Game: Moons of Madness
Platform: PC
Genre: survival horror
Style: heavy Lovecraftian influences
Verdict: Highly Recommended
Buy: Steam
I originally received a review copy of Moons of Madness to review for MonsterVine.
Moons of Madness is a survival horror game set on Mars and connected to the publisher’s MMO Secret World Legends, although it stands on its own without knowledge of Secret World Legends. You play an engineer on a secret Mars research outpost, and it isn’t long before things go terribly wrong.
How wrong, you ask?
A mysterious creature breaks free to rampage through the base. You begin to suffer from strange hallucinations. And everything builds toward the revelation of an ancient horror that has begun to stir.
This game is Lovecraftian through and through, and it does a great job of conveying that cosmic horror tone. Its two endings are disappointingly similar to one another, but that’s a minor point in what is otherwise a great experience. The atmosphere is fantastic, creating a sense of dread that never quite goes away even when you aren’t in immediate danger, and there are a ton of notes and messages to read that build up the story and lore.
Although there isn’t any combat, it does have a few chase sequences and sections where you must avoid enemies. The gameplay largely focuses on puzzle-solving, and although the objective marker doesn’t quite work as smoothly as it could, most of the puzzles are logical enough.
I enjoyed this one a lot. It really feels like a cosmic horror story, so if you enjoy Lovecraftian horror and want something new to play, Moons of Madness is an excellent choice.
Buy: Steam
Apologies for this review being posted so late. I do intend to get back on a more regular schedule.