The Dark Side of the Moon
- March 12, 2021
- Tayanna Studios
Get on Steam"The Dark Side of the Moon" is an interactive FMV thriller where player choices drive the narrative. As Tayanna, a woman with mysterious abilities, players must navigate a web of intrigue and deception on a lunar base. With multiple endings and a focus on character development, this game offers a suspenseful and immersive experience.
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Windows
Xbox One
Linux
Xbox
Reviews
- The game features a silly and engaging story that many players found enjoyable.
- The performances by actors, particularly Rupert Booth and Anarosa Butler, were highlighted as entertaining and charming.
- The game has multiple endings and some interesting puzzles that encourage replayability.
- The acting quality is inconsistent, with many players describing it as amateurish and cringe-worthy.
- Gameplay is often tedious, involving excessive backtracking and a lack of clear objectives, leading to confusion.
- The writing and plot development were criticized for being silly and filled with plot holes, detracting from the overall experience.
- story174 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The game's story is a mix of silliness and convoluted plots, often filled with plot holes and corny acting, yet it manages to engage players with its fun and entertaining narrative. While some found the story enjoyable and relatable, others criticized its predictability and lack of depth, noting that the gameplay often felt secondary to the storytelling. Overall, the experience is described as a light-hearted ride that can be appreciated for its charm, despite its many flaws.
“I loved the storyline so much, and what made me love the game more is the fact that it is a family project.”
“I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the fact that it has different endings.”
“The story is interesting and makes me want to play more and more of the game.”
“The plot is embarrassingly horrible.”
“The acting is bad, the plot is bad (sure, I know it's science fiction, but this goes against science directly by making stupid claims), the story development is silly at times, etc.”
“The entire story is laughable - I recommend you at least get a bottle of whisky (or two) to even endure this atrocity.”
- gameplay50 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it simplistic and lacking in depth, often reduced to a guessing game of exploring options to progress the story. While some appreciated the intriguing choices and occasional creepy moments, others criticized the poor controls, lack of meaningful mechanics, and an overall unenjoyable gameplay loop. Overall, the gameplay is seen as basic and unremarkable, with a few redeeming qualities but significant flaws that detract from the experience.
“The story and gameplay itself is entertaining for a couple of hours.”
“It's a cheesy affair, interesting premise, decent gameplay, and there are plenty of choices that did intrigue as to giving it another go and going a different route with it.”
“I really enjoyed the gameplay, but the story was the best part; I really couldn't fault it.”
“Gameplay just stops and waits for you to attempt every possible other option before picking the only option that continues the story.”
“The acting is mostly rubbish, the plot is mostly silly, the gameplay borders on non-existent and the choices you make seem arbitrary related to the impact they may (or more often, may not) have on the game.”
“There are some gameplay flaws - looking around for what to do next is a guessing game of exploring all possible routes, making the 'correct' decisions (i.e. given a false choice)....”
- music32 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many praising its quality and ability to create a tense atmosphere, particularly the end credit score. However, some reviewers noted that the soundtrack occasionally plays at inappropriate moments, detracting from emotional scenes. Overall, while the music is solid and reminiscent of classic titles, its placement can be inconsistent.
“The music is pretty good, especially the end credit score.”
“Together with the music and sounds (which are well done), it gave me a Sierra Online flashback to Gabriel Knight 2 at some points.”
“There's some really good acting here too with an excellent soundtrack that really helps to pull you in by creating a tense and spooky atmosphere.”
“But there are many more problems: unfitting background music and dramatic cuts, a horrible storyline that is also quite predictable and missing hints, so that you have to backtrack a lot.”
“The music is surprisingly solid, but sometimes it plays in the wrong moments (no music for the scene with Dean's son but emotional music as soon as he goes into his daughter's room?).”
“The music is surprisingly solid, but sometimes it plays in the wrong moments (no music for the scene with Dean's son but emotional music as soon as he goes into his daughter's room?).”
- optimization30 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 23 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is criticized for its reliance on green-screened performances, which suffer from the constraints of minimal set design and spatial awareness, leading to a lack of convincing interactions. While standout performances from actors like Rupert Booth and Anarosa Butler provide some entertainment, the overall experience is marred by dullness and limited interactivity, making it difficult for players to fully engage with the narrative.
“Having long since become old hands at this gig from their stellar turns alongside one another in 'Contradiction: Spot the Liar' and 'The Shapeshifting Detective', the two stars continue their usual brilliant form and their weird-yet-wonderful performances are easily the strongest of the whole cast.”
“Booth and Butler both give delightfully over-the-top performances which are just a joy to watch; Booth, in particular, is a scenery-chewing force of nature.”
“What lifts the game, apart from the interesting twists and turns in the plot, are the performances of Rupert Booth and Anarosa Butler.”
“One of the glaring problems of the game is that it highlights how with the prevalence of authorial game development, much like with authorial cinema or web series, the performance quality falls victim to the constraints of the pandemic.”
“Following on from the success of games like 'Dark Nights with Poe and Monroe' and 'The Complex', the prevalence of games featuring green-screened movie performances in place of CGI only seemed to mushroom in volume during the lockdowns, contrary to expectations of the opposite.”
“Even the less professional performances certainly have that earnest FMV charm to them, and the plot has a similarly endearing self-awareness to it, as it deliberately puts these characters in increasingly convoluted and far-fetched situations.”
- humor26 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as both over-the-top and absurd, often eliciting laughter through its quirky characters and ridiculous situations. While some found the acting, particularly by child actors, to be cringeworthy, it contributed to the overall comedic experience, making it enjoyable in a lighthearted context. Despite its shortcomings, many players appreciated the humor as a redeeming quality, especially when shared with friends.
“The only thing I was looking forward to was to hear the TV reporter briefings... at least that was pretty funny.”
“I found myself laughing out loud at the dialogue and story turns more than once.”
“That said, I had a pretty good time playing through this with a couple of friends on Discord, laughing at the absurdity of the whole thing.”
- emotional8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game evokes a wholesome and heartfelt narrative centered around a father's determination to protect what he loves, though some players note an emotional disconnect between the dialogue and the characters' feelings. While it features a mix of mystery and emotional moments, the music occasionally detracts from the intended emotional impact by playing at inopportune times. Overall, it successfully blends chaos and emotional depth, despite some inconsistencies.
“It's wholesome and pure, and it's a dad going super-dad mode trying to rescue the things that matter to him the most in his life.”
“This game has it all: mystery, intrigue, emotional outbursts, cameos, references, chaos!”
“The music is surprisingly solid, but sometimes it plays in the wrong moments (no music for the scene with Dean's son but emotional music as soon as he goes into his daughter's room?).”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is criticized for its lack of replayability due to its linear structure, which limits players' ability to explore different outcomes or experiences.
“But there's no replayability here; it's a very linear game.”
- stability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game demonstrates excellent stability, with users consistently reporting smooth performance and no significant issues.
“Runs great.”
“Runs great.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its tense and spooky ambiance, enhanced by excellent acting and a compelling soundtrack that effectively immerses players in the experience.
“There's some really good acting here too with an excellent soundtrack that really helps to pull you in by creating a tense and spooky atmosphere.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect tedious, as it involves repeatedly checking every screen, which disrupts the pacing established by the cutscenes. This repetitive task detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.
“Not only is having to repeatedly check every screen a tedious process, but it also ruins the pacing set by the cutscenes.”
