Moon Runner

About

Moon Runner is a single player action game. It was developed by Fractal Interactive and was released on October 21, 2022. It received positive reviews from players.

An 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...

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

84%

Audience ScoreBased on 171 reviews

graphics31 positive mentions

optimization6 negative mentions

The game features stunning graphics and a beautiful atmosphere, making it visually impressive for a free title.
Gameplay is engaging and fun, with a solid core loop of exploration and delivery mechanics reminiscent of Death Stranding.
Despite its short length, the game offers good replay value through speedruns and highscore challenges.

The game suffers from performance issues and optimization problems, leading to inconsistent frame rates even on capable hardware.
The difficulty can be frustrating, with excessive fall damage and a steep learning curve that may deter new players.
The lack of a difficulty setting and the inability to remap controls can make the gameplay experience less enjoyable for some players.

graphics
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
26%
7%
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their impressive visuals and atmospheric design, often described as stunning and beautiful, especially for a free title. However, some users noted optimization issues, leading to performance drops and the need to adjust settings for smoother gameplay. Overall, while the graphics are a highlight, they can be demanding on hardware, which may detract from the experience for some players.
- “Probably the highest fidelity free game I've ever played; the visuals are really impressive.”
- “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 color should be addressed.”
- “With an RTX 3080 and i9 processor, I was getting major constant frame rate drops no matter what graphic setting.”
gameplay
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
50%
7%
The gameplay is generally well-received, featuring a tight loop with engaging mechanics inspired by Death Stranding, including delivery and traversal elements. Players appreciate the responsive controls, atmospheric graphics, and satisfying combat, although some criticize the combat mechanics and lack of depth in the gameplay. Overall, it offers a fun, albeit short experience, with potential for expansion and improvement in future updates.
- “The gameplay loop is tight.”
- “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.”
- “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.”
story
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
59%
14%
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 favorable rating despite its brevity.
- “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 honestly everything considered a lot of the aspects of this game is 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.”
optimization
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
50%
33%
The game's optimization has received largely negative feedback, with many players experiencing significant performance issues, including low frame rates and stuttering, even on capable hardware. While some users found that adjusting settings like tessellation improved performance, the overall consensus is that the game is poorly optimized and requires further refinement to enhance the gameplay experience. Despite these issues, players appreciate the game's atmosphere and mechanics, indicating a desire for improvements in optimization.
- “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.”
- “The game is poorly optimized and when I first launched it I had low FPS and drops, but after tuning down the graphics it still looked good and ran fine.”
- “This game seems very cool, but I have to put the graphics on low to even play, and even then it has stuttering very often even though my PC is good.”
- “This game was an awful experience for me mostly because it is so poorly optimized.”
atmosphere
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
17%
8%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its beautiful visuals and immersive qualities, creating a captivating and sometimes ominous environment that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the intriguing lore and the relaxing yet challenging ambiance, although some note that the gameplay mechanics may detract from the enjoyment. Overall, the game's aesthetic and atmospheric design stand out, making it a highlight for many reviewers.
- “Death Stranding on a microplanet moon with fun traversal and a delightful atmosphere of nasapunk gone too far, available for free.”
- “Very atmospheric, great visuals!”
- “A very well made simple game, that has a great atmosphere and mystery feel.”
- “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.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
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 noted that it runs smoothly on Linux via Proton, despite occasional freezes during specific effects. Overall, the game appears to have significant stability issues that detract from the experience.
- “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.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game, particularly through side quests like package deliveries, to be somewhat tedious due to their repetitive nature and high volume. However, the ability upgrades and engaging combat help maintain interest, making the grind feel more rewarding despite its potential to become 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.”
- “Game play, if you decide to do side quests, is a bit tedious, especially with delivering packages from monolith to monolith; however, I found that the upgrading of abilities really made me want to finish them as it made it more fun and interesting.”
- “This is a great start to a game; 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.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The game is praised for its free-to-play model, with users appreciating the absence of ads, microtransactions, or in-app purchases, which enhances the overall experience. Players enjoyed the gameplay despite its brevity, indicating a desire for more content.
- “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.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game to have strong replayability, particularly appreciating its potential for speedruns and high scores. Many consider it a well-crafted experience that remains enjoyable even after multiple playthroughs, especially given its status as a free game.
- “The game is beautiful and replayable.”
- “Excellent for a free game; I'm sure there is good replay value with speedruns or high scores.”
- “A small but fun and well-made game with good replay value.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is praised for creating an amazing ambiance that enhances the overall experience, complementing the stunning art style despite the graphics not being top-tier.
- “The music sets an amazing ambience, enhancing the overall experience of the game.”
- “The sounds and music are excellent, contributing to the immersive atmosphere.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the emotional aspect of the game to be engaging, as the quest to reactivate the 10 monoliths evokes a sense of purpose and connection to the game's world. The act of aiming at and touching the monoliths fosters a personal investment in the journey, enhancing the overall emotional experience.