Moonscars – Review
Moonscars should be the only metroidvania you play this year. Black Mermaid’s 2D hack-and-slash has everything you could want from a side-scrolling soulslike: gore, darkness, and a high difficulty level.
And a plot that’s hard to follow. In Moonscars, Grey Irma, a knight, searches for the godlike Sculptor by battling her way through unstable clay constructs that mimic human life. Even though this Sculptor is Irma’s superior, he is also responsible for making the clay monsters that she now tracks down. It’s all a little hard to follow at first, and some details are left out on purpose, but the intriguing premise keeps you interested as you put yourself in Irma’s shoes.
You won’t have much time in Moonscars to ponder its obfuscation. Once you assume command of Irma, you’re thrust sword first into a sidescrolling bloodbath. Although Irma’s initial foes are shambling soldiers built for bloody deaths, it would be foolish to underestimate anything in Moonscars due to her low health. Irma, however, possesses potent weapons of her own; scoring hits on her replenishes her ichor bar, which she can then use to cast spells or restore her health. Not only will you have to strike a balance between offence and defence in combat, but the world itself is littered with spikes that, if used effectively, can result in brutal one-hit kills.
Even though the fights in Moonscars are brutal, you’ll be on (relatively) even ground. All of your enemies’ attacks are beautifully foreshadowed, so while they may come in like trains, you’ll be prepared for each one. This information is fed into a fantastic parrying system that flashes red whenever an opponent is preparing an attack that can be parried. It’s up to you to stick the landing after Moonscars tells you when to parry; if you do, you’ll get a powerful counterattack, but if you don’t, you’ll take damage you can’t always afford. Each brawl in Moonscars feels gritty and textured thanks to the game’s polished combat mechanics; a last-second dodge, bloody evisceration, or daring riposte never lose their thrill no matter how often they’re used.
In addition to the difficult combat, Black Mermaid also captures the spirit of FromSoftware’s Souls series, making Moonscars a worthy addition to the genre. Anyone who played Elden Ring earlier this year will have an idea of what to expect in Moonscars; if you die, you’ll be teleported back to the last save point you used (but with much less money), and you’ll have to return to your grave to retrieve your currency, Bone Powder.
However, Moonscars goes above and beyond, and it is one of the few games to wonder if Dark Souls could be…harder. In order to use a Mirror, which is where you store Bone Powder and can be exchanged for new items, you must first defeat a mirror image of yourself. Good luck, especially since this double has swiped your secret weapon and witchcraft. The last thing you want to see after overcoming the nightmare difficulty of a new area is a fight to the death with yourself; it’s like letting a marathon runner cross the finish line and then throwing them into a cage match; however, this makes the respite at each refuge feel all the more deserved.
The difficulty of the game’s enemies will increase until you make an offering to the moon goddess if you die too frequently, a condition known as “Moonhunger.” When you kill an enemy with moonhunger active, you gain extra Bone Powder, but if the extra supply becomes overwhelming, you can sacrifice a gland to return the situation to normal. I’m still on the fence about whether or not you should have to give up a fairly rare item (one that can be used to equip a variety of special weapons) in order to keep the game’s monsters from getting stronger, especially considering that you’re probably already having a hard time of things if you’re dying frequently.
But when you finally satisfy your moonhunger and can stop beating your head against the wall, you’ll feel like a completely different person. After failing miserably at defeating the game’s first true boss (who, no spoilers, is phenomenal), I finally decided to sacrifice a Gland and succeed with flying colours on my next try.
Moonscars is beautiful even when it’s in the middle of a fight. The visual style is reminiscent of oil paintings, lending a faded, gothic sheen to everything from dark castle passageways to breathtaking vistas. No matter the situation, whether Irma is casting a powerful spell that explodes an enemy into streaky red pixels or she is climbing up the stone platforms of a castle, every animation looks sublime.
While Moonscars improves with each playthrough, its overall greatness cannot be reduced to any one achievement. Moonscars is a must-play for anyone who delights in difficulty, as it not only features punishing combat and environments painted with desolate beauty, but also isn’t afraid to throw exciting new challenges at players.
