Overview – developed and published by Dr Kucho! Games in collaboration with Astrolabe Games, Moons of Darsalon is a retro styled sci-fi rescue adventure, where the player takes the role of a Darsanaut on a mission to save their companions. Traverse alien environments, interact with destructible environments and solve puzzles to rescue your comrades. This title is available on all platforms, with a link to each version of the dame at the bottom of this review.
Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank Jesus Fabre for providing the copy of Moons of Darsalon that was used for this piece. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own. Please Note, the game has some elements of A.I. for art assets, which are optional and can be disabled for the original art, as this is an updated port of the game.
Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review. The game is light on plot, so I will be going straight into discussing the gameplay, any relevant plot details will be added to the gameplay section.
Gameplay – Moons of Darsalon is a retro styled action platformer, where the main objective is to rescue the Darsanauts who are lost in each stage. Through the various stages, the player needs to perform rescue missions, leading the lost spacemen to a base station. These lost cosmonauts will use A.I. path finding to follow the players commands, as they must use four orders to get them to follow. These are go left, go right, wait and follow.
During a mission, when a voice command is used it will pass through walls, this is tied to the puzzle solving mechanics of the game. When one of the missing starmen hears one of the commands, they will follow the order immediately. If the Command of Follow is given, the NPC will attempt to make it to the voice, but they can get further lost. This can occur if an area is dark, but a flashlight can be found, allowing the player to illuminate areas for better visibility.
When the player gives the command of go left or go right, they will keep moving for a set amount of time. After this, the character will wander around a little until another command is given. It is important to take the areas themselves into account, as an NPC during a rescue will have self-preservation built into them. Those being rescued won’t jump into holes or put themselves in danger, but they are still susceptible to getting hurt.
As the player guides the rescue targets across the alien environments, there will be many dangers and hazards to overcome. Taking place across the Moons of Darsalon, there will be hazardous terrain, natural traps and even hostile alien life. These dangers must be overcome in order to complete each mission. If the Darsanauts are lost for good, the stage will end and the player will need to restart from the beginning.
To ensure the safety of those being rescued, the player must protect them. This is accomplished by using a variety of tools. The first is the Laser Gun, which can be used to fight alien invaders, but it can also destroy terrain. Speaking of terrain, there is the Ground Maker Gun, which can be used to create land bridges, block enemies and stop dangerous acid hazards. These guns use a twin stick system, allowing players 360 degree aiming.
Alongside the Laser and Ground guns, the player can also collect a Light Gun, which will allow them to throw lamps out that will illuminate areas. This weapon can be used where a flashlight may not be as useful. If a missing spaceman is in darkness, or darkness is in the direction they are travelling, they will stop or go back. This can cause issues when trying to guide a group, as they will get lost easily, so effective use of the Light Gun is very important.
The space age weaponry isn’t the only way to get through the missions. There will also be special vehicles that can be used, with the player having access to a rover, rescue air craft and more, there is even a Jetpack for players to get their hands on. The vehicles have their own durability, meaning they can be destroyed if the player is not careful, failing the mission. Then there is the Jetpack, which has several mechanics tied to it.
When the jetpack is acquired, the player must take a few things into account. The main one is the temperature, which will cause the Jetpack to cut out if it is used too much. When this happens the player will quickly descend. Then there is the fuel, which will run out over time and must be refilled from gas cans. If the player hits a wall or terrain while taking flight, they can take damage, this can happen a lot due to some awkward physics during flight.
The player must use all of these different elements, alongside special stage gimmicks to complete the rescue missions. But performing rescues aren’t the only challenge that players can take on. Each of the stages will have additional objectives, including time challenges, getting to the end without taking damage and limited commands. This system adds to the replay value of the game, as players will gain bonus stars for completing these missions.
All of the stages have four objectives, with the game being beatable by only focusing on the rescue objective. After clearing the stages, they can be replayed to get better scores and times. This gives players more reasons to return to the game, as a lot of the challenges won’t be beaten on the first attempt. However, there is a special bonus that requires all objectives to be completed at once, for even more stars, which is a very tough challenge.
Now with the gameplay covered, it is time to discuss the other aspects of this release, starting with the controls.
Controls – there is an unconventional control scheme for this release. Movement and aiming uses a twin stick system, while jumping and firing of weapons uses the triggers. Then there is the weapon switch system, which uses the face buttons and voice commands, using the D-Pad. This system is unusual and feels counter intuitive, but with time it can be adapted to. But, if players have difficulty with this system, all inputs can be remapped.
Difficulty – this title uses both a fixed and adaptive difficulty system. When using the fixed option, the challenge will be fairly tough, where the enemies and environments will pose and increase to the player. This is for those who want a consistent challenge. Then there is the adaptive setting, which will change the difficulty depending on the player performance. This will ease the challenge if the player makes mistakes, making it easier for those who struggle.
Presentation – this game mixes many different art styles together, with a mix of pixel art, 3D models rendered into 2D and elements of old computers. The character animations for the Darsanauts have a high level of fluidity to them, combining retro looks with modernised lighting. Then there is the audio, which uses an 8-bit sound engine giving it an 80’s sound, combined with digitised robotic voices. All of these elements combine to create a nostalgic experience.
Final Thoughts – I had not heard of this game before it was presented to me, but the general look of the game appealed to me. When I got into the experience, there were some minor hiccups when starting, as the unconventional controls took a moment to adapt to. However, after a little time, it started to become more natural during play. I did enjoy the gameplay loop, but it did get a little frustrating in areas, due to some awkward physics.
In general the gameplay experience is fun, mixing the retro look with modern game mechanics. The rescue system has been done before, so it isn’t entirely new, but the implementation of it feels fresh. There has been some controversy around the use of A.I. assets, which are optional so they don’t impact the experience much. So I feel happy to recommend this game to other players, as it is a solid love letter to retro gaming, especially with the C64 style loading screens.
In the end, I give Moons of Darsalon a final score of 3.5/5. This is a fun and enjoyable action platformer, offering a distinct gameplay experience that is a real blast from the past, combined with pop culture references and retro aesthetics. If you want to check this game out for yourself, a link to each version of the game will be below.
Link to PlayStation version (HERE)
Link to Nintendo Switch version (HERE)
Link to Xbox version (HERE)
Link to Steam version (HERE)
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