with the bosses and setpieces. Almost every boss except the final one gave me little to no trouble, and were all beaten in a very short time. No fight lasts longer than around 20 seconds, with a lot of bosses not showing me their full movesets before I mow them down. Every single one except the final one, left no impact on me. The setpieces were also an aspect I was very excited for with this game, but most of them were so barebones. The motorbike was something I was really looking forward to, but the only thing I got with it was 2 very mediocre on-rails shooter sections with it.
The only standout aspects are its visuals and music. Moonrider has gorgeous visuals, with enemies and backgrounds that really pop. Almost all tracks in this game are pretty catchy and memorable, with none really getting on my nerves by the end of the game. It is a real shame that these things are bogged down by such an average game.
Look, I don't want to be too hard on this game. I know it is made by a relatively small studio, and it seems to be one of their first outings. The issue is that I feel that the worst thing a game can be is adequate or mediocre. These devs clearly do have a lot of talent, and in the future I would really love to see them try to make something a lot less safe and mundane.
Also change the name. It is REALLY bad.
I had this game on my radar for quite a bit now, and actually heard a few people say that this was one of their favorite games of 2023. The team on social media is actually what sold me though, as a lot of the trailers for this game looked really solid.
The issue is, this game really seems like it doesn't strive to do anything except be adequate. That is really the word for it. The gameplay is fine, nothing special. It is a nice mix of Megaman and Shenobi, but doesn't really do anything to surpass either franchise in that regard. The enemies are all fine, but mainly forgettable. Most stages only last for around 12 minutes, and are all fine enough.
The most frustrating elements though are with the bosses and setpieces. Almost every boss except the final one gave me little to no trouble, and were all beaten in a very short time. No fight lasts longer than around 20 seconds, with a lot of bosses not showing me their full movesets before I mow them down. Every single one except the final one, left no impact on me. The setpieces were also an aspect I was very excited for with this game, but most of them were so barebones. The motorbike was something I was really looking forward to, but the only thing I got with it was 2 very mediocre on-rails shooter sections with it.
The only standout aspects are its visuals and music. Moonrider has gorgeous visuals, with enemies and backgrounds that really pop. Almost all tracks in this game are pretty catchy and memorable, with none really getting on my nerves by the end of the game. It is a real shame that these things are bogged down by such an average game.
Look, I don't want to be too hard on this game. I know it is made by a relatively small studio, and it seems to be one of their first outings. The issue is that I feel that the worst thing a game can be is adequate or mediocre. These devs clearly do have a lot of talent, and in the future I would really love to see them try to make something a lot less safe and mundane.
Also change the name. It is REALLY bad.