Moondrop
- July 28, 2023
- Joshua Galecki
- 5h median play time
Moondrop is a single-player Role Playing game with heavy grinding aspects, offering around 4 hours of playtime. The game features skill-based farming on an ever-changing mountain, where players must match and grow exotic crops to hold back the mists and rebuild an abandoned village. Players can earn profits from the finicky mistberry crop and unlock new upgrades with returning villagers.
Reviews
- Moondrop combines farming and roguelike elements in a unique and engaging way, offering a fun and strategic gameplay experience.
- The game features a charming retro aesthetic and a relaxing soundtrack, making it enjoyable to play for extended periods.
- Players appreciate the balance of challenge and replayability, with a rewarding progression system that encourages experimentation and optimization.
- The game suffers from bugs and clunky mechanics, such as items disappearing from inventory and unclear controls, which can frustrate players.
- Some players find the time constraints and RNG elements to be overly punishing, leading to feelings of unfairness during gameplay.
- The lack of a comprehensive tutorial and underdeveloped help system can leave players confused about game mechanics and objectives.
- grinding22 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of Moondrop is characterized by its unique blend of farming simulation and roguelite mechanics, offering players a fresh take on progression through puzzle-solving and resource management. While it may not fully satisfy traditional farming sim enthusiasts due to its lack of NPC interactions and a more transient farming experience, it provides engaging gameplay with a focus on upgrades and meta-progression. Overall, it appeals more to those who enjoy roguelike elements rather than pure farming simulation.
“It's a farming game with metaprogression, and your farms, at least initially, only last something like 10 days; it describes itself as roguelite, which isn't quite right, but isn't quite wrong, either - it sits uneasily between multiple genres, and succeeds at being its own thing.”
“I'm recommending it, but with a caveat, because this game is more oriented for people who want a roguelike experience rather than people who want a farming simulator experience.”
“While the game initially manifests as a typical progression through the upgrade tree enabling faster/better farming and debris removal (watering can upgrades, axe upgrades, etc.) it quickly reveals a meta-progression around the building up of a small mountain town.”
- gameplay12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The gameplay is described as unique and compelling, featuring innovative mechanics like seed-growth and town management that enhance progression, despite some rough edges and clunky elements. Players appreciate the variety and depth offered through activities like treasure hunts and fishing, making it a rewarding experience, though it may not be the most thrilling. Overall, it stands out in the rogue-lite farming sim genre and is worth exploring for those interested.
“Took a second to get used to the new seed-growth mechanic, but discovering new ways to manage progression was really rewarding.”
“It is certainly rough around the edges, but it introduces enough unique and fun mechanics to the genre that I'd recommend it if rogue-lite farming sim sounds interesting to you.”
“Treasure hunts, fishing, etc. it offers a surprising amount of variety and depth, which is fitting because even the core farming gameplay has an interesting wrinkle based on adjacency bonuses for various types of plants and seeds.”
“However, the gameplay feels really primitive.”
“It's not the most thrilling gameplay experience, but it's really rather unique and worth checking out.”
“It's a little rough around the edges - some mechanics are hard to figure out, and some things feel a little clunky, but it's an experimental new game from a new indie developer and it's worth supporting.”
- story4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The story revolves around managing a plot of land within a limited timeframe, where players engage in puzzle-solving to enhance their farming experience. Players can unlock new areas and complete side quests, adding depth to the gameplay as they build their farm and explore the surrounding environment. Overall, the narrative is centered on progression through puzzles and farming tasks, creating an engaging and interactive experience.
“I enjoyed building my farm and doing side quests on the mountain trail.”
“In addition to this, there are side quests and goals that can be taken on during a given farming 'run', if you will.”
“Completing two puzzles three or four times in a row in order to unlock some things, and the ability to stay a little bit longer at your plot (and unlock the final maze area).”
“The story feels incredibly shallow, with a plot that revolves around a limited number of days and a repetitive puzzle game mechanic.”
“Unlocking new areas requires completing the same two puzzles multiple times, which quickly becomes tedious and uninspired.”
“The side quests and goals lack depth, making the overall narrative feel disjointed and unengaging during the farming runs.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game offers a well-balanced and challenging experience that enhances its replayability, with players noting its strategic depth and engaging music as key factors that encourage multiple playthroughs.
“Well balanced and challenging with good replay value.”
“It seems simple enough, but this strategy game has loads of replayability, and good music!”
- graphics2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by very low pixel quality and a lack of zoom, which some players find clunky. However, others appreciate the charming retro aesthetic and simplicity of the visuals.
“The game has a charming retro feel with simple graphics.”
“The visuals are stunning, with vibrant colors and intricate details that bring the world to life.”
“The art style is unique and beautifully crafted, making every scene a visual delight.”
“No zoom, very low pixel graphics, and the controls just feel clunky.”
- music2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in this strategy game is praised for its laid-back guitar soundtrack, which enhances the overall experience and contributes to the game's replayability. Players appreciate how the music complements the learning aspect of each playthrough.
“It seems simple enough, but this strategy game has loads of replayability and great music!”
“The laid-back guitar soundtrack is especially nice, and it always feels like you're learning something new to try out in the next run.”