Lunar Ascendant

About

Lunar Ascendant is a single player economy management game with a economy theme. It was developed by Darts Games and was released on February 13, 2026. It received neutral reviews from players.

Take on the role of David De Silva, a simple man who did the right thing in an impossible situation, only to find himself the first mayor of lunar city Artemis. It’s the year 2131. Earth’s nations are united under a singular federation, and the people of this new society are subdued into practicing their professions under a new and undeniably competent supervision: The AIA. Artificial In…

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47%

Audience ScoreBased on 62 reviews

story7 positive mentions

music2 negative mentions

Interesting political simulation with a unique sci-fi setting and engaging factions.
Strong narrative potential and overall good writing, especially in the early game.
Developers are responsive and actively working on hotfixes and improvements.

The game suffers from numerous bugs, including dialogue errors, abrupt scene endings, and broken narrative continuity.
Late-game content is weak, overly linear, and player choices often feel ignored or contradicted.
Resource management is frustrating due to inflated costs and lack of meaningful strategic options.

story
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
69%
9%
The game's story is praised for its intriguing political conflict, nuanced sci-fi concepts, and meaningful choices, especially early on, but many players find the latter half rushed, disjointed, and lacking proper context or resolution. Several reviewers highlight that player decisions often feel inconsequential, with the plot advancing regardless, diminishing engagement and investment in key storylines. Despite bugs, incomplete arcs, and some narrative inconsistencies, the story is regarded as promising and compelling, particularly for fans of political and narrative-driven games.
- “In the end, this game is highly recommended for those who want to go through some interesting story with a cup of tea doing some choices that matter and affect the final outcome.”
- “The devs and writers did a quality job integrating many currently relevant sci-fi concepts into the plot and worldbuilding while providing a pretty nuanced conflict between opposing political factions that all have their upsides and downsides, which makes many of the decisions concerning resolving conflicts and allocating your two resource currencies genuinely challenging to puzzle through.”
- “Leaving a positive review because this is a very cool story with meaningful choices.”
- “The plot feels nonsensical and there's almost no feedback from your decisions.”
- “Your decisions do not matter; the story will go ahead pretending like you did.”
- “It is very broken; the story and endings do not reflect your choices.”
gameplay
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The gameplay features resource management and decision-making but is hindered by ineffective use of 3D graphics, repetitive mechanics, and frustrating bugs that disrupt immersion and progression. While some find value in the gameplay length and budget management, overall it feels flawed and unsatisfying.
- “On release, the game is a hair under $10, which isn't bad for 6-8 hours of gameplay for a single playthrough.”
- “As for the gameplay, the resource management was a good part of the game, but despite me being somewhat conservative with trade, I ended the game with more budget than I could spend due to projects becoming fewer towards the end.”
- “Honestly, I did not get the point of 3D map (some sort of hologram on the table?), it simply could be some cool-looking 2D sprites with actual buildings (painted, nice looking stuff) and for flying cars it also could be some flying sprites. Instead, it loads the computer with this strange 3D graphics while whole gameplay is basically reading and making choices.”
- “Gameplay stops after a few turns, as if the entire government collapsed before the first vote in the assembly.”
- “But when the core mechanics break, the immersion collapses.”
- “Sooo buggy, broken gameplay.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The music is praised for being atmospheric and immersive, but its impact is diminished due to bugs causing the soundtrack to get stuck or fail to play properly.
- “The soundtrack is very atmospheric and immersive.”
- “Music reading is bugged and gets stuck.”
- “Music reading is still bugged.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is often unintentional, stemming from buggy dialogue and unrealistic character behavior, which some players find amusing despite narrative inconsistencies. However, this humor may come across as awkward rather than genuinely funny.
- “Sure, the game has its flaws, and sometimes the dialogue doesn't make sense due to bugs, but it's kind of funny especially since the game is all about pushing narrative.”
- “I’ll go so far as to say that even with a business background being your only choice for opening, the character seems hilariously and unrealistically unaware of how the civil service operates.”
graphics
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The graphics, particularly the 3D map, were seen as unnecessary and somewhat confusing, with users feeling that simpler 2D sprites could have been more effective. The art style received mixed reactions, as the futuristic visuals and interior depictions felt disconnected from the near-future setting. Overall, the graphics seemed to detract from the gameplay experience rather than enhance it.
- “Honestly, I did not get the point of the 3D map (some sort of hologram on the table?). It could simply be some cool-looking 2D sprites with actual buildings (painted, nice looking stuff) and for flying cars it could also be some flying sprites. Instead, it loads the computer with this strange 3D graphics while the whole gameplay is basically reading and making choices.”
- “Although it's my personal opinion, the art style is somewhat questionable, with the 3D map of Artemis not really making sense from a logical/planning perspective, and the depictions of interiors and people seem so far detached from a 'near-future' setting.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game offers decent replay value, encouraging multiple playthroughs, though some players note that bugs and spelling or grammar issues slightly detract from the overall experience.
- “There's replay value-- I'll play several more times-- but I wish I'd waited until they ironed out indication/branching indication bugs and spelling/grammar.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect is seen as a heartfelt but flawed attempt, with a lack of player attachment to key characters like Sam due to insufficient development of their relationships and contributions to the story.
- “Heartbreaking attempt at suzerain on the moon.”
- “For one, Sam remains in the story as a potential love interest, but the player does not have any emotional attachment to her because they did not see how the main character helped her.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with frequent bugs and broken gameplay that hinder the overall experience. It feels unfinished and in need of substantial improvements to become reliable.
- “Great idea but way too buggy and unfinished.”
- “Sooo buggy, broken gameplay.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization is widely viewed as a cheap cash grab, suggesting aggressive or unfair in-game purchasing strategies.
- “Cheap cash grab.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere is praised for its immersive and atmospheric soundtrack, though some users note that bugs occasionally detract from the overall experience.