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 art style and vibrant environments that create an enjoyable atmosphere.
- The gameplay is simple yet fluid, with puzzles that provide a satisfying challenge without being overly complex.
- Despite its flaws, the game shows potential and is a solid first effort from a small indie team, leaving players hopeful for future titles.
- The game suffers from clunky controls and animations, which can detract from the overall experience.
- Combat mechanics are underwhelming, with enemies being too easy to avoid and the final boss fight feeling anticlimactic.
- The story and voice acting are often criticized for being generic and lacking depth, making it hard for players to connect with the characters.
- story46 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 76 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The story is generally perceived as simple and clichéd, often lacking depth and connection to characters, with some reviewers finding it dull or generic. However, it features interesting worldbuilding and lore that some players appreciated, suggesting potential for future expansions. While the voice acting is often criticized, the overall execution and charm of the narrative keep some players engaged, making it a decent experience for those seeking a light, relaxing adventure.
“The story, while straightforward, hints at a grander narrative lurking beneath the surface.”
“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.”
“A bit short for the playthrough, however, it more than makes up for it with a stunning musical score and an intriguing story.”
“The story is very simple and cliche.”
“Story is really dull, I don't feel connected to any of the characters.”
“The chosen one and a simple story.”
- gameplay45 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay 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 more engaging content to elevate it beyond a basic experience.
“The gameplay is very simple but also very fluid and rewarding.”
“The bow mechanics add a fun and unique element to the gameplay, while the puzzles, while relatively basic, are still satisfying to solve.”
“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.”
“Cynthia: Hidden in the Moonshadow is a game developed like a written story, with enough exploration and gameplay mechanics in a limited area.”
- graphics30 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are characterized by a charming, cel-shaded art style that stands out with its vibrant colors and whimsical aesthetics, creating an engaging atmosphere. While the visuals are generally praised for their quality and appeal, some players noted that the gameplay can feel clunky at times. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the game's experience, enhancing exploration and puzzle-solving elements.
“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 okay.”
“The graphics are cartoony but solid; the bow looks cool, and I wish we could do more with it.”
- music8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players find it minimal and forgettable, others appreciate its beauty and how well it complements the game's environments. The soundtrack is noted for being well-crafted, with each chapter featuring themes that enhance the atmosphere and gameplay experience. Overall, the music is seen as a strong point, contributing positively to the game's ambiance despite some players feeling it could be more memorable.
“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 voice acting is serviceable, which is understandable for an indie title, and the music went largely unnoticed by me.”
“The bad: music is forgettable, the voice acting is of the 'did anyone order a large ham?' style but I found it endearing, too short [~2 hours even with mucking about].”
“The music is minimal and it works for the game.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % 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.
“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.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The stability of the game is inconsistent, with some players experiencing numerous glitches that undermine gameplay, particularly during critical moments like the final battle. However, others report a smooth experience with no crashes, highlighting a divide in performance quality. Overall, while some aspects function well, the presence of significant glitches detracts from the overall stability.
“Glitches everywhere; the enemy is 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 glitches, but still glitches nonetheless.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by Isidor's character, which consistently elicits laughter, while the over-the-top voice acting of most characters adds to the comedic experience without detracting from the overall 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.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game features a degree of replayability primarily through collectibles that players can seek out if missed during their initial playthrough. However, the fixed perspective may limit the excitement of revisiting the game, as upcoming puzzle areas become predictable.
“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 four 'puzzle areas' coming up.”
“Cynthia comes across various collectibles throughout her journey, which offers some replayability should you have missed some.”
“Collectibles offer replayability.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Overall, 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 considering the game's smaller budget compared to other titles.
“Aside from a few silly encounters with AI suddenly forgetting about me, I didn't run into any bugs, crashes, or performance issues. This 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.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the world-building and art direction of the game, but 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.”
