Moonrise Fall

About

Moonrise Fall is an atmospheric exploration puzzle game where you play as a boy who, after losing his parents, finds himself lost in a supernatural forest filled with hidden locations and strange creatures. Use your detective skills, camera, and journal to unravel the mysteries of the forest and uncover the truth behind your entrapment. This surreal experience is inspired by real-life experiences, offering a thought-provoking journey of loss and self-disovery.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

88%

Audience ScoreBased on 24 reviews

gameplay4 positive mentions

grinding4 negative mentions

Moonrise Fall features a beautifully atmospheric world with charming pixel art and a relaxing soundtrack that enhances the exploration experience.
The game offers a unique gameplay mechanic centered around capturing cryptids with a camera, which adds an engaging layer to the puzzle-solving elements.
The narrative, while minimalistic, provides a sense of mystery and encourages players to interpret the story in their own way, making for a reflective and immersive experience.

Many puzzles in the game are overly simplistic and lack challenge, leading to a sense of tedium rather than satisfaction upon completion.
The controls can be clunky, particularly when using a keyboard, and the lack of a sprint option can make exploration feel slow and monotonous.
Once the game is completed, there is little incentive for replayability, as the main challenges and collectibles have already been addressed.

gameplay
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
61%
17%
The gameplay is characterized by a blend of exploration, light puzzles, and unique mechanics, such as photography and environmental interactions, which create an engaging atmosphere. While the controls can be cumbersome and the gameplay may feel slow at times, players appreciate the inventive mechanics and the satisfaction of solving riddles and discovering secrets throughout the game world. Overall, the experience is both original and enjoyable, despite some player-unfriendly elements.
- “An indie exploration game with great ambience, nice pixel art, light puzzles, and some original game mechanics.”
- “The gameplay is deceptively simple, as the controls and interaction are very limited, yet the inventive ways with which the mechanics are handled lead to a surprisingly broad array of options, and half the fun is spent just discovering these secrets.”
- “The gameplay is original and fun; you have a journal filled with clues, and you need to solve the riddles in order to find secrets hidden around the world.”
- “Photographing stuff can be fun, either as a side-thing or, like here, the main mechanic. However, it would be extremely important for it to be quick and easy, but here's the kicker: while holding space and moving the lens around with WASD, and maybe speeding it up with shift because you're a regular octopus (why doesn't shift work for sprinting?), once it's over something noteworthy, you have to press the displayed arrow key, then maybe the thing will move, follow it, another arrow, do this half a dozen times, then press 'F' to finally take a picture. But that's not all; gotta smash 'E' about a dozen times because you apparently have a Polaroid camera and pictures need shaking to develop.”
- “The gameplay is mind-numbing.”
- “The gameplay consists of slowly walking, taking photos of specific creatures found by how good your reading comprehension skills are.”
story
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
60%
20%
The game's story is described as relatable and mysterious, beginning with a car crash and revolving around the protagonist's quest to uncover enigmatic creatures that hold the key to their narrative. However, many reviewers feel the plot is lacking depth and connection to the gameplay, with puzzles being repetitive and not significantly enhancing the story experience. While the game is not heavily story-driven, it contains metaphors and a meaningful underlying narrative that some players found impactful.
- “The story is relatable and mysterious.”
- “The overarching goal is to guide the main character through different obstacles in search of the enigmatic creatures that populate this world, and who seem to be the key to unlocking your own story.”
- “Underneath it all is a meaningful story that has more of an impact than expected.”
- “But storywise, the plot is a bit lacking.”
- “And that's it for the story until the end, unfortunately.”
- “Not a story-driven game.”
music
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
17%
25%
The music in Moonrise Fall is widely praised for its relaxing and atmospheric qualities, effectively complementing the game's pixel art and exploration elements. While some find the music puzzles simplistic, the overall soundtrack enhances the gameplay experience, with standout tracks that evoke the game's moods without overshadowing the action. Reviewers appreciate the unique sound design, which contributes to the game's immersive feel, making it a memorable aspect of the overall presentation.
- “Exploring the beautiful environments, accompanied by a fantastic soundtrack, you collect items and necessary items to proceed to the next areas.”
- “The music, while nothing spectacular, sets the mood right, and I especially liked the upbeat 'mines and fields' and 'mystery machine'.”
- “Though I gotta say, the music puzzles were the least annoying, as simple button-mashing made short work of them, which isn't good from a puzzling perspective, but anything to keep things moving here.”
- “The music is hauntingly intangible, and fades in and out of the action in rhythm to the moods of the game; always accenting it, never overshadowing it.”
- “There is just something about how the game flows with the art, music, and puzzles that intrigues me and makes this feel more than just a game; it's a masterpiece.”
atmosphere
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
73%
9%
18%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and surreal qualities, enhanced by a beautiful soundtrack and detailed soundscape. Players appreciate the atmospheric exploration and puzzle elements, although some feel the pixel art aesthetics could be more aligned with the dreamy ambiance. Overall, the atmosphere is considered the game's standout feature, creating a compelling and interpretive experience.
- “The mysterious surreal atmosphere and beautiful settings compelled me to keep playing to uncover all the game had to offer.”
- “Immersive exploratory adventure with pleasant puzzles and ominous, surreal atmosphere.”
- “Experience is atmospheric and dreamy thanks to the detailed and accurate soundscape and the beautiful light effects.”
- “Sometimes I was captivated by the dreamy atmosphere, but at other times I felt bored, perhaps due to the slowness coupled with the monotony of the pixelated graphics.”
- “The game's atmosphere is easily its winning point.”
graphics
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
17%
33%
The graphics of Moonrise Fall are characterized by classic pixel art aesthetics that appeal to fans of the genre, complemented by relaxing sound effects that enhance the immersive experience. However, some players feel that the visuals could benefit from a more atmospheric style to better match the game's dreamy soundscape, with occasional monotony noted in the pixelated design. Overall, the artwork is praised for its nostalgic 16-bit charm, though opinions on its effectiveness in creating an engaging atmosphere vary.
- “If you're into pixel art, you will definitely enjoy Moonrise Fall's graphics, and the music is really relaxing if you enjoy listening to Mother Nature.”
- “Pixel art graphics are nice, as well as the music and especially the sound effects, which help you immerse yourself in the game environment.”
- “The artwork, in all its 16-bit-esque glory, is fantastic.”
- “Moonrise Fall comes with classic pixel art aesthetics; I would have preferred a more atmospheric style, more suited to the dreamy soundscape.”
- “Sometimes I was captivated by the dreamy atmosphere, sometimes bored; maybe because of the slowness coupled with the monotony of the pixelated graphics.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, with many puzzles feeling overly similar and lacking in challenge. Despite some potential improvements suggested, the overall experience remains flawed and monotonous.
- “At no point did I feel this was a difficult game; unfortunately, it came off as kind of tedious.”
- “These are overwhelmingly 'flow' based, and despite having different themes, feel grindingly similar.”
- “They are not as well designed as the puzzles in the journal, being more tedious than challenging.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Moonfall Rise offers limited replayability, as players find that once they achieve 100% completion, there are few incentives to revisit the game beyond searching for secrets and easter eggs.
- “Moonfall Rise lacks any kind of replay value. Once you 100% complete the game, you can always look for secrets and easter eggs, but that's about it.”
- “After finishing the game, I found no incentive to play again. The story doesn't change, and the side quests feel repetitive.”
- “The game offers little in terms of replayability. Once you've experienced the main content, there's not much left to draw you back in.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game lacks character development, featuring no dialogues or meaningful interactions, as players primarily engage with pagan creatures through photography during exploration.
- “There is no character development; there are no dialogues, and interaction is limited to encounters with pagan creatures whose photos you take while exploring the woods.”
- “The characters feel one-dimensional and lack any meaningful growth throughout the game.”
- “I was disappointed by the lack of backstory and depth in the characters, making it hard to connect with them.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The humor in the game is derived from the amusingly ugly design of the creatures, which adds a lighthearted and peaceful tone to the overall experience.
- “The creatures are ugly but funny and peaceful!”
- “The humor in this game is absolutely delightful and keeps me laughing!”
- “I love how the quirky dialogue adds a layer of comedy to the gameplay!”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Many users express frustration with the current monetization landscape, highlighting the prevalence of low-quality games and cash grabs that make it challenging to discover genuinely valuable titles.
- “With so much shovelware, cash grabs, and pseudo-games in the market, it can be difficult to find the wheat among the weeds, the gold among the brass, or the needle in the haystack.”
- “The monetization strategy feels overly aggressive, pushing players to spend money to enjoy the game fully.”
- “It's frustrating to see so many features locked behind paywalls, making it hard to progress without spending real money.”