Luna and the Moonling

Review

Welcome to Luna and the Moonling. You will control both Luna & the Moonling, navigating the puzzles to reach the end of the levels, all while trying to beat the time and move limits to earn the best score. You can still continue to the end of each level regardless of whether or not you surpass the time and move limits. You can work to gather the star in each level, or progress without them and return later to try and collect them all. You can go to the levels map at any time and replay any of the levels you have already finished, whether you want to try to get a better score or just to collect the stars. Play it your way. Only by utilizing both characters’ special abilities will you be able to solve the cleverly designed puzzles to unlock the portals to the next areas. Will you be able to save Luna's father and lift the dreaded curse placed on him?

Luna and the Moonling is the first title on Steam by Developer Greyborn Studios, and is self-published. It has now left Early Access and the full version was released on Sep 21, 2018. They are now moving forward to bring us a new free quest for the title, so we can expect a patch soon to bring even more great gameplay for us to further our adventure! The title is a Casual Indie Adventure Puzzle Game with an emphasis on the puzzles. You must use your wits to utilize each of the characters’ abilities to solve the puzzles in each level. Only Luna may enter the Portals at each of the levels’ endings. But do not worry, for the Moonling will also teleport with you wherever they are on the level.

There are many features for the game, from Vibrant Game World to the Original Music Score, with many hours of enjoyable puzzling levels to enjoy.  There is also the optional challenge of Collecting the Stars in every level. The Cinematics & Voice Acting are well done. The Puzzle Mechanics are well thought-out, and are laid out to be fun to conquer. With cute characters and enemies, the exceptional visual effects add to the relaxing atmosphere of the title. The game has been designed for the addition of future adventures; whether in the form of free updates or even DLC in the future, the foundation is in place. With the options of Full Controller Support or Keyboard and Mouse, you can play it your way.

The game gets more and more challenging as you progress through the levels, becoming more of a Hardcore game-style than Casual, though it does start out Casual while you familiarize yourself with the game controls. I found the keyboard controls to be a bit loose and my character would continue to move when I wanted to stop, or miss a turn by microseconds after hitting the key for the action I wanted to perform. That is really the only issue with the title (I did not test with a controller to see if using it had tighter controls). I also found some of the deviously designed puzzles to be difficult to progress through if I wanted to collect everything in the level. So the title is not quite Casual and not quite Hardcore, but a mixture of the two. Some levels will require a few attempts until you figure out the puzzles; some you will breeze through.

I enjoy puzzling games, and this title will flex and challenge your grey matter.  It is well-made, and fans of the genre will enjoy it. I am curious to see where the developer will go for their next title, and will be following to see what their future holds. There is a fair amount of replay-ability, with some of the Steam achievements dependent on collecting all the stars.  There are also15 hidden achievements, so you may find that you will play it through many times while working your way to 100% the achievements.

Are Your Puzzle Senses Tingling. Then Pick Up Your Copy Today!

Review written by DamageInc.for Zeepond.com!