Review by Gamatroid
Teams of darsanauts got lost during their mining missions on the different moons of the planet Darsalon. You need to complete several rescue missions in which you will have to lead them to the closest base station. They will use their own AI to follow you and to obey your commands. On your way to the base you will have to protect them from dangers and enemies using your laser gun, jet pack, pilot ground and air vehicles, destroy terrain, and even make new paths with the ground maker gun.
MOONS OF DARSALON
- RELEASE DATE: 2/6/25
- MSRP: $17.99
- DEVELOPER: Dr. Kucho! Games
- PUBLISHER: Dr. Kucho! Games
- PLATFORMS: Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, PC/Steam
- PLAYED ON: PS5
In the first few levels, the game does a good job getting you used to the follow and command mechanics, and doesn't require you to shoot anything or fly around. Slowly over the course of a few stages it introduces things like the flashlight (so you and your minions can see in the dark - they won't follow unless they can see), the laser gun (to shoot enemies and break through walls), and the ground builder (which allows you to shoot pieces of ground to build bridges or create barriers). Eventually it also introduces the jetpack, and lets you fly around the levels with a good deal of freedom.
Every level essentially involves you guiding the other "darsanauts" to the end goal, and you get rewarded for how many make it there alive, and not leaving ones behind. You do have a minimum number you have to rescue to clear a stage, but this means some can be killed or simply left undiscovered and you can still clear most stages.
Sometimes you may want to go ahead and clear out enemies and obstacles before you have any of the darsanauts follow you, but it depends on the specific situation you are presented with.
Overall, the game's combination of genres does lead to an experience that feels both familiar and refreshingly new.
RETRO ROOTS
I've already mentioned quite a few of them, but Moons of Darsalon has roots in quite a few classic games, and it also borrows its aesthetic heavily from classic Commodore 64 games, including the loading screens and title screen.
One of the games I've mentioned it is influenced by is Lemmings.
Lemmings was originally released for the Amiga in 1991, but was ported to practically every computer and home console in existence. It was a huge hit back in the day, and involved guiding a group of rather brainless NPCs to a level goal, while trying to keep as many alive as possible.
Another game Moons of Darsalon seems to have been inspired by is Worms.
Worms was first released in Europe for the Amiga in 1995, and had a similar aesthetic to Lemmings, which makes sense, since its look was directly inspired by the 1991 Amiga hit. The gameplay was quite different, however, as it was a turn based artillery game with destructable enviornments (the main feature that reminds me of Moons of Darsalon).
Another game Moons of Darsalon seems to have been inspired by is Oddworld.
Oddworld was first released for the original PlayStation in 1997, and introduced a communication mechanic that is very similar to the one used in Moons of Darsalon. In Oddworld, you could give commands to the other Mudokans to follow, stay, or execute certain commands. The goal was to get them to the exit of each stage alive, which again, is very similar to the main goal in Moons of Darsalon.
The last game that seems to have inspired parts of Moons of Darsalon's game is Jetpac.
Jetpac was first released for the ZX Spectrum and VIC-20 in 1983, and featured a little spaceman using a jetpack to move around levels, plus a laser gun which could be used to eliminate enemies. While I'm certain other games have also borrowed these mechanics over time, it seems some variation of this inspired the gun and jetpack mechanics in Moons of Darsalon.
If you aren't familiar with any of these classics, you should definitely Google them and give them a try.
REVIEW
Gameplay & Mechanics
The overall gameplay of Moons of Darsalon involves a great combination of traversal mechanics, gunplay, destructible and constructible environments, puzzle solving, and Lemmings/ Oddworld-like NPC guidance. While none of the individual mechanics seem to be that groundbreaking, the unique way they've been combined in Moons of Darsalon, creates a new experience that I haven't seen before. The only issue here at all, is that some of the climbing mechanics with your character seem "janky" for lack of a better word. I actually got stuck at the beginning of level 6 for quite some time, and finally had to watch a YouTube playthrough to see that you could grab onto a particular ledge and pull yourself up. I had never needed to climb that accurately in any of the prior levels, so I wasn't as familiar with the mechanic as I should have been to easily identify the way to proceed. This seems like a small issue, but I almost stopped playing altogether as a result (which would have DRASTICALLY altered this review, and my overall feelings on the game.)
The visuals are HEAVILY stylized, but look AMAZING for the retro aesthetic the game is trying to achieve. One of the best examples of a modern game looking retro that I've seen in a while. If you go on Steam, you will see that the user reviews are not as high as you might think they would be, but in reading through many of them, it seems some of the main title screen and loading screen assets may have been produced with generative AI (I haven't confirmed this, but this is the narrative in the comments). Apparently the developer had different screens originally, but swapped them out sometime in 2024, and there is a toggle in the Options menu to switch between the original artwork and the "2024" version. I actually like the new art, and I had no issue with it, so it didn't have any negative impact on me at all, but if you feel particularly strongly about AI generated art, this might impact your impression of it ,but then you can just toggle the screens to the original version and you should be fine.
Audio & Music
For the vibe this game is going for, the music, sound effects and voice samples are simply perfect. It absolutely nails the retro vibe and helps reinforce the entire presentation. My favorite is the way the voice samples are also played through the controller speaker on the PlayStation 5. It may be a small thing, but I love it when games effectively use the PS5's controller speaker (same back on PS4 as well).
Like many other elements of this game, the story feels exactly at place with the rest of the retro vibe this game creates, and does a great job putting the player back in a past time and place.
Technical Performance
So...like I mentioned in the gameplay section, I ran into a significant issue at the beginning of stage 6, but it was mostly my fault for not knowing how to effectively use the climbing mechanic, however... it really shouldn't be that hard to pull off, and you'll notice there are a few areas where the game probably could have benefitted from a bit more polish and refinement in the way it controls, but... that is not in any way to say that the game is unplayable or I ran into any game breaking bugs or anything like that. Just be aware that some of the controls are a little janky, and you should be fine.
Innovation & Originality
Given this game seems to be built upon the work of several games that have come before, you might wonder just how innovative and different it feels, but from my perspective I think the way Moons of Darsalon incorporates all its different gameplay mechanics is certainly innovative and feels fresh and fun. Honestly I never really liked games like Lemmings, and I could only tolerate Oddworld for a brief time, but the way everything comes together so well in Moons of Darsalon, makes me want to continue playing it and discovering new challenges.
Value
Moons of Darsalon retails for $17.99, which feels like a good price for the retro-style experience it delivers. Certainly an indie game like this doesn't seem like it could justify charging AAA game prices, but luckily it doesn't even come close, and its price seems well in line with the value it delivers (it might even be a bargain considering everything the game does well).
OVERALL SCORE: 8
I really enjoyed my time with Moons of Darsalon, and other than that small issue I ran into in Stage 6, I completely enjoyed every minute I spent with it. The retro vibes are really strong with this one, and every new stage I entered brought something new to discover that kept things fresh. If the controls were just a little tighter and a few of the rough edges were a bit more polished, I might have given it a 9 instead of an 8, but either way, if any of this sounds interesting, you should play it.
CRITIC'S CORNER
In looking at other critic reviews and user ratings, Moons of Darsalon generally scores in the 8 to 9 range with critics. User ratings tend to be a bit lower on Steam and PlayStation, but at least with Steam, most of the low ratings are due to people thinking the developer used AI generated art work in the game and are review bombing it as a result. Not sure if this is true on PlayStation as well, but with a good number of 1 and 2 star reviews (but even more 5's) it's very possible there is AI based review bombing going on there too.
(EG's score compared to other publications - raw score quoted then followed by normalized score out of 10, if applicable)
- Electronic Gamers: 8/10
- Gaming Nexus: 8/10
- Pure Nintendo: 8.5/10
- Digital Chumps: 8.5/10
- Steam: 79% positive (7.9/10)
- Xbox: N/A (not enough ratings)
- PlayStation: 3.64/5 (7.28/10)
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