Cynthia: Hidden in the Moonshadow
- April 10, 2023
- Catthia Games
- 3h median play time
Get on Steam"Cynthia: Hidden in the Moonshadow" is a third-person stealth adventure game, following the story of the Moonshadow Huntress, Cynthia Stranborg. Players will learn new stealth skills and uncover the fate of Cynthia's home village, while trying to rescue loved ones and find a missing piece of artifact to enhance their bow. The game is visually striking, with a 3D Proteus-like aesthetic, and was developed by a solo auteur without outside funding. Players must travel through Tesana Valley to stop the destructive Dark Power before it's too late.
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a charming cel-shaded art style and vibrant environments that enhance the overall experience.
- Gameplay is simple yet fluid, with enjoyable puzzles and stealth mechanics that provide a relaxing experience.
- The game is a solid first effort from a small indie team, showcasing potential for future improvements and expansions.
- The game is quite short, taking only about 2-4 hours to complete, which may leave players wanting more content.
- Combat mechanics are underwhelming, as players cannot directly defeat enemies and must rely on distractions, making encounters feel less engaging.
- There are several technical issues, including clunky animations, inconsistent voice acting, and minor bugs that detract from the overall polish.
- story92 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 79 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story of the game is generally perceived as simple and clichéd, often lacking depth and connection to the characters, with some reviewers finding it dull or generic. However, it features interesting worldbuilding and lore that some players found engaging, suggesting potential for future expansions. While the voice acting received mixed reviews, the overall execution and charm of the narrative kept some players invested, making it a decent experience for those seeking a light, relaxing adventure.
“The world is beautiful and the lore & story building that is in here during the short stay was actually the hook that kept me playing.”
“The story, while straightforward, hints at a grander narrative lurking beneath the surface.”
“It felt like stepping into a living storybook.”
“The story is very simple and cliche.”
“Story is really dull, I don't feel connected to any of the characters.”
“I actually felt sleepy when the story was told.”
- gameplay90 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Cynthia: Hidden in the Moonshadow" is characterized by its simplicity and fluidity, offering a mix of stealth, exploration, and light puzzles, though it often feels clunky and lacks depth. While some mechanics, like the bow and crafting, add a unique touch, many players find the overall experience underwhelming due to repetitive tasks and limited enemy interactions. Despite its charming aesthetics and potential, the game is seen as needing significant refinement and improvement in design and mechanics.
“The bow mechanics add a fun and unique element to the gameplay, while the puzzles, while relatively basic, are still satisfying to solve.”
“Gameplay is solid and enjoyable, with climbing, platforming, stealth, and a bit of crafting.”
“The stealth segments of the game have a good pacing to them; the levels aren't just extended sneaking sections, but a healthy combination of stealth and exploration with some puzzles thrown into the mix for some variety in gameplay.”
“It has a charming, cel-shaded-esque aesthetic with lovely environments but suffers from clunky gameplay.”
“The core gameplay rarely deviates from 'just move forward and click on things', and when it does, it's for a baby's first stealth segment or a baby's first 'puzzle', which is in quotes, because calling those things actual puzzles is an insult to puzzles.”
“This is a tech demo you show to a publisher who will then proceed to say 'okay you can clearly code game mechanics, here's the money, now hire actual level and combat designers and a story writer and make this an actual game.'”
- graphics60 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game features a bold, cel-shaded art style that stands out with its whimsical and cartoonish charm, creating visually appealing environments that enhance the overall experience. While the graphics are praised for their colorfulness and aesthetic quality, some players noted that the gameplay can feel clunky at times. Overall, the visuals are well-executed for an indie title, contributing to a charming atmosphere that complements the gameplay.
“Its bold art style asserts dominance over any photorealistic graphics you could think of, every single day.”
“The cell-shaded graphics lent the game a whimsical, almost cartoonish charm.”
“The graphics and art direction are a wonderful choice, and the setting really delivers it well.”
“Lastly the graphics/controls, for only being what, 5 GB?”
“Graphics are ok.”
“The graphics are cartoony but solid, the bow looks cool and I wish we could do more with it.”
- music16 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some find it lovely and fitting with distinct themes for each chapter, others describe it as minimal and forgettable. Overall, the soundtrack enhances the atmosphere and complements the visuals, though its impact may vary among players. Voice acting is noted as serviceable, adding a quirky charm to the experience.
“The visuals are really good, and the music is lovely.”
“A bit short for the playthrough, however, it more than makes up for it with a stunning musical score and an intriguing story.”
“The music went largely unnoticed by me.”
“The bad: music is forgettable.”
“The music is minimal and it works for the game.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its charming and cozy atmosphere, enhanced by stylized graphics and a likeable main character. Reviewers highlight the pleasing aesthetic and the overall chill vibe, making it an enjoyable experience, particularly during relaxed moments. Its affordability, especially during sales, adds to its appeal.
“The main character is pretty, and so are the stylized graphics and atmospheric environments.”
“The game has a pleasing aesthetic and atmosphere to it.”
“I think that overall the chill atmosphere and semi-challenging gameplay makes for a cozy experience on a rainy afternoon.”
- stability8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The stability of the game is notably inconsistent, with many users reporting frequent glitches that undermine the overall experience, particularly during critical moments like the final battle. However, some players have praised certain aspects of the game for functioning smoothly without crashes or significant issues. Overall, the presence of glitches appears to detract from the game's potential enjoyment.
“Glitches everywhere, enemies are not really a challenge, especially at the final battle, and the ending feels too anti-climactic.”
“Glitches that made me question the game code.”
“Basically balance glitch, but still glitches nonetheless.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by the over-the-top voice acting, which many players found amusing, particularly with the character Isidor. While some characters, like Cynthia, received mixed reviews, the overall comedic tone contributed positively to the game's enjoyment.
“Isidor, in particular, had me chuckling.”
“The voice acting is hilariously over the top at times, but it didn't subtract from the fun of the game for me.”
“Voice acting for Cynthia isn't terrible, but every other character made me start laughing.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game features a limited replayability factor, primarily driven by the presence of collectibles that players can seek out if missed during their initial playthrough. However, the fixed perspective and predictable layout of upcoming puzzle areas may diminish the incentive to replay.
“[*] Collectibles offer replayability.”
“[*] Collectibles offer replayability.”
“This game repeats all of this and exacerbates it by making your point of view from behind the character, making it impossible to not see the entire playable area with the next 4 'puzzle areas' coming up.”
“Cynthia comes across various collectibles throughout her journey, which offers some replayability should you have missed some.”
“[*] collectibles offer replayability”
- optimization4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its strong optimization, with users reporting minimal issues such as occasional AI glitches, but no significant bugs, crashes, or performance drops. This level of performance is particularly impressive compared to other titles with larger budgets.
“Aside from a few silly encounters with AI suddenly 'forgetting about me', I didn't run into any bugs, crashes, or performance issues... which is actually impressive given how many other titles I've played on the deck that will spike or drop on occasion - all with much bigger budgets and resources available than this one did.”
“- Very well optimized and good performance”
“- Very well optimized and good performance”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the world-building and art direction of the game; however, many find the grinding aspect to be slow-paced and tedious, detracting from the overall experience.
“I liked the world building and the art direction, but the game is just too slow-paced and tedious.”
“I liked the world building and the art direction, but the game is just too slow-paced and tedious.”
