Moonlight In Garland
- October 23, 2023
- Winters Group Estate
"Moonlight in Garland" is a cozy life-sim set in a bustling city, where you can make a new home, cultivate urban gardens, solve community problems, and form friendships. The game offers five distinct districts to explore, with various activities such as running errands, recycling trash, and cleaning graffiti. Customize your apartment, engage in community projects, and navigate the unique challenges of city living while forming friendships and experiencing the city's quirks.
Reviews
- The game offers a cozy and relaxing experience, perfect for players looking to unwind.
- The graphics and character portraits are charming and beautifully designed, contributing to the overall aesthetic appeal.
- The developer is actively engaged with the community, providing regular updates and showing a commitment to improving the game.
- The game is still in early access and suffers from various bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay.
- Many shops and features are currently unavailable, leading to a feeling of limited content and repetitive tasks.
- Some players have reported issues with controls and inventory management, which can detract from the overall experience.
- graphics10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The graphics are generally praised for their charming and cute pixel art style, with particular appreciation for the beautiful character portraits and the overall artwork. While some users note that the visuals may not be groundbreaking, they find the aesthetic appealing and well-executed, contributing to a soothing gaming experience.
“The graphics are nice, the character portraits especially are beautiful.”
“The art style is beyond cute and seeing the changes of the trees has been my favorite thing so far.”
“I really like the concept, the art style is also very pretty.”
“The pixel graphics are cute but currently not anything visually breathtaking.”
“I am very picky about my pixel graphics.”
“I usually don't play pixel art games as I love my graphics but this one caught my eye.”
- story8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
Players express a mix of excitement and frustration regarding the story, noting that while the quests and character interactions are charming and engaging, progress can feel slow and some quests are hindered by glitches. The overall narrative is appreciated for its thoughtfulness and humor, contributing to a cozy atmosphere, but some users are left wanting more substantial developments as they advance through the game.
“I'm super excited to see where the story will go as I advance on it :)”
“More like easy playing through unique storylines that open up as I interact with each character.”
“The storylines are thoughtful, the dateables are beautiful, the setting is charming, the music is relaxing, and the whole game feels like a warm hug with a good sense of humor.”
“I'm not sure if this is due to awaiting updated content from the dev, or if this is for storyline purposes and I just haven't progressed far enough.”
“I thought it was a story thing, like things would open up the more I played, but days are going by and very little is happening.”
“Just love it when I randomly walked on the streets and there's a storyline (impromptu incidents) that came up.”
- music5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its chill and soothing quality, enhancing the overall charming atmosphere. Players appreciate the soundtrack as a standout feature, often finding it appealing enough to keep on rather than mute, contributing to a relaxing experience that complements the game's visuals and narrative.
“I'm loving the artwork and style; the in-game music is very chill as well.”
“The graphics are very charming, as is the soundtrack. I usually find myself muting a lot of games because the background music just doesn't appeal to me, but this is one of those exceptions. The main sound is very simple but very soothing and relaxing.”
“The storylines are thoughtful, the dateables are beautiful, the setting is charming, the music is relaxing, and the whole game feels like a warm hug with a good sense of humor.”
“So far there isn't a ton of content.. most shops are closed or are open but you can't purchase things from them, such as the antique shop or music shop.”
“The graphics are very charming, as is the soundtrack.. I usually find myself muting a lot of games because the background music just doesn't appeal to me, but this is one of those exceptions.. the main sound is very simple but very soothing/relaxing.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the absence of traditional grinding associated with farming mechanics, favoring a cozy game that emphasizes modern urban life instead. This fresh approach is seen as a welcome change in a genre often dominated by rural themes, appealing to those who prefer city living.
“So many games have a rural or farming focus.”
“I haven't seen any before that focus on city life for those of us who enjoy it and who prefer urban to rural or farming sims.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game currently suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous bugs preventing players from completing quests and progressing. Users report glitches that lead to unresponsive screens and characters getting stuck, making it difficult to enjoy the gameplay experience. Overall, the game's instability is a major drawback that hampers its recommendability.
“But it's so buggy in its current state that I can't recommend it.”
“I also cannot complete the animal photography quest because there aren't enough animals to photograph, and when I try to take a picture of the dust bunny, it glitches and says there is nothing there.”
“Still very buggy; I can't even finish my first day (not the very first day, but the day when I finally get to control my character freely) since I have to repeat the day because of bugs that left the screen black, and the second time it caused my character to be off the screen and stuck.”
- gameplay3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The gameplay is centered around modern-day life tasks and interactions with NPCs, offering a refreshing departure from traditional farming mechanics in the genre. While the current gameplay loop is simple and can feel repetitive due to quick respawn rates, players anticipate more content and features to be added in the future.
“I can see this game being a big hit in the genre because there’s no farming and a greater focus on modern-day life gameplay, which is a direction that this genre lacks but is definitely desired.”
“The gameplay loop is simple, involving daily tasks and interactions with NPCs you encounter, though it seems there will be a lot more content added later.”
“The gameplay loop is simple, doing daily tasks and talking to NPCs you find, though right now it definitely seems there's a lot more that will be added later.”
“My brain will not let me walk past these without fixing them, so the fact it respawns so fast is making my gameplay feel repetitive.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by the engaging and amusing dialogue of NPCs, which adds a lighthearted touch to the thoughtful storylines. Overall, the game combines a charming atmosphere with a warm sense of humor, enhancing the overall experience.
“NPCs are fun to interact with and often have funny dialogue.”
“The storylines are thoughtful, the dateables are beautiful, the setting is charming, the music is relaxing, and the whole game feels like a warm hug with a good sense of humor.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game is well-optimized, running smoothly with impressive pixel art and character designs. It performs at 75% efficiency on the Steam Deck, indicating a solid experience on that platform.
“The game runs smoothly, with gorgeous pixel art and character designs.”
“Steam Deck performance: 75%”
“The game struggles to maintain a stable frame rate, making it difficult to enjoy the experience.”
“Optimization issues lead to long loading times and frequent stuttering during gameplay.”
- character development1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
While the game is praised for its smooth performance and stunning pixel art, there is no specific mention of character development in the reviews provided.
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the game emotionally engaging, as early activities like setting up an apartment and interacting with the environment create a sense of vibrancy and connection to the world. This immersive experience fosters a feeling of involvement and investment in the game's community.
“The activities I did in the first few minutes of playing the game—getting an apartment, cleaning up the neighborhood, starting my garden, visiting a nightclub, and more—made me feel like the world was alive and had things going on within it.”