Moons of Madness
A mysterious signal has been recorded coming from the red planet. The message confounded Orochi scientists. Their analysts broke it down and determined it was of intelligent origin. Orochi management immediately concluded that the discovery was too sensitive for public knowledge and moved to keep it hidden. In secret, the corporation began construction of Trailblazer Alpha, a state-of-the-art Mars research outpost designed to identify the true nature of the message. You are Shane Newehart, an engineer stationed at Trailblazer Alpha and your security clearance means you are completely unaware of the existence of the mysterious signal. Your job is simply to keep the lights on until the transport ship Cyrano arrives bringing with it a new team to take over your duties. Soon you discover strange and unusual setbacks. Crucial systems are malfunctioning, the greenhouse is filled with a strange mist and the rest of your team has yet to return from their EVA mission. Things are starting to fall apart. You begin seeing and hearing things that aren’t there. Visions, hallucinations – or is that even what it is? Is this real… or are you slowly descending into madness?
Game Discussion
Steam User 10
A decent but short Lovecraftian-inspired cosmic horror story with solid voice acting and a pretty intriguing premise.
Definitely not a scary game at all, as they seem to focus more on creating a tense atmosphere rather than jump-scares or monster chases, which actually fit the narrative alot better imo.
Would recommend if you're into Sci-fi mixed with Lovecraft, though definitely only a one-time-playthrough kinda game.
Steam User 8
I truly enjoyed playing through this. The environment and game play is so fun and the feel of being on Mars hits differently. Give it a go for sure
Steam User 6
I've never had a monster during a chase sequence in a horror game stop and wait for me to go the right way before continuing to chase me.
Steam User 4
This is one of these games where a -neutral- review would be appropriate.
Its not bad enough to justify a negative rating, but also not enough good ideas or gameplay for me to blindly recommend it to others.
Pretty forgettable in summary.
Its a walking sim with a okayish story, but it is missing a lot of tension and suspension despitebeing a horror game and puzzles are pretty unintuitive or just very uninteresting.
Most mechanics also come up once or twice then never get used again, also there are no real rewards for creative thinking or exploration.
If you can get it on sale for 5 bucks or less, you can check it out, but you won‘t miss out if you skip this one.
Steam User 9
Disclaimer: If you are under the age of 30, then this game probably isn't for you. If you have never heard of H.P. Lovecraft or have never read his work, then this game isn't for you. If you are incapable of reading and analyzing story on your own and need someone to explain everything to you in great detail, then this game isn't for you.
If you don't meet any of these criteria, then this game IS for you, and I recommend it.
Pros:
*Decent graphics, even with it being an older game. (The surface of mars and the later temple sequences are particularly good.)
*A very stylish modern UI.
*Easy to understand and play, with a few irritating exceptions I'll discuss below. This simplicity lets you focus on the story.
*A delightful usage of Lovecraftian lore and elements that creates a simultaneous sense of dread and wonder, all fit into an increasingly surreal space age setting.
*There is no mention of ANYTHING other than the actual story. The creators did NOT force the denizens of this advanced time period (2045+) to still clutch the dull misshapen pearls of 2020's politics in an effort to appease Reddit. They focused on the important part: cosmic horror. This is the way.
Cons:
*A "quicktime" boss battle that appears based on RNG, not user input - the first (and really only) boss fight you have to complete is based on your focusing the camera on a certain spot on the screen until it turns green, allowing you to attack. The problem is that it doesn't always turn green. Most of the time it turns red and kills you anyway, regardless of how well you did focusing, forcing you to restart the encounter over and over again. It took me around 13 or 14 tries to complete. I was not happy.
*There are a few jump scares here and there. They are not the "only thing in the game" that's scary, as some reviewers have claimed. They don't necessarily detract from the atmosphere, but they don't add much too it, either. I could do without.
*The chemistry puzzle's animations and lack of instructions make it take WAY longer than it should.
*There is a glitch in the main character's dream/hallucination sequence that may require a game restart. (If you find yourself in your family therapist's office for the second time, and cannot get the door to open no matter what you do, then restart. Part of the dialogue does not always load, and if it doesn't, then you can't proceed.)
Steam User 5
Solid entry in the Cosmic Horror genre. Your character is voiced, and talks to a couple other people through out the game, as well as talking to himself to kind of guide you along. There are some good scares and tense moments. There are 2 endings, and i liked both of them.
If you are into cosmic horror or Lovecraft, give this game a shot. It isn't a long game, so i would recomend getting it on sale.
Steam User 3
When it comes to walking horror simulators Moons of Madness lands right smack dead center in cosmic horror next to the likes of Conarium, only in difference being an outer space stealth, puzzler, interactive horror flick. It's not an easy game, it's not outrageously difficult either. You'll come across a few centrifuge puzzles the second of which you may bash your brains out trying to figure out. I didn't look up any guides, I just bore with it, sat there and figured it all out.
All in all it was alright, I had some fun. It's pretty decent. I didn't get caught up reading all the in-game materials, after spending a few hours playing the game I told myself hell no I'm not reading all that stuff. Glad I didn't cause by the end of the game I was ready for it to be over with, not a good or bad thing. It didn't last too too long. You can do much worse, trust me.