Moonscars is an upcoming non-linear souls-like 2D slasher developed by Black Mermaid and published by Humble Games. The project is slated to arrive on Steam later in Summer 2022.
The game invites players to test the limit of their skills and master their abilities to unlock the mysteries of this world. We had the pleasure of checking out the demo of Moonscars to share our thoughts and first impressions.
The events of the game take place in a gorgeous, dark fantasy world marred by despair and desperation. Players take on the role of a clayborne warrior named Grey Irma that looks for the mystery of her existence. To find answers, you first have to seek out the Sculptor.
That is easier said than done, however. Relentless darkness pursues the lone warrior, and death is always just a step behind. Falling, however, is not necessarily a bad thing. The game follows a Souls-like philosophy when it comes to players’ deaths. Every failure is a lesson to learn, and overcoming challenges will shed light on more mysteries.
In the short time I spent in Mooscars, it positively reminded me of Blasphemous, Ender Lilies and Bloodstained. Gloomy world with a muted palette meets you at the beginning of the game and immediately draws you in. Dark colors, blurred gamma and the lack of light convey the feeling of hopelessness.
Lights and shadows are skillfully drawn and harmoniously combined in locations, making the backgrounds feel balanced and interesting. The locations are created with a simple stylistic but each is filled with pieces of dying life, crumbs of life, enemies and a plethora of interesting details.
The game’s hand-drawn graphics are breathtaking, sparking interest both in the locations players are traversing as well as those we can glimpse at a distance in the backgrounds – colorful, exciting and unattainable. Along the way our heroine – Grey Irma – will meet many enemies and neutral creatures. Just the cat which personally reminded me of Cheshire made me wish for more time in the demo to learn about its secrets.
The battles against enemies go in the style of Dead Cells – each enemy has its own attack patterns, its own windows of attacks and dodges, its own tactics and more. Enemies are also portrayed in an extremely interesting style, reflecting the game’s overall feelings of despair and hopelessness that will be your constant companions in Moonscars. The appearance of enemies, the view of the locations, any minor detail, including our own heroine. Only flecks of moonlight will illuminate your path.
Grey Irma’s journey will be a difficult one, the transition from pseudo-life into death, from un-life to something more alive is the path you will have to walk. And you will die. A lot. Often. And then you will come back to your corpse to reclaim what you lost and new experience on top of it. New weapons, be it a two handed sword or a spear, depending on what you find more interesting to play with. New crumbs of plot which will be revealed even with Grey Irma’s death.
One extremely interesting creature can shape your experience into a new form. Grey Irma will frequently see her body, and not just on the battlefield. You will see the glimpses of her past in the embrace of the Sculptor’s cage… but you will only have a chance to unveil the story in more detail after the release of the game.
I sincerely hope that this dark story, full of pain and hatred, will be shown to players in all its hinted glory. In the meantime, the story seems to be a huge white panel with the very edges scratched by a few story reveals.
The plot draws players in from the very first words spoken by the Sculptor, talking with his Cat about extremely exciting and intriguing issues, their discussions about life and much more. Meanwhile Grey Irma will train, die and rise again to remake her body, fill it with ichor, pain and invaluable experience.
On her path, she will be assisted by magic: healing, long-range attacks, empowered strikes, faster dodges, etc. will be unlocked in the skill tree. Opening new options, however, is quite a difficult test.
Clay, bones and ichor will allow players to bear witness to tales and memories of betrayal, suffering, and we’re here for the ride!
