Moonscars understands that one of the biggest attractions of Dark Souls is its sense of mystery. Most games in the Soul-like genre use their environments to tell their stories, allowing the player to tie themselves to a coherent narrative. It’s a way of storytelling that FromSoftware has mastered, using memorable characters and visual clues to flesh out their apocalyptic worlds and give them more depth. While a valiant attempt is made to recreate that intriguing spirit in Moonscars, the execution is far from perfect.
The game begins when you take on the role of Gray Irma, a woman as big as his sword. You are assigned the task of finding a deity named Sculptor, as Irma wants to tell him the reason behind his existence. The story and your end goal are intentionally vague, as dialogue from side characters and Irma’s own monologues is the main way you learn more about this world and your personal motivations.
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However, this ambiguity only serves to confuse the game. Rather than entering the world as a newcomer to games like Hollow Knight or Dark Souls, which Moonscars is clearly inspired by, Irma’s relationships with other characters are already established. You engage in very heavy conversations despite not knowing a single thing about the world you are in. It looks like you’ve finally sat down to watch Game of Thrones for the first time, but you started in the middle of Season 4.
It also doesn’t help that most of the characters you encounter talk in riddles most of the time. All of these elements together make Moonscars confusing at best and completely incompatible at worst. It’s also a shame because there’s a hauntingly beautiful and atmospheric world out there that I would have liked to know more about, buried beneath all the talk of clefts and vessels.
Thankfully, Moonscars also understand that another important aspect of spirits is combat. Inspired by games like Hollow Knight, the combat is fast-paced and extremely aggressive, as you’ll have to hit enemies to create an ichor, a substance that allows you to heal yourself. Ichor is also required to fire powerful spells, making each fight a delicate balancing act that requires little more thought than just using his strongest attacks and hoping for the best.
The Hollow Knight comparisons don’t end here, as Moonscars is constantly giving you talismans that let you modify your build. These can be purchased from vendors or found in nooks and crannies around the world, and their effects range from increasing your damage with specific attacks to passively restoring your Ichor levels. Not particularly useful on their own, but when combined and used with certain abilities, they allow for some interesting setups that let you get the best out of your favorite fighting style.
You’ll need to make sure you’re as powerful as possible, because Moonscars doesn’t pull any punches. You’ll have a tough time, but it manages to tread that fine line between challenging and unfair, as enemy attacks are easy to read but difficult to deal with. It’s the balance that makes fighting the game’s owner one of its greatest strengths, as each one provides a substantial yet enjoyable challenge that offers a moment of respite from walking through the game’s labyrinthine corridors.
But while Moonscars does a good job of fixing the basics, its attempts to introduce its own spin on the genre don’t quite apply too well. For example, to activate Mirrors — the Moonscars bonfire equivalent — you have to give up your current form, losing all of your inactive buffs and your secondary weapon in the process. To retrieve them, you’ll have to defeat a doppelganger who’s left behind, a mighty clone who has all of your weapons and abilities.
It’s a new idea and the fights are quite entertaining the first few times. However, forcing you to fight a powerful foe every time you find a new mirror gets old very quickly, especially since they’re dotted quite generously in the early stages of the game.
Another similar interesting but flawed mechanic is Moonhunger, a state in which enemies are more powerful but spare more resources. This happens when you die but can be returned by defeating a boss or by using an item called a Gland. The trouble is that the glands are quite rare and the increase in difficulty is negligible, causing a slight discomfort to the Moonhunger that is pointless to reverse completely.
Moonscars is a collection of good ideas that are poorly executed and punctuated by a shocking story. In the heat of battle with one of the game’s well-designed and memorable boss fights, it shines almost as much as it inspired. Unfortunately, the saturation of the genre means it’s no longer enough to nail Souls’ core mechanics, and Moonscar falls down whenever it tries to stand out. If you’re wild for the style, this is a great time to have a lot of fun, but those looking for something a little more unique should steer clear.
Score: 3.5/5. Review code provided by the publisher.
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