Moons of Ardan

About

"Moons of Ardan" is an engaging city-building and colony simulation game set in a simulated planetary system. Assemble a civilization across multiple moons, starting from a stranded group of Axonauts. Experience a visually stunning space environment and manage resources carefully to overcome ecological challenges, all while expanding your settlements in this dynamic planetary ecosystem.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

+12

98%

Audience ScoreBased on 106 reviews

gameplay14 positive mentions

grinding2 negative mentions

The game is very fun and engaging, offering a relaxing city-building experience with unique interplanetary trading mechanics.
It is well-polished for an early access title, with smooth gameplay and active developer support for updates.
The game features a clever design that encourages strategic thinking about supply chains and resource management across different moons.

The game can feel repetitive, with a structured progression that may limit player creativity in building and resource management.
There are performance issues, particularly with frame rates dropping significantly as the population increases, which can hinder gameplay.
Some players find the trade management system lacking in depth, making it difficult to track resources and optimize logistics effectively.

gameplay
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
55%
8%
The gameplay of "Moons of Ardan" is characterized by a smooth and well-paced experience, reminiscent of production-chain builders like the Anno series, with straightforward mechanics that gradually introduce new challenges. Players appreciate the casual yet strategic nature of the game, allowing for optimization without overwhelming complexity, although some performance issues, such as low framerates, have been noted. Overall, it offers a satisfying blend of factory mechanics and tech tree progression, making it accessible for newcomers while still engaging for genre fans.
- “Moons of Ardan is very easy to pick up, but it also offers a continuous flow of new mechanics without overwhelming the player.”
- “The game mechanics are introduced in a very deliberate way; you have time to get comfortable with the current stage of your civilization before new challenges are introduced.”
- “Smooth gameplay, cool visuals, and a lot of strategic options make for a very fun experience.”
- “It feels like a very complete game for 'alpha' still, but I can see why it's there because they are still adding some pretty critical game mechanics, and it seems occasionally the saves get broken after enough big changes.”
- “Does have performance issues; you might encounter framerates as low as 5fps according to the in-game counter, but even then the game is actually still playable - physics/logic seem detached from fps so neither gameplay nor UI lags really.”
- “You unlock all the structures for the game within the first 10 minutes of gameplay, and most of the gameplay is just making sure blue shapes aren't touching.”
graphics
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
59%
14%
The graphics in "Moons of Ardan" are generally well-received, featuring a unique space colony aesthetic that enhances the gameplay experience. However, some players note that the visuals can be repetitive, with buildings blending together due to a limited color palette. While the game offers smooth gameplay and enjoyable visuals, there is a desire for more graphical options and clearer settings adjustments.
- “Moons of Ardan is a surprisingly deep (don't let the cartoony visuals fool you) and very addictive colony-builder/logistics management/simulation game.”
- “One unique thing about Moons of Ardan is the space colony aesthetics.”
- “Smooth gameplay, cool visuals, and a lot of strategic options make for a very fun experience.”
- “The graphics aren't special; each building has the same gray with yellow stripes, and it all blends in.”
- “Increasing or decreasing the graphics settings (which give no indication as to what they actually change) seems to do nothing.”
- “More graphical options (anti-aliasing type, disabling the depth of field effect) would also be nice to have, but this is not critical.”
music
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
45%
27%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it enjoyable and above average, while others note that it becomes repetitive and can become annoying after extended play. Overall, the soundtrack complements the gameplay and aesthetics well, but there are calls for more variety to enhance the experience.
- “The soundtrack is above average.”
- “Music is great, gameplay is clean, well thought out, and the level increase is manageable.”
- “Music is repetitive, but enjoyable.”
- “The music is also basic as well and does get annoying after an hour.”
- “The only thing I'd fault it for is that the music gets repetitive in a hurry, but hopefully that is something the dev team has been working on and will add more sounds and music before the final release.”
- “The music is decent, albeit a bit repetitive.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is described as nice and relaxing, providing a laid-back experience despite some areas needing polish. Players are encouraged to appreciate the overall ambiance rather than seeking intense challenges akin to games like Factorio.
- “Everything is in a very relaxing setup and has a great atmosphere.”
- “Don't go looking here for your next Factorio, but enjoy the atmosphere and the laid-back challenge.”
- “Several things still need to be polished, but even now (v0.11) the game and overall atmosphere is nice.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
Overall, the game is praised for its stability, with many users noting it runs smoothly and is impressively bug-free compared to other full release titles. While there are minor issues like poor quality textures and visual glitches, these do not significantly detract from the overall experience.
- “Still, like others said, it's got a great UI and is impressively bug-free. I mean, I've seen full release games that are way buggier than this!”
- “Fun game, well worth 6 bucks, had 0 problems with it, runs great.”
- “This game is quite fun; however, there are a few poor quality textures and visual glitches.”
story
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews indicate a desire for enhanced interactivity within the game's story elements, specifically suggesting that key locations like the Vehicle Assembly Building, rocket launcher, and mission control should be interconnected to enrich the campaign experience.
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The game exhibits notable performance issues, with framerates dropping as low as 5fps; however, it remains playable due to the physics and logic being unaffected by these drops. Users with lower-end PCs report smooth performance, indicating that optimization may vary across different hardware configurations.
- “I'm not on a super high-end PC and everything runs smoothly for me.”
- “Does have performance issues, you might encounter framerates as low as 5fps according to the in-game counter, but even then the game is actually still playable - physics/logic seem detached from fps so neither gameplay nor UI lags really.”
- “Does have performance issues; you might encounter framerates as low as 5fps according to the in-game counter. However, even then, the game is actually still playable - physics and logic seem detached from fps, so neither gameplay nor UI lags really.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of this game more satisfying compared to Dyson Sphere Program, citing that the simpler mechanics and fewer complex recipes make the experience less tedious and more enjoyable.
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is largely underwhelming, as players feel that the gameplay quickly becomes repetitive and lacks depth, leading to a diminished emotional engagement. The initial excitement of unlocking structures fades as the focus shifts to monotonous tasks.