Game Details
- Publisher: Playism
- Developer: Bombservice
- ESRB Rating: “T” for Teen
- Genre: 2D Metroidvania
- Pros: Great visuals and sound; satisfying gameplay; Easy mode
- Cons: A bit shallow; extreme difficulty
- MSRP: $10
Reverie Under the Moonlight is actually the fourth Momodora
game, but the first to appear on consoles. It is also a prequel to the other
games, not that that matters much, though. All you need to know is that you
play as a priestess named Kaho who travels to a far away kingdom to try to stop
a curse that is spreading across the land.
Gameplay-wise, Momodora RUTM is very much in the 2D
Metroidvania style. You are free to explore a map full of enemies and
platforming elements and you find new abilities along the way – such as being
able to use a cat form to get through small spaces Kaho can’t normally fit
through – in order to reach new areas. Unlike most Metroidvanias, however,
Momodora is surprisingly shallow as there aren’t actually very many new
upgrades and abilities to find. It is also fairly short at just around 4-hours.
I do like that the game is kind of condensed and well paced without a lot of
fluff, but it also lacks the sense of progression and satisfaction that comes
with finding an arsenal of new abilities.
The game makes up for the lack of new toys to play with by
offering tough as nails gameplay that really keeps you on your toes. Armed only
with a magic leaf for melee attacks and a bow and arrow, your attack options
are fairly limited but the combat itself is remarkably satisfying. Melee
attacks really sound and look like they’re powerful and the wide range of
enemies – including plenty of bosses – with their own unique weaknesses and
patterns give the combat a lot more variety than you’d expect. The game also
takes a few cues from From Software’s Dark Souls and Bloodborne in some
interesting ways, too. You can only save at designated locations, and when you
save it recharges your healing items. Similar to Bloodborne, there is no block
ability in the game and instead you have to use invincibility frames on your
roll animation to roll through attacks to avoid taking damage as well as
position yourself behind enemy defenses. It is a neat meshing of gameplay
styles and systems – Metroidvania with Soulsborne – that we haven’t really seen
before.
It has to be noted that Momodora: Reverie Under the
Moonlight is absolutely punishingly difficult, though I suppose that is to be
expected from a game that borrows from both 2D Castlevania as well as the Souls
franchise. You will die. A lot. Like, A LOT a lot. Developer Bombservice did
something remarkable, however, and actually included an easy difficulty mode in
Momodora: RUTM that will allow players of any skill level to play through the
game. It does go a little towards the extreme end of the spectrum by giving you
maximum health right from the start as well as some items to buff you up even
more, but I love that they at least give you the option for those that want it.
You still have to actually play through everything, and beat all of the bosses,
and thoroughly explore everything, and the game is just as fun on easy mode as
it is on normal. There, I said it.
I have always wondered what Dark Souls would be like if it
wasn’t so damn brutally difficult. The worlds you explore and the enemy encounters
you face are so cool and interesting but, even as popular as those games are,
only a very small percentage of gamers actually get to see any of it. Hardcore
Souls fans will balk at the idea of an easy mode, but they have to realize not
everyone is a closet masochist that enjoys slamming their head against a wall
repeatedly to show how much of a hardcore gamer they are. Making great games
more accessible to more people is a good thing. I love that Momodora: RUTM
offers an easy mode. I wish other hardcore games would do the same.
As far as the presentation goes, Momodora: RUTM is pretty
fantastic all around. The game runs at a 4:3 aspect ratio, so there are chunky black bars on the sides of the screen, but it enhances the retro vibe. I guess.
The visuals are great, though, with big fat gorgeous pixels creating some truly
awesome looking character sprites and surprisingly detailed backgrounds. The
music is also excellent and fits right in with the retro aesthetic.
All in all, Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight is a
neat combination of ideas old and new that form a pretty solid all around
package. It is undeniably a little shallow, though, and I wouldn’t rate it
above fellow Castlevania-like Slain: Back from Hell or Metroidvanias AxiomVerge and Ori and the Blind Forest, but it is very solidly in the second tier
of 2D action/platformers on Xbox One. And I really, really love that it offers
an easy mode so more people will actually be able to see it all. At just $10
Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight is also perfectly priced so that anyone
with any interest in 2D action/platformers should give it a try without
hesitation. Buy it.
