This is really where the game begins to isolate you, and the theme becomes more and more apparent as Shane is thrown into more and more irrational situations. You don’t have many physical interactions with the other people on the base your interactions are isolated to mostly verbal communication over comms, emails, and those bright yellow sticky notes. I really appreciated these because it gave the station a human touch beyond the clinical, sterile atmosphere that is another creep factor in and of itself.
More so with the attention to detail, the levels are littered with sticky notes left behind by various characters. This attention to detail made the game that much more immersive, but I think using oxygen as another challenge would have made this game that much more stress-inducing. He hits buttons multiple times and begins to fumble with the usual animations to open doors or re-oxygenate his suit. In fact, after deranged things occur on-screen, Shane’s movements will become more erratic as his hands begin to shake. Shane’s heart rate increases due to several reasons, including running in the game and encountering monsters. When your heart rate increases, it seems like your oxygen levels decrease quicker. When you’re in your spacesuit, you have both an oxygen level bar and a heart rate gauge. I did notice some interesting mechanics with the oxygen system, however. The oxygen stations were plentiful and I never at any point went below 70%. Although this seemed like a possible challenge in the game, it really wasn’t. As such, you’ll need to manage your oxygen levels by airing up at oxygen stations littered around the areas you’ll explore. Since you’re in space, whenever you go outside the base, you’re required to wear a spacesuit. The one mechanic I wish the creators did more with was the oxygen levels. This inability to fight back would normally increase the stress of the game, however, the quick-time events are easy and there are many checkpoints so dying isn’t punishing enough to warrant more caution. There are a few quick-time events, but overall you need to run from them, hide, or puzzle your way around them. But, don’t worry, the puzzles aren’t very hard many were easy while some of them were a little more challenging but nothing that the average person would have a hard time getting through with a bit of thought.īeyond the fear-inducing atmosphere, the player will run into literal monsters. They weren’t enough to overshadow the plot but enough to make the puzzler in me happy. I was pleasantly surprised that there were a decent amount of puzzles in this game. As the story progresses, the atmosphere changes and becomes more and more demented as you move beyond just fantastical monsters to include human monsters.Īlthough the story is linear, the puzzles aren’t. The creators have made a game that builds creepy, odd, and claustrophobic atmospheres effortlessly through not only the sights and sounds you’ll experience but also the minute background details. Although some may not appreciate this style of game, the linearity forces the players to experience the game how the developers want them to. It has a very linear plotline allowing for few choices along the way. What is happening on Mars and why is Orochi trying to cover up this strange signal?Īs mentioned, Moons of Madness is very much a story-driven game. You begin to have strange dreams and hallucinations, or so you believe. Crucial systems that once functioned pristinely begin to malfunction every day. However, as time goes on, things begin to change. Believing the signal was of intelligent origin, Orochi funded the construction of the Mars research outpost to identify the message and who was sending it. Orochi, the corporation funding all of this, recorded a mysterious signal coming from Mars. However, unbeknownst to you, your presence on Mars is much more than a research mission. Your job is a relatively simple one: keep the lights on until a restock ship arrives with a new team who will then take over from there. You play as Shane Newehart, an engineer on a Mars research station who isn’t much more than a handyman. Developed by Rock Pocket Games and published by Funcom, Moons of Madness is a first-person, story-driven game that focuses on linear storytelling and puzzle-solving. Moons of Madness is a cosmic horror game that explores the themes of isolation and warped humanity in a world that feels like an H.P.
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