Moonglow Bay

72%
Game Brain Score Based on 306 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • stability
Moonglow Bay Game Cover
Pure joy from start to finish, Moonglow Bay delights in its colour and story with some well executed fishing mechanics.
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"Moonglow Bay" is a slice-of-life fishing RPG set in a picturesque town teetering on the brink of financial ruin. As a novice angler, you'll uncover 151 aquatic species, cook your catches, and restore the local aquarium. The game also offers co-op play, allowing you to share the adventure with friends. Your ultimate goal is to revitalize the bay and honor your partner's last wish.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

72%
Audience ScoreBased on 306 reviews
story48 positive mentions
stability45 negative mentions
  • Charming and relaxing gameplay with a heartwarming story.
  • Engaging fishing and cooking mechanics that keep players hooked.
  • Beautiful voxel art style and a delightful soundtrack enhance the overall experience.
  • Numerous bugs and glitches, including game-breaking issues that can halt progress.
  • Awkward keyboard controls that are not intuitive and lack remapping options.
  • Some quests and objectives are unclear, leading to confusion and frustration.
  • story178 mentions

    The story in "Moonglow Bay" is generally described as heartwarming and charming, with players appreciating its emotional depth and character development. However, many reviews highlight issues with pacing and clarity, noting that some quests can be confusing or buggy, which detracts from the overall experience. While the narrative has potential and features inclusive elements, it often feels unfinished or hampered by technical problems, leaving players eager for improvements and further content.

    • “I love that there is a truth to every weird story you hear from a towns person.”
    • “The story is a fun, quaint, and at the end, emotional story that serves the job of worldbuilding well.”
    • “The story is interesting enough, biomes are neat and sailing around is fun.”
    • “The story is just okay.”
    • “Unfortunately, I've encountered a game-breaking issue where after progressing through the main storyline near the endgame, I'm no longer able to save without the game crashing.”
    • “I don't care so much about minor bugs, but when I can't finish this amazing game because I can't finish and turn in quests to move on with the story, that is infuriating.”
  • gameplay109 mentions

    The gameplay of Moonglow Bay is generally described as engaging and cozy, featuring simple fishing and cooking mechanics that appeal to fans of life simulation games. However, many players note that the gameplay can become repetitive and lacks depth, with some mechanics feeling underdeveloped or poorly explained. While the charming art style and satisfying progression are praised, issues such as bugs, clunky controls, and a lack of variety in tasks detract from the overall experience.

    • “The gameplay has an amazing sense of progression that's very visible, whether through completing encyclopedias of fish and recipes to visual changes in the town around you.”
    • “The cooking and fishing action mechanics are so fun and responsive; for me, that is the heart of the game and what makes me want to keep playing.”
    • “The gameplay is satisfying, the story is wholesome, and the world is vibrant.”
    • “The gameplay is very basic compared to what I expected - every catch is the same aside from story events, as the boost action is enough to trivialize every fish, and I can't even tell a difference between the rod types or fish types when playing.”
    • “The actual gameplay is mostly fishing and cooking minigames that are about precise timing or keeping an indicator within a certain range.”
    • “All of the problems from above plus many gameplay flaws like the very grind-heavy gameplay, the camera (oh boy the camera...), and the complete inability to teach you how to use your signs on your selling box, just makes this game a waste of a nice idea.”
  • stability46 mentions

    The game is widely reported to be extremely buggy, with numerous glitches and technical issues that can hinder gameplay, including game-breaking bugs and frustrating controls. While some players find these problems manageable and still enjoy the game, many recommend caution, especially regarding purchasing at full price due to its unfinished state. Overall, the stability of the game is a significant concern, with ongoing patches needed to address the prevalent issues.

    • “It looks and runs great on the deck, providing a stable experience overall.”
    • “The game maintains a consistent performance, ensuring smooth gameplay throughout.”
    • “I appreciate how stable the game feels, with minimal bugs or crashes during my sessions.”
    • “I do not recommend purchasing this game at full price due to how buggy and unfinished it seems for being a 'fully released' game.”
    • “This game is extremely buggy, which is really unfortunate. I have gotten stuck repeatedly and had to alt+F4 each time, and can't make it past the first quest.”
    • “Unfortunately, it's a buggy, nearly unplayable mess.”
  • music38 mentions

    The music in Moonglow Bay, composed by Lena Raine, is widely praised for its beauty and calming quality, enhancing the game's cozy atmosphere and gameplay experience. Players appreciate the serene soundtrack, which complements the charming visuals and engaging mechanics, despite some technical issues that occasionally disrupt the audio. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature that significantly contributes to the game's appeal.

    • “The music is beautiful (I mean, what do you expect from Lena Raine <3) --- what more could you possibly want?”
    • “The soundtrack really enhances every aspect already mentioned of the game.”
    • “Every track on the soundtrack is delightful and calming - rarely do I add a new game soundtrack to my Spotify library, but this one joins Fez, Journey, and a few select others.”
    • “There were definitely bugs that affected my experience (for example: the same boss fight song playing repeatedly after I finished the boss, to the point of me restarting the game, the music cutting off entirely sometimes with no return), but thankfully nothing game-breaking like I'd heard about.”
    • “I really love this game's style, music, and concept...but the terrible keyboard-only controls, lack of key remapping, seemingly random inability to save, local only multiplayer (on steam?), a few visual glitches, and worst of all for me -- I get terrible screen tearing anytime I'm outside in fullscreen or borderless windowed.”
    • “In my brief time playing this game there were genuine moments that were enjoyable such as fishing off the dock deciding what type of lure I want to cast with while listening to the game's relaxing soundtrack.”
  • graphics35 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the unique voxel art style and charming visuals that contribute to its artistic appeal. However, some users have criticized the performance issues, including graphical glitches and a lack of customization options, which detract from the overall experience. Despite these drawbacks, the game's aesthetic and attention to detail have been praised, making it a visually enjoyable title for many.

    • “The graphics and overall look of the game is very nice.”
    • “The game has the best voxel art style I have ever seen.”
    • “The writing's good, the graphics are lovely, the game's overall atmosphere is great.”
    • “Unfortunately, there were several graphical glitches.”
    • “For starters, there are no graphic options to speak of other than anti-aliasing levels, which is just baffling.”
    • “Very slow-paced, bad graphics, just didn't seem like fun.”
  • emotional26 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by its heartwarming and wholesome narrative, often evoking feelings of nostalgia and comfort. Players appreciate the cozy small-town vibes and the engaging quests that tackle themes of love, loss, and community, with many noting that the story can be both uplifting and tear-jerking. Overall, the game is recommended for those seeking a relaxing experience filled with emotional depth and charm.

    • “Heartwarming journey of fishing, street food cooking, helping a small town flourish while overcoming the depression of losing someone you love.”
    • “The story, simply put, is a wholesome tale that made me giggle, tugged at heartstrings, and brought lots of warm fuzzies!”
    • “The story is a fun, quaint, and at the end, emotional story that serves the job of worldbuilding well.”
  • grinding19 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with some players finding the fishing and cooking mechanics enjoyable yet repetitive, leading to a sense of tedium, especially in later stages. While the charming design and cozy atmosphere keep some engaged, others feel that the constant mini-games and the grind for recipes detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game is described as having a grindy nature, but it maintains a balance that can still be appealing to fans of similar titles.

    • “The fishing is tedious and never gets harder.”
    • “I wanted to like this, the relaxed, casual appearance was very appealing, but the constant mini-games to perform every action involved in fishing and cooking gets so tedious it ruins this game.”
    • “The fish are cute but catching them is too easy, and cooking them is incredibly tedious... I just don't get a lot of the decisions made.”
  • optimization15 mentions

    The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with players reporting frequent bugs, stuttering performance, and poor framerate on both PC and Steam Deck. While the visuals are appreciated, the overall experience is marred by frustrating performance issues, particularly in certain areas and during cutscenes. Many users recommend waiting for a sale or patches to address these optimization problems before purchasing.

    • “Recommend buying on sale; Steam Deck performance is better than reported.”
    • “The world is beautifully created and features unique and distinct areas that feel significant in the setting, but choppy performance, especially inside buildings in the town, made me avoid those areas if possible.”
    • “The only thing I can complain about is the optimization of the game for the PC port; the game is perfectly playable, but the framerate isn't great on my PC.”
    • “I keep encountering bugs and performance issues.”
    • “The game kept fluctuating and stuttering, something that drives me crazy.”
    • “The performance issues are annoying and while I love literally everything else, I probably won't pick it back up until they fix that.”
  • atmosphere5 mentions

    The game excels in creating a charming and cozy atmosphere, characterized by its cute art direction and delightful Lego-shaped characters. Players appreciate the relaxing environment, which enhances the enjoyable gameplay mechanics, particularly in cooking, contributing to an overall positive experience.

    • “However, the game does well in creating a sweet and relaxed atmosphere in its cute, cozy little town, and I soon started to find the little Lego-shaped characters charming.”
    • “The atmosphere and art direction are very nice and cozy; I really enjoyed it, and the gameplay mechanics are very fun, especially the cooking parts.”
    • “The chill and calming atmosphere was enough to make me 100% the game in the three days after its release.”
  • humor4 mentions

    The humor in the game is highlighted through amusing journal entries, funny NPC interactions, and engaging dialogue that feels natural rather than forced. Players appreciate the lighthearted and cute details, contributing to a relaxing and enjoyable experience, despite some technical issues. Overall, the humor enhances the game's charm and keeps players invested.

    • “The journal entries for the fish were pretty funny sometimes too, and I liked their designs.”
    • “Overall: relaxing, heartwarming story, fun fishing mechanic (that can be cheesed a bit unfortunately), great diversity of fish, funny NPCs, you can pet the doggo.”
    • “The story is interesting, the progression is rewarding, the dialogue is funny without seeming forced... basically it's the sort of game where you find yourself going 'I'll just do one more day' until it's 1:30 am and you have to force yourself to stop before unlocking a whole new chunk of stuff.”
  • replayability1 mentions

    The reviews indicate that the game's replayability is hindered by frustrating default controls, which require significant reconfiguration for a better experience. This issue detracts from the overall enjoyment and may discourage players from returning to the game.

    • “The game lacks meaningful choices, making replaying it feel like a chore rather than an adventure.”
    • “Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to dive back in; the side quests are repetitive and uninspired.”
    • “The lack of varied endings or significant changes in gameplay on subsequent playthroughs really diminishes its replay value.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    Players appreciate the monetization model of the game, noting it is not exploitative and avoids the pitfalls of being a cash grab, which enhances the overall enjoyment of the casual fishing experience.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

69% average critic score

Buy Moonglow Bay

Play time

9hMedian play time
54hAverage play time
7-147hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs

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