Moon Mystery

If you enjoy independent indie game coverage, consider supporting Indie-Games.eu on Patreon. It helps keep the site independent.

• DEVELOPER: Cosmoscouts
• PUBLISHER: indie.io
• PLATFORMS: PC
• GENRE: FPS / Story-driven
• RELEASE DATE: October 28, 2024
• INITIAL PRICE: 19.99€
• REVIEWED VERSION: PC

Moon Mystery is a first-person, story-driven game set in a space environment, featuring a distinct art direction and solid combat mechanics. Although the game has potential and numerous strengths, it suffers from pacing issues and a lack of polish. The game has many quality elements: the graphics are excellent, the music is fantastic, and the voice acting is quite solid. Combat also feels realistic, with weapons having a satisfying kick and a sense of weight. However, there are also shortcomings: the story doesn’t flow smoothly, the AI is not particularly developed, exploration is very linear, and the level design is quite simple.

Why Should I Trust You, Toby?

The story follows Sam, an astrobiologist, and his robot companion, Toby, on a mission to explore alien worlds using wormhole technology. Sam has a family waiting for him on Earth, and his journey involves confronting advanced technology managed by robots or aliens. The premise is intriguing, but it’s easy to lose the thread of the story during gameplay.

More cutscenes or flashbacks to Sam’s life on Earth could have helped maintain focus on the story. Initially, the game sets up the stakes and motivation well, but later we forget about Sam’s family and his core objective. Although the voice acting is good, it seems underutilized; there are too many long, silent sections that could have been filled with story, especially during non-combat or exploration sections.

Despite the story being a key component of the game with numerous unanswered questions, it doesn’t actually impact the gameplay that much. The combination of combat, exploration, and puzzles is mostly well-balanced, and the game also includes various vehicles, which adds a special element. You will drive spaceships, underwater vehicles, larger transporters, and even remote-controlled toy cars. Unfortunately, the exploration leaves a somewhat disappointing impression. The level design is extremely linear; it is almost impossible to get lost. The game even notifies the player if they stray outside the mission zone.

Every path is predetermined. For example, platforming in space can be tedious; it’s strange that these space bases are set up in such a simple, interconnected way. Low-gravity jumps can be fun, but certain aspects unnecessarily prolong the play time. Some puzzle elements, such as driving a toy car across the map to place it on a pressure plate to open a door, feel forced and illogical. Such moments appear throughout the game. On the positive side, certain sections like the frozen biome are impressive, but you occasionally wonder why certain design decisions were made.

Solid FPS Elements, with a Rather Interesting AI

One thoughtful aspect of Moon Mystery is the system for currency, ammo, and collectible story pieces. The game balances resources well, so you never feel a shortage of ammunition or funds for weapon upgrades. The addition of chests motivates exploration outside the main path, although exploration is still somewhat limited. The maps generally look empty, with large open spaces that don’t offer much.

The gunplay itself is responsive and enhanced by various mods and perks that add depth. Weapon recoil is well-designed, making every weapon feel realistic, from pistols and machine guns to shotguns and snipers, although most are similar, variations of the same type. Each weapon is balanced, offering unique advantages, and precise headshots add a satisfying crispness to the combat. You can upgrade weapons with different attachments, although I would have liked the game to include a cover mechanic, such as leaning left or right. While there are numerous defensive options for healing and hiding, they don’t feel particularly engaging.

Despite the solid gunplay, the AI has a strange execution. You primarily face similar types of robots: from those with machine guns and shotguns to mobile units like exploding crabs, turrets, and a few mini-bosses. Unfortunately, only one boss is truly memorable; otherwise, the lack of variety among bosses is disappointing. While the AI occasionally takes cover or moves, it is often clumsy and sometimes behaves oddly, like approaching without an obvious reason. Robots with rockets and grenades introduce a small challenge, making dodging more interesting, but overall the AI should be better for a more dynamic experience.

Puzzles, on the other hand, offer a nice break from combat, giving you a chance to relax and think. They have a vibe similar to that of The Talos Principle, often involving moving boxes to connect areas with laser beams. Other puzzles require different mechanics, such as melting ice with a fire cube or guiding a torpedo to destroy barriers blocking your path. These puzzles were creative and fun, and it’s obvious that the developers put effort into designing them.

Final Thoughts

All in all, Moon Mystery presents a combination of well-executed and less polished elements that together form a playable experience. Considering that this is an indie game, the environments are particularly impressive. The visual design is top-notch, with striking planetary landscapes that evoke a feeling of space exploration, all accompanied by an atmospheric soundtrack. The lighting effects, animations, and cinematics are very well done, suggesting that a large part of the budget went into the visual side of the game rather than refining the gameplay.

As mentioned, the game suffers from pacing issues and is not as optimized as it could be—grenade explosions can cause frame rate drops, and some sections are unnecessarily dragged out. Objectives can feel repetitive, which also unnecessarily extends the gameplay. The story also struggles to develop significantly, with some illogicalities, such as radio communication across galaxies. Despite these shortcomings, the strong visual side and solid FPS elements make this game worthwhile for fans of sci-fi exploration. With continuous improvements, there is potential for the experience to be further enhanced.

Review copy provided by the publisher