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
I wanted Moons of Madness when it first launched but I had to buy a new PC so sadly, I had to miss out on on. Recently, I'm sure, it was part of a Humble Bundle and I picked it up instantly.
I am a huge fan of HP Lovecraft's work, anything supernatural and in general SPACE. So I was really excited to finally be able to sit down and just relax on a game that didn't need you to be "MLG PRO LEAGUE" worthy.
Below I will mention what I liked or disliked with a little opinion at the bottom but before I get into that, a small disclaimer!!
This review is MY opinion, MY own personal experience and MY thoughts. I am brutally honest when it comes to reviewing games. If you do not like my opinion, my time or respect my personal experience, please move on.
A quick Pros+ & Cons-
+First of all, the game's Psychological Horror aspect was spot on. They don't use "cheap" jumpscares to get their kicks out of you and I thought it was true to a Lovecraftian type horror based game (specially if you think CULTIST like)
+The story and writing was very well done also. It kept me interested from start to finish.
+ I had no issues running the game at all. No FPS drops, freezing, stuttering e.t.c. So What I am saying is - it is well optimised (for me anyway on a high end PC)
+ Fantastic soundtrack. Especially at the end! (not gonna spoil anything)
- The game, IMO, needed more puzzles. More things to interact with in general. For the most part it was just your tasks you interacted with.
- The part with the "robots" could have been done better. More interactions with them or something more with them as it felt like I just rushed through this area.
- The runtime of the game does NOT justify the price of Moons of Madness. I completed it in 4 hours flat. For £21 I would have expected about a 10 hour game but not 4 hours. I quit at the credits and pressed resume to get the other ending.
- Puzzles seemed way to simple to solve as the game GUIDED you to everything.
- Lack of exploration of any type.
- Way to much "WALKING SIMULATOR" and not enough actual game, for me anyway.
My Verdict
After finally playing it to 100% after almost 5 years, I have to say - I enjoyed it. Really, I did. Despite it's short runtime (for me as puzzles were to easy) the price of £21 is WAY to steep to attract customers but as of right now - 16/09/24 the game is on sale for £8.39 which is an absolute STEAL and if you wait for Humble Bundle or another websites bundles to be released you could even get it for £1 - like me!! (if you think about the games included in HB)
I would recommend the game on sale but not when it is full price sadly. Overall experience - I wanted more when it was finished.
7/10! Wait for a heavy sale as 4 hours of playtime is not worth £21 but the game is rather enjoyable
Steam User 6
Solid game, enjoyed it. Would have liked the game to be longer, But had no issues with the story line.
Some improvement needed, maybe make a second one, or just another Lovecraft style game.
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 6
This was better than I expected. I picked this one up on sale, and at around 6 hours, it's short enough to keep you interested but long enough that I wasn't disappointed. I'm a big fan of Lovecraft and space-horror, so this was the best of both worlds. You may end up confused if you don't read the various terminal entries, but otherwise the story is a nice mix of space horror and cosmic horror. Well done!
Steam User 2
This is more like an interactive movie rather than a real "game". Do not expect action, shooting, or stuff like that. it's an immersive super-lovecraftian adventure with some mini puzzle games. in around 8 hours you finish the game reading all the possible text you find. I enjoyed it really much but you need to set your expectations. The graphics are amazing, and the game runs super well.
Steam User 2
Game is fun. Lots of interesting puzzles and a great story. Genuinely creepy without overly relying on jump scares. Really makes good use of the Cthulhu Mythos.
Steam User 3
Short game that is possibly best to buy at discount due to the short gameplay time. You will get a nice walking horror adventure that mixes sci-fi elements of crew stranded on Mars and lovecraftian horrors. It is not very difficult in terms of running and hiding from enemies with some interesting and not frustrating puzzles.