Moon Runner
- October 21, 2022
- Fractal Interactive
- 4h median play time
Get on SteamAn atmospheric survival shooter set on a small moon. You are tasked with finding the monoliths across the lunar landscape and restarting the moon's infrastructure. Traverse the dangerous terrain and deal with enemy droids corrupted by an ominous presence below the surface...
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Impressive graphics and atmosphere for a free game, creating an immersive lunar experience.
- Engaging gameplay with a solid core loop of exploration, delivery, and combat, reminiscent of Death Stranding.
- Good replay value with a variety of upgrades and challenges, making it enjoyable for completionists.
- Poor optimization leading to significant frame rate drops and performance issues, even on capable hardware.
- Steep learning curve with unclear mechanics, making it frustrating for new players to navigate the game effectively.
- Excessive fall damage and energy management create unnecessary difficulty, detracting from the overall enjoyment.
- graphics43 mentions
- 65 % positive mentions
- 28 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beauty and atmospheric quality, with many users highlighting the stunning visuals and art style. However, there are significant concerns regarding optimization, as players report performance issues and frame rate drops even on high-end systems, necessitating adjustments to lower settings for smoother gameplay. Overall, while the graphics are a standout feature, they can be demanding on hardware, impacting the overall experience.
“The graphics are stunning even with just 30 to 50 fps.”
“Graphically, this game is superb looking, and it even has RTX support!”
“The visuals are the star of the show, the use of light and post-processing to imitate a real camera really livens up the colorless landscape.”
“Worth a shot, but beware, it's quite heavy even at lowest graphic settings.”
“The visuals that sometimes glitch and make everything invisible in green colour should be addressed.”
“With an RTX 3080 and i9 processor, I was getting major constant frame rate drops no matter what graphic setting.”
- gameplay42 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay is heavily inspired by Death Stranding, featuring solid core mechanics and an addictive gameplay loop, though it is described as somewhat stripped down and basic. Players appreciate the responsive controls, atmospheric visuals, and satisfying combat, but some find the combat mechanics lacking and the overall experience potentially tedious over time. While the game is short and free, it shows promise with its engaging mechanics and potential for future expansions.
“The mechanics are well done, the gameplay loop is addictive, the fights are satisfying and it ends on a very cool boss fight.”
“The graphics were great, the gameplay was engaging, and it kept me engaged to push further through the game.”
“It's pretty hard at first and then the gameplay gets kind of addictive, in a good way.”
“While gameplay kind of sucks, when it comes to atmosphere and looks, this game excels; sadly, no matter how pretty it is, the gameplay drags it down and forces me to not recommend this game.”
“There is also no manual save and gameplay is really boring.”
“The idea behind the game is somewhat interesting, but there are a number of things that should be improved before the gameplay will be at least comfortable.”
- story22 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The game's story is brief, typically taking 1-2 hours to complete, but is praised for its engaging and mysterious elements that enhance the overall experience. While some players found the narrative lacking in depth, they appreciated its integration with gameplay mechanics and atmosphere. Overall, the story is considered a solid component of the game, earning a rating of around 4/5, despite its short length.
“It's a classic, singleplayer, story-driven game that takes about 1-2 hours to complete.”
“I finished the game in under three hours, I did some side objectives, and I do not think I have ever played a better story game in less than three hours.”
“Story doesn't have a lot of background but it adds to the mystery; it's super good though sound effects, mechanics, and honestly everything considered, a lot of the aspects of this game are better than some high-end games nowadays.”
“There's not much story, which is fine; it's simply what it is.”
“Overall, if the game ran better for myself at least, then I'd give it a much higher score, but because of the very negative experience, I'd say maybe 2/10. What little story there was was appealing and did pull me into wanting to know what's going on, so I will give it that.”
“The gameplay and story you get is generally worth 2.99€ in my opinion, and if you like this game style, 4.99€ would still be a fair deal.”
- optimization18 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received largely negative feedback, with many players experiencing significant performance issues, including low frame rates and stuttering, even on high-end hardware. While some users found that adjusting graphics settings could improve performance, the overall consensus is that the game is poorly optimized and requires further refinement to enhance the gaming experience. Despite these issues, players still appreciate the game's atmosphere and mechanics, indicating potential if optimization is addressed.
“So, Moon Runner could do with a bit of optimization; I guess that's mostly for old GPUs, but other than that, it's a lot of fun.”
“Also, if you have performance issues, try turning off tessellation; I went from 30 fps to 60.”
“I think it is very well optimized with ray tracing too.”
“Unfortunately unoptimized.”
“Overall the game is rather short and the optimization definitely leaves some to be desired.”
“This game was an awful experience for me mostly because it is so poorly optimized.”
- atmosphere11 mentions
- 82 % positive mentions
- 9 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its beautiful visuals and immersive qualities, creating a delightful and intriguing environment that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the relaxing yet slightly challenging ambiance, complemented by effective sound design and a sense of mystery. However, some reviews note that while the atmosphere excels, the gameplay may not meet the same standard, impacting overall enjoyment.
“Very beautiful and atmospheric as far as a bunch of rocks go.”
“Very atmospheric, great visuals!”
“It gives a great ominous atmosphere and the sound effects really fit well.”
“While gameplay kind of sucks, when it comes to atmosphere and looks, this game excels. Sadly, no matter how pretty it is, the gameplay drags it down and forces me to not recommend this game.”
- grinding5 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 80 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly with repetitive side quests like package deliveries, which can feel overwhelming due to their volume. However, the ability upgrades provide motivation to complete these tasks, adding some enjoyment to the grind. Overall, while the core gameplay has potential, it risks becoming monotonous over time.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“The deliveries can be quite tedious as there are 90 of them to complete, but they can be useful for finding your next monolith.”
“Overall feels confusing at the beginning, but quite tedious and boring at the end.”
“The core gameplay is a little thin, so I can see it getting tedious over time, but the surprise combat and navigating the terrain keep it interesting for the most part.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many users reporting frequent lags, freezes, and visual glitches, even on lower settings. However, some players have noted that it runs smoothly on Linux via Proton, despite occasional freezes during specific effects. Overall, the game appears to be plagued by bugs and performance issues.
“Lags and freezes even on lowest settings.”
“I have a decent, if not super gaming PC, yet the game still regularly freezes, has weird visual glitches, the menu has to be opened twice every time... it's just too buggy.”
“I opened this game expecting it to be some freemium stuff, probably buggy, probably unfinished little game that's not going to offer me much.”
- monetization4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its monetization model, being completely free to play without any ads, microtransactions, or in-app purchases, which enhances the overall enjoyment and experience for players.
“If it wasn't free to play (no ads, bloat, or monetization either), I would be upset about how quick it was, but I actually enjoyed myself playing it and found myself wanting more.”
“It's free, and there are no microtransactions or in-app purchases.”
“It's free, and there are no microtransactions or in-app purchases.”
- music2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is praised for creating an amazing ambiance that enhances the overall experience, complementing the stunning art style, even if the graphics themselves are not considered top tier.
“The music sets an amazing ambience, enhancing the overall experience.”
“The sounds and music are excellent, contributing to the game's atmosphere.”
“The art style is stunning, and the music complements it beautifully.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is noted for its solid replayability, offering a fun experience that encourages players to return for multiple playthroughs.
“A small but fun and well-made game with great replay value.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game revolves around the player's journey to reactivate 10 monoliths, which evokes a sense of purpose and connection to the environment. Players often express feelings of nostalgia and wonder as they engage with the game's world, enhancing their emotional investment in the experience.
