The Falconers: Moonlight
- April 18, 2017
- Bionic Penguin
Get on SteamIn "The Falconers: Moonlight" , players step into the boots of Falconer Cassandra Winter, venturing into a mist-clad 19th century New Zealand gold mining town, Moonlight, plagued by rumors of supernatural monsters. With a focus on action and three distinct endings, the game presents a gripping supernatural thriller set against a unique western backdrop, featuring a dark and gritty art style and a tale penned by acclaimed narrative designer Edwin McRae.
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Reviews
- The story is engaging and well-written, with interesting lore and character depth that keeps players hooked throughout the short playtime.
- The artwork is visually stunning, with a gritty aesthetic that complements the atmosphere of the game, and the sound design enhances immersion.
- The characters are well-developed, each with their own flaws and motivations, making the interactions and choices feel meaningful despite the linearity of the plot.
- The game is very short, taking only about 2-3 hours to complete, which may not justify the price for some players.
- Player choices have minimal impact on the story, leading to a feeling of linearity where decisions mostly alter dialogue rather than the plot's outcome.
- There is a lack of variety in character sprites and poses, which can detract from the visual experience and character engagement.
- story63 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 49 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story of "The Falconers: Moonlight" is engaging and well-crafted, set in a 19th-century New Zealand town where players follow protagonist Cassandra Winters on her first solo mission investigating mysterious disappearances. While the narrative is linear and choices primarily affect dialogue rather than the plot, the well-developed characters and atmospheric setting contribute to a compelling supernatural mystery. Despite its brevity, the story effectively balances action and investigation, leaving players intrigued and wanting more.
“The story is pretty short but it does a solid job at establishing the town of Moonlight, its origins, its residents, and the overall outlook of life in it along with helping set up Cassandra's character.”
“The falconers is one such story, a game that does a great job doing a standalone story establishing an interesting world and cast of characters, ends conclusively, but sets up enough stuff that you want to see more of it.”
“The good story paired with the great directing makes for a tense monster-hunting action romp, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes visual novels, westerns, or supernatural action stories.”
“My primary complaint is that the story is heavily linear, which makes the choices you take not exactly important to the story.”
“This is a short-ish story, and most of the choices are for atmosphere and have little impact on how things play out.”
“You get a feel for the characters, but it moves quickly, so when some die, it doesn't have the impact a longer story would have.”
- music18 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 28 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The music in the game is a mixed bag; while some tracks, like the main menu theme "hunting" and the credits music "conflict," are praised for their ability to enhance the atmosphere and tension, much of the background music is described as barely noticeable or forgettable. Overall, the sound design effectively supports immersion, but the lack of consistent music during gameplay may leave some players wanting more variety.
“The music by Manuel Marino is fantastic.”
“The main menu music 'Hunting' shows the tense moments of a hunt by introducing a calm beginning and an intense continuation after it.”
“From the moment that you have your first battle to the opening credits, the high presentation value of this visual novel is apparent with the camera pans during the action sequences alongside the excellent soundtrack.”
“There is no voice acting and the music is barely noticeable.”
“Many moments without music, but there were atmospheric sounds.”
“No music.”
- graphics11 mentions
- 82 % positive mentions
- 18 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics in this supernatural visual novel are highly praised for their stunning artwork, well-executed animation, and detailed backgrounds, contributing to an immersive experience. Reviewers highlight the combination of beautiful visuals with clever dialogue and a suspenseful narrative, making it a visually appealing choice for fans of the genre. Overall, the art style is consistently described as amazing, enhancing the game's atmosphere and storytelling.
“A supernatural visual novel that has great artwork; clever dialogue; creepy monsters; ghoulishly gory scenes and intriguing characters.”
“For the 'visual' part, the artwork is very well done; in the sprites, the backgrounds, the CGs, etc.”
“[i]The Falconers: Moonlight[/i] showcases both lovely artwork and tasteful use of animation, embellishing what is a solidly compact, suspenseful story.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in "The Falconers: Moonlight" is highly praised for its gritty art style, immersive sound design, and effective music, which together create a compelling and unique western ambiance. While the story is linear and choices primarily enhance the atmosphere rather than alter outcomes, the overall experience is enriched by the well-established lore and character development. Users appreciate the balance of sound effects and music, noting that they contribute significantly to the game's immersive quality.
“I love the art by Ares; it is gritty and fits extremely well with the overall atmosphere.”
“Although very linear despite having choices, The Falconers: Moonlight does a great job in establishing the lore of the world along with its characters. The atmosphere, art, and music are also fantastic.”
“A fine story, appropriate characters, and a great atmosphere set up by the art, music, and sound effects.”
“This is a short story, and most of the choices are for atmosphere and have little impact on how things play out.”
“Many moments without music, but there were atmospheric sounds.”
“Sound design and music do an effective job of setting the atmosphere without being intrusive, and some of the tracks are pretty catchy, although the majority of them are fairly forgettable.”
- character development3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game features strong character development set against a fast-paced monster mystery backdrop, drawing inspiration from modern urban fantasy and historical New Zealand mythology. While some character designs may feel generic and the plot begins slowly, the immersive art and engaging narrative ultimately enhance the overall experience.
“Fast-paced monster mystery with exquisite character development - this has vibes of modern urban fantasy books, but set in historical New Zealand, with an absolutely fascinating mythology and very immersive art.”
“The facial expressions and character design are great.”
“While the character designs are somewhat generic, the engaging mystery and the blood-pumping action make this short visual novel a good purchase.”
“While the character designs are somewhat generic, and the plot starts up slow, the engaging mystery and the blood-pumping action make this short visual novel a good purchase.”
“The character development feels rushed and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the protagonists.”
“I found the character arcs to be predictable and uninspired, which detracted from my overall enjoyment of the game.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game offers high replayability due to its three unique endings, encouraging players to experience different outcomes. However, some users note that overall replayability may be limited.
“Nevertheless, I enjoyed my first playthrough of this title, and there are three unique endings available, so replayability is very high.”
“- Limited replayability.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is lacking, with users noting that while the plot is engaging, the dialogue and character interactions fail to deliver any comedic elements.
