Equinox

About

The moon has shattered. Plunged into darkness, the world looks to an unlikely hero: a tiny yet tenacious bunny. Defy all odds and reach for the stars in this whimsical 2D platformer.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

88%

Audience ScoreBased on 82 reviews

story28 positive mentions

stability5 negative mentions

The game features beautiful hand-drawn art and a charming story that feels like a children's bedtime story.
The music and narration are calming and enhance the overall experience, making it a delightful short adventure.
Despite some gameplay issues, the unique mechanics of 'fighting' animal constellations and the ability to unlock new movement abilities add a fun twist to the platforming experience.

The gameplay can be frustrating due to clunky controls, imprecise hitboxes, and a lack of invulnerability after taking damage, leading to quick deaths.
Levels tend to be repetitive and lack variety, with many players finding the platforming segments uninspired and the boss fights too similar.
Technical issues, such as glitches and problems with the narration during the final cutscene, detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.

story
60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
48%
5%
The game's story is widely praised for its charming, fairytale-like narrative, reminiscent of a children's book, enhanced by beautiful hand-drawn art and a soothing soundtrack. Players appreciate the engaging storytelling and the nostalgic feelings it evokes, although some express dissatisfaction with the gameplay mechanics. Overall, the narrative is seen as the standout feature, making the game a delightful short experience despite its gameplay shortcomings.
- “The story has pleasant narration and is told in a rhyming, children's book style.”
- “Equinox is a simple and sweet 2D platforming experience revolving around a narrative poem that reads like a bedtime story for a young child.”
- “The story is told in a smooth and delicate way, accompanied by lots of cute drawings, a relaxing soundtrack, and a sweet voice narrator telling us everything from the beginning to the end. It's like we're children for a split second again, and our parents or someone we love were telling us a story to have a good night's sleep; the experience that the game provides is really great!”
- “Although it had a wonderful and magical story, the gameplay was often too repetitive and underdeveloped.”
- “In the final cutscene, the dialogue is a mess... it only goes so far before starting to repeat/overlap itself... both the narration and the text are affected in a big way, completely derailing the last part of the story.”
- “The visuals were beautiful, so was the music, but I don't understand what the gameplay had to do with the story at all (except for the constellation 'boss fights').”
gameplay
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
65%
12%
The gameplay of "equinox" is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating the unique mechanics and charming aesthetics, while others criticize it for being repetitive, simplistic, and poorly executed. Although the platforming elements and combat mechanics can be enjoyable, many reviewers found the overall experience lacking depth and plagued by technical issues. The game is often described as cute and visually appealing, but ultimately fails to deliver a satisfying gameplay experience.
- “I really like the mechanic of 'fighting' the animal constellations, mixing the platforming element with a boss battle.”
- “The mechanics used for combat can take a few minutes to get a handle on, but after that, it's a unique and pleasant experience that brings you to some of the best storytelling I've ever heard.”
- “The story and gameplay are engaging and simple; the drawings are adorable and the music fits every moment perfectly.”
- “Equinox is a very mediocre 2D retro platformer with a simple narrative, some nice backgrounds, and pretty awful gameplay and technical implementation.”
- “You plod through the narrative by completing simple, minimalist, and badly done platformer levels. Now there's literally thousands of 2D retro platformers on Steam, almost all of them ignored by gamers, and in terms of pure gameplay, this is one of the worst.”
- “Although it had a wonderful and magical story, the gameplay was often too repetitive and underdeveloped.”
music
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
41%
14%
The music in the game is widely praised for its calming and enchanting qualities, effectively complementing the story's fairytale-like narrative and beautiful artwork. While many players appreciate the relaxing soundtrack and its ability to enhance the overall experience, some note that the repetitiveness of the music can become tedious over time. Overall, the sound design is considered a strong point, contributing to a cozy and immersive atmosphere.
- “The music is soft and touching, and it fits the world pretty well.”
- “It has a beautiful story of a brave little bunny and his journey to collect the 8 fragments of the moon that mysteriously broke in a moonlight night, and it is accompanied by a relaxing soundtrack and a sweet narrator's voice telling and explaining the whole story.”
- “The story and gameplay are engaging and simple, the drawings are adorable, and the music fits every moment perfectly.”
- “Repetitive music and just not very fun, but what did you expect from a free game.”
- “The background music, or more like the melody, is annoying after you've heard it 200 times or so because it's pretty short and repeats itself.”
- “(can't say if the music changes after each level)”
graphics
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
33%
14%
The game's graphics are a mix of opinions, with some players praising its beautiful hand-drawn art style and enchanting visuals that evoke nostalgia, while others criticize the lackluster 2D graphics and outdated design choices. Despite some gameplay issues, many reviewers appreciate the soft aesthetics and how well the visuals complement the game's calming narrative and music. Overall, the art style is generally well-received, contributing positively to the game's charm.
- “This game reminded me of a childhood bedtime story. I recommend it for that nostalgic feeling it gave me with its hand-drawn art style and calm narration; it's a short, gentle adventure.”
- “Equinox takes a simple yet enchanting art style to the next level with gameplay anyone can adapt to.”
- “The visuals of this game are beautiful, the story is interesting, and the controls are flawless.”
- “The game features really lackluster 2D visuals (does the developer not know 3D graphics became mainstream in the mid-1990s?).”
- “Despite its charming story and cutscene visuals, the controls were a little finicky, especially during the boss battles.”
- “My only complaint is that with the addition of new powers the game becomes a little too easy, but most of the appeal is the aesthetic and calm energy anyways.”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is frequently criticized due to various glitches that affect gameplay, particularly during fights and the end scene. Reviewers express a strong desire for updates to address these issues and enhance overall content, including more diverse boss battles.
- “Overall, this game needs an update to fix glitches and add more levels (and maybe spice up the boss fights because they're all basically the same thing, just progressively harder).”
- “First of all, the one that affects gameplay the most is the glitches.”
- “I really hope the open alpha team reads this and updates the game to fix glitches (make it seem less like it was made on Scratch) and to add more content and better boss battles.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a blend of warmth and dissatisfaction; players appreciate the cute, wholesome story and touching music, which create a cozy atmosphere, but some express frustration with the gameplay, leading to mixed feelings overall.
- “It's so cute! I loved the feeling it gave me during the story sections, but it also made me feel unsatisfied and unhappy with the gameplay. The only reason I recommend it is because of the storybook cozy vibes, and it's free.”
- “The music is soft and touching, and it fits the world pretty well.”
- “This is the most wholesome game I've ever played; I adore this so much.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find humor in the game's mechanics, particularly the amusing interaction where enemies become harmless when "hugged" or forced off the map, adding a lighthearted touch to gameplay.
- “Enemies that hit you, however, don't do anything if you 'hug them,' aka force them off the map, which is quite funny, not gonna lie.”