Moon River
- January 7, 2019
- Cerdeira Guillaume
Get on Steam2D adventure top-down view brain-twisting game.
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Reviews
- The game features unique and satisfying puzzles that are generally intuitive and fun to solve, providing a mind-bending experience.
- The atmosphere is enhanced by soothing music and beautiful visuals, creating a relaxing gameplay experience.
- There is significant speedrun potential, making it appealing for players who enjoy challenging themselves to complete the game quickly.
- The game is very short, with many players completing it in just over an hour, leading to a feeling of underwhelming content.
- Combat mechanics are clunky and frustrating, particularly during the final boss fight, which detracts from the overall experience.
- Technical issues such as glitches and lack of proper controller support can disrupt gameplay and lead to frustrating moments.
- gameplay10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The gameplay features a mix of familiar puzzle mechanics and unique elements, with five distinct sections that introduce new challenges, including moving platforms and elevation puzzles. However, players have noted issues with a slow healing mechanic, a frustrating bounce-off damage system, and an unfairly punishing final level. While the core gameplay becomes engaging, many feel it is hindered by its short length and underutilization of its interesting mechanics.
“The start of the game is a bit weird, but when you get to the core gameplay, it gets really interesting.”
“The game has 5 puzzle sections, each introducing a new puzzle element to the gameplay.”
“Later in the game, the puzzles will incorporate more interesting mechanics such as moving platforms and elevation puzzles.”
“Only complaints are that the healing mechanic is annoyingly slow and the final level is unfairly punishing.”
“The bounce-off damage mechanic is terrible; you get hit by a spike, which bounces you into another spike until you die.”
“Gameplay and more details:”
- story6 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's story is notably sparse, with players expressing a desire for more visual storytelling to complement the puzzle elements. Many feel that the narrative is overshadowed by the gameplay, leading to a lack of engagement, especially after the final boss battle where no further story elements are introduced. Overall, there is a call for a better balance between puzzles and narrative to enhance the overall experience.
“I wish it had more visual storytelling instead of just 2 hours of puzzles.”
“The game is extremely light on story.”
“I enjoyed most of the puzzles and the logic, but I wanted to see a better balance between puzzles and visual storytelling.”
“In my humble opinion, when you make an atmospheric puzzle game, you have to reward the player with some visual storytelling after each puzzle section - that way it's less tedious.”
- music5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its soothing and atmospheric qualities, enhancing the overall experience with a chill vibe that complements the puzzles and visuals. Players find the ambient soundtrack to be relaxing and integral to their enjoyment of the game.
“I recommend this game only due to the chill vibe with the puzzles, music, and artwork.”
“Soothing music and beautiful visuals.”
“The soundtrack really helped me to get through this game; I thought the ambient music here was relaxing and atmospheric.”
- stability5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from notable stability issues, including frequent glitches that can disrupt gameplay and force players to reset checkpoints. While some users enjoyed the puzzles, the overall experience is marred by these frustrating technical problems, particularly in the starting area.
“Game freezes during light cutscenes.”
“These glitches were frustrating and really put a damper on the game for me.”
“I also ran into two glitches that forced me to reset the checkpoints; I suspect that the starting area is where most of the problems occur.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is praised for its unique and relaxing qualities, enhanced by an ambient soundtrack that contributes to the overall experience. Players appreciate the visual storytelling elements that accompany puzzle sections, which help maintain engagement and reduce tedium.
“A very short but wonderfully unique and atmospheric game.”
“The soundtrack really helped me get through this game; I thought the ambient music was relaxing and atmospheric.”
“Nice atmosphere and relaxing soundtrack.”
- graphics4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are generally praised for their beautiful visuals and cute aesthetic, contributing to a soothing atmosphere. However, some players express a desire for more visual storytelling elements, as the focus on puzzles can overshadow the artistic presentation. Overall, the graphics enhance the chill vibe of the game.
“Soothing music and beautiful visuals.”
“Decent visuals, a pretty cute game.”
“I recommend this game only due to the chill vibe with the puzzles, music, and artwork.”
“I don't mind the visuals, but I wish it had more visual storytelling instead of just 2 hours of puzzles.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players feel that grinding in atmospheric puzzle games can become tedious without adequate rewards, such as visual storytelling, to enhance engagement and maintain interest after completing each puzzle section.
“In my humble opinion, when you make an atmospheric puzzle game, you have to reward the player with some visual storytelling after each puzzle section - that way it's less tedious.”
“The grinding in this game feels endless and often detracts from the overall enjoyment.”
“I find the repetitive tasks to be a chore rather than a challenge, making the game feel more like a job than a fun experience.”
