Moo Lander – Spotlight

Moo Lander’s demo was only recently available to me. The action RPG with “Mootroidvania” elements certainly didn’t shy away from its subject matter. I’ve never heard the word “milk” used so frequently in one place before. Because of this, I was able to take a deep dive into the world of dairy mania.

The film takes place on a planet known as Mars, but this version is home to a variety of lush biomes, as well as a few less-than-pleasant locations. You’ve been sent there for a very important reason: to find a machine that can make an infinite supply of milk for you. Because in Moo Lander, the most important resource is milk, you might think this makes sense.

You navigate the planet’s labyrinth to get around, encountering a slew of native creatures along the way. Unfortunately, the vast majority of them are hostile and will engage your tiny ship as soon as you get within a reasonable distance of them. Creatures and plants with a variety of unique attacks and movement patterns are in store for you.

They’re easy to deal with at first, and even as they become more difficult, they’re never truly frustrating. Insects, such as the dashers and the seeders, are easy to deal with once you’ve observed their attacks.

A new camouflage pattern will be unlocked for your ship when the amount of their essence collected reaches a certain level. These vines aren’t just for show; when damaged, they retaliate with a vine attack of their own, giving them a distinct advantage over other enemies. Once you’ve unlocked them, you can switch between them at any time to find the best option for the situation.

You’ll also gain XP and level up, which will allow you to purchase new skills. There are three categories of attacks: lethal, non-lethal, and defensive. Your remaining milk supply is shown on screen next to your health wheel as you complete each of these actions. As luck would have it, there are plenty of locations where you can replenish both of these necessities while on your journey.

Your milk machine gun and sword are used primarily to fend off opponents. Throughout the game, you’ll encounter mighty cows that act like bosses and can appear at any time. Non-lethal attacks are required because you’ll need to beamed them up rather than kill the revered creatures. You have a shield and even drones to protect you from enemy fire in both types of encounters, thanks to your defensive skills.

Moo Lander’s RPG features both camouflage patterns and skills. The rest of the story is a mix of action and exploration. This game’s combat is simple, but it’s also repetitive and lacking in creativity to begin with. Particularly tedious are the battles involving cows. The first half of the game is almost identical to the second half, which becomes increasingly difficult as the game progresses. There is no way to win without button mashing, no matter where you are in the game.

Moo Lander is a visually appealing adventure game with beautiful hand-drawn backgrounds. However, it appears to be a linear progression. Even at a fork in the road, you won’t stray too far from the path. In most cases, a switch is all that is needed to unlock the door ahead. Various new mechanics, such as plants that spew seeds needed to cut certain vines and others that fire lasers, require a certain amount of basic puzzling to be completed.

Sadly, these are introduced very slowly and the gameplay becomes repetitive and lacking in challenge as a result of this. In addition, there are no hidden treasures to be found. The setting would be ideal for them in a game like this, but there’s no reason not to race through it as quickly as possible.

To avoid feeling like a formulaic and repetitive chore, the single-player campaign lacks enough variety. As much fun as it is to zip around and blast aliens, you’ll be itching for something new to enter the mix. The game’s recommended playtime is twelve hours or more, but I was able to finish it in a little more than half that time. Even though I was playing on a medium difficulty setting, I don’t believe that simply making Moo Lander more difficult will solve the game’s issues.

When things aren’t frantic, your ship is easy to manoeuvre thanks to the dual thumbstick control scheme. Some areas are difficult to manoeuvre because of its size, and I was only able to keep it moving for a few seconds before colliding with a vine and taking damage. Thankfully, there are a lot of health points to be found.

Moo Lander’s story is told through a series of flashback cutscenes, which makes it simple to follow, if not particularly exciting. In addition, the pilot and his artificial intelligence, Hamilton, have a snarky conversation. Hamilton’s voice, on the other hand, sounds a lot like Google’s virtual assistant. To sum it up, I find the music to be both entrancing and soothing.

Moo Lander also has “Mooltiplayer,” which allows for both co-op and PvP gameplay. Play as cows and landers, battle endless waves of enemies, or even play “Galactic Mooball” against each other. While it’s only a brief diversion, the latter is the most intriguing of the bunch. In order to enjoy two of the game modes, it is necessary to play with real people. Overall, the problems here are consistent with the single-player campaign, so the novelty of multiplayer will quickly wear off. The £14.49 price tag doesn’t feel entirely justified.

There is a certain charm to Moo Lander, but the thinly stretched ideas mean it doesn’t take long for this one to turn sour. “