Moons of Darsalon Review

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A Blast from the Past

Moons of Darsalon is a bit of a rollercoaster. It’s one of those games in which you’ll be excited to try, before being taken on a wild journey, coming out the other end buzzing, looking back on the mad, mad ride that has just played out.

See, show an Xbox gamer a screenshot of Moons of Darsalon, and I’d suspect that the vast majority would walk away without a second glance, put off by the extremely retro vibes it gives. But provide them with a video to accompany things, perhaps the brilliantly created announcement trailer with super catchy theme song, and maybe the majority would stay.

Give them a controller and allow them the chance to sit down with Moons of Darsalon, and – at least after a slightly tricky opening – even more will be likely to stick around.

Moons of Darsalon Review 1 — You’ve got a crew to save!

Yep, Moons of Darsalon may not be the most attractive of video games, but there’s a hook found in the mechanics which should appeal to many. A bit of Lemmings this, and some Worms that, all mixed up with tactics, strategy and madcap shooting, allows Moons of Darsalon the opportunity to deliver something unique. And there’s no doubt it does exactly that. It’s stupid, silly, and occasionally frustrating fun too.

Guiding the Darsanauts

In Moons of Darsalon you have one job, to navigate the stage ahead, picking up Darsanauts along the way, safely dispatching them off at the base, usually found at the other end of the level. Ensure a certain number arrive in one piece, and it’s off to the next challenge with you, as Dr. Kucho! Games try to keep you fully entertained with every step.

That may sound conventional, but Moons of Darsalon is anything but. Very early on in the game you’ll discover that LT is set as the jump button by default (yep, weird in itself), but even that is delivered to the player in a fun way, fourth-wall breaking in hope that you trust what lies ahead. And you should, because from there some well crafted platforming plays out, mixed up with further mechanics that allow the game to flow, to play differently each and every time.

A ‘Ground-Maker’ weapon will soon be picked up, as will a Laser Gun, so you can create and destroy routes as you see fit, crafting new platforms, taking them down once used, ploughing forth with tunnel making and the like. A jetpack is an early stage piece of kit too, whilst further down the line come vehicles that, even though feel slightly dodgy to use, work well in the grand scheme of things. Combining ideas, elements, skills, items, taking down enemies and making the most of teleports and so on is where Moons of Darsalon’s appeal really lands, all as you attempt various strategies in hope of safely sending your Darsanaut friends to safety.

Moons of Darsalon Review 2 — Create your own pathways

AI Companions and Challenging Objectives

You get to command these AI guys too, all done via the D-Pad. Getting them to ‘Follow’ and ‘Wait’ feels very Oddworld in how it is handled, whilst at times it’s better to let them flow left and right, ensuring that they are always in your sights, within reach of your command calls and all-important flashlight. Mostly they navigate obstacles well too, making jumps that are easy to handle, holding back if they are going to fall to their death, stopping in their tracks if they can’t see a safe route through. But at times things do go awry, and we’ve seen our followers occasionally get stuck or mistime jumps, RIP stones rising from the ground as they fall.

There are multiple companions to hunt down through the stages of Moons of Darsalon, and whilst only a set number are required for a standard ‘level completion’ you may well find yourself trying to save ‘em all, if only to tick off further secondary challenges that in return supply stars. More can be earned for completing additional objectives too, like finishing a stage within a set time, ensuring a vehicle doesn’t take damage and the like. It’s this which adds in a ton of Moons of Darsalon replayability.

Environmental Mayhem and Retro Vibes

For us, the real joy of Darsalon though is in the environmental changes that are possible. Taking to the skies with a jetpack, hovering in place as you fire the ground-maker to create new pathways is a real joy, as is dragging out the laser to blast new avenues and to take out oncoming enemies. It comes with a fairly decent physics system at play too, ragdolling when times call. That said, on occasion we’ve been left screaming as things feel a bit too finicky, a little bit dodgy.

But, we’ve got to remember those retro vibes, and whilst some of us may well have been gaming for more than four decades already, the CRT and Spectrum-y take found in the graphics and audio can become a bit tiresome. We’d have absolutely been down for playing through a sharper, more visually-appealing Moons of Darsalon, one in which the juddery camera is gone, replaced by smoothness throughout. And whilst there’s no doubting that the old-school take does work, we can’t help but feel that many modern day gamers, those much younger than us, will be put off from the get-go. On the flip, the 8-bit audio based on the MOS 6581 (SID) chip from 1982 really does deserve a listen, if only for the enjoyment and silliness it allows.

A Madcap and Unique Platformer That’s Worth a Look

We hope that most gamers can look through those elements, as the gameplay and mechanics alone pretty much demand that this one be played. Moons of Darsalon may not be a looker, but it’s huge fun, extremely clever and full of ideas that add to the appeal. A madcap rollercoaster ride it may be, but you can be sure that once you’ve strapped yourself in, the highs more than outweigh the few lows.