The Moonstone Equation
- August 20, 2018
- Andy Buck
- 9h median play time
Get on SteamHelp Alice find some answers as she joins a unique bunch of scientists, oddballs and theorists at a remote hilltop research facility to investigate some puzzling stone carvings. A single player puzzle/platform game about science and curiosity presented in a modern pixel art style.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a variety of challenging and intuitive puzzles that keep the gameplay fresh and engaging.
- The atmosphere and art design are praised for their beauty, contributing to an immersive experience.
- The game encourages exploration and discovery, with a rich lore and optional content that rewards curiosity.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs and technical issues, including broken terminals and collision problems, which hinder the overall experience.
- The lack of a map and fast travel makes navigation tedious, leading to unnecessary backtracking and frustration.
- The writing and story are criticized for being poorly executed, with awkward grammar and uninteresting character interactions.
- gameplay12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The gameplay is centered around exploring the world and solving puzzles, primarily block-pushing mechanics that some players find enjoyable, though often repetitive and lacking unique twists. While the pacing and controls are generally well-received, many reviewers criticize the overall execution as disjointed and frustrating, with a core loop that feels underdeveloped and occasionally leads to confusion over what constitutes a solvable puzzle. Despite some satisfying moments, the gameplay experience is marred by bugs and a lack of focus, leaving players disappointed.
“In terms of the core mechanics, you're exploring the world and solving puzzles.”
“I like the puzzles, which are the main focus of the game. From what I've seen so far, they are very Sokoban-like, with other mechanics that keep it fresh and exciting to solve.”
“My favorite aspect of the Moonstone Equation is how well-paced the gameplay is for being so open and having puzzles that are so satisfying.”
“I have no idea why this is the case, as it only serves to remove this mechanic at night without a real benefit (at least that I've found so far).”
“But overall, the game has been nothing but a disappointment, with poor writing, constant bugs, and an overall lack of focus with regard to the game's mechanics put together.”
“The basic puzzles themselves are very generic block-pushing puzzles with not really any unique twists on the mechanics - the first block puzzle looks no different from the last.”
- story12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely conveyed through character notes and terminals, but many players find it uninteresting and poorly written, with awkward grammar and a cumbersome interface. While there are intriguing elements and a sense of curiosity, the narrative feels fragmented and secondary to the puzzle-solving gameplay, leaving players to piece together a simple story at their own pace without mandatory quests or clear direction. Overall, the story serves more as a backdrop to the puzzles rather than a compelling narrative experience.
“Amazing atmosphere and story.”
“From block puzzles, an evolving story, 'decipherable' language, and... well... I don't want to spoil anything... so I'll just go with curiosity.”
“But you can explore the story by reading notes and interacting with NPCs.”
“The story and lore are severely hampered by robotic writing, often awkward grammar, and the fact that much of it is locked behind terminals that needlessly force the player to navigate a special interface to look at what is essentially a bulletin board.”
“You can focus only on solving puzzles and get to the end without exploring the story or solving any mystery.”
“There is not much of a story, but rather a series of world and theme-building elements that run separate to the puzzles.”
- music9 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 11 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players find it beautifully crafted and perfect for relaxation and concentration, others describe it as annoying and repetitive. Overall, many appreciate the quality and ambiance of the soundtrack, wishing for a full version to enjoy outside of gameplay.
“It's beautifully crafted, the music is relaxing, it's challenging but in a good way.”
“It's so good I wish to have the full soundtrack just to listen while reading or working.”
“The graphics are excellent and I absolutely love the music.”
“The music is... drone?”
“Oh, and the music gets really annoying really fast, but whatever, I can mute the game audio.”
“I have to mention the music.”
- graphics3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The graphics are praised for their excellent pixel art style, contributing positively to the overall aesthetic of the game. However, some users feel that certain elements may feel out of place. Overall, the visuals are well-received, complementing the engaging music and challenging puzzles.
“The pixel art graphics are great, the music is truly great, the puzzles range from simple to tricky to quite fiendish in places, and just when you think you've figured it all out, there's something more.”
“The graphics are excellent and I absolutely love the music.”
“The graphics are outdated and lack the detail expected from modern games.”
“The art style is inconsistent, making it hard to immerse myself in the game world.”
“While the game has a unique aesthetic, it often feels jarring and out of place.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, primarily due to the manual word-finding mechanic and a small interface that complicates the experience. While some minor bugs and backtracking are noted, the interconnected world design helps mitigate the overall tedium.
“It seems that all you're intended to do is manually find every word in the chart of words you're given, which is boring and tedious due to the small interface in the computer terminal (which you need to hack the game to even view, anyway).”
“My one gripe with the game is a lot of backtracking at times, which can feel tedious, even though the world is interconnected enough to not make it too frustrating.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has been reported to have stability issues, with users noting that it is buggy, particularly during conversations.
“It's buggy, too.”
“In general, some of the conversations are a bit buggy.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game excels in creating an amazing atmosphere, particularly in its storytelling, though some players feel that the puzzle rooms, where atmosphere is less critical, do not fully capitalize on this strength.
“Amazing atmosphere and story.”
“The game does manage to conjure up some good atmosphere in the puzzle rooms.”
