Is This Going To Be Our Next Giant Leap? If So, Just What Are We Jumping Into?

Despite its acclaim, I never experienced Moon on the Nintendo DS.  So when I learned that a remastered version was headed to the 3DS eShop, I was excited!  I’m not a fan of first-person shooters as a rule, but I’ve enjoyed previous game releases from Renegade Kid.  Moreover, the sci-fi settings are capable of bringing me around in ways that military war games never will.  So I invite you to read on as I share my experiences and impressions of Moon Chronicles.

The captivating story has you playing as Major Edward Kane, who has led a team to explore a mysterious hatch found on the moon’s surface.  The hatch has markings, similar to those seen in wreckage recovered at Roswell.   Two early events drive the game’s narrative – an energy spike that separates Kane from most of his crew, and an unidentified vapor that penetrates his space suit.  While some answers will be discovered during the course of the game, much still remains unknown.  Fans of the original aren’t in the dark of course, but those of us experiencing the game new will need to wait – future episodes will be arriving as paid downloadable content.

What Secrets Lie Beneath the Moon’s Surface?

Even though I missed Moon on the DS, I can see its graphical roots in this 3DS version.  The cut scenes in particular have some muddy and jagged textures.  The fact that they still look satisfactory though is a testament to how much the nearly six-year-old original pushed the humble DS hardware.  Once you take control, things fare better – much better.  The remastered visuals are very effective in stereoscopic 3D!  Even though I found myself losing the sweet spot at times (due to the controls which I’ll elaborate on shortly) I kept the 3D fully cranked for immersion.

Outside of technical achievements, Moon Chronicles succeeds in creating atmospheric visuals.  I had some initial worries that the corridors would be of the bland and relatively empty grey variety (like some other fps) but that isn’t the case.  They’re detailed, full, and colorful.  The walls have interesting imagery.   The rooms have scattered cases, machinery, and terminals.  The textures are bathed in varying colorful shades of blue, green, orange, purple, and yellow – sometimes all in the same room!  Couple all this with the pulsating lighting, and it makes the subterranean facilities and installations almost seem alive – living, breathing, and thinking.  I know it sounds like I’m singing a familiar tune when I say that screenshots don’t do it enough justice, but it’s true.  You need to see this game in motion, see how smooth it runs (even with the 3D maxed!) to truly appreciate these visuals.

The audio package of Moon Chronicles is a big draw.  It sucks you in with its eerie tunes, which vary in pitch and tone.  It really helps set the mood for an otherworldly adventure.  The sound effects aren’t quite as strong (I wish the weapons had a bit more punch) but thankfully they can be adjusted in volume separate from the music, so as to compliment it while not drowning out.  A nice addition is a bit of voice work.  Limited mainly to the start (and lacking in subtitles) it’s still a solid inclusion that I appreciated.

Controls are a concern for any looking to play a fps on 3DS, and understandably so.  Thankfully in Moon Chronicles case, it controls as well as can probably be expected for the hardware.  You can look around and aim with either the buttons or touch screen, and fire weapons with the triggers.  Controls for opening doors and swapping weapons and such are also mapped to the touch screen.  It isn’t perfect, but I’m not sure it could be done any better.  Should you have struggles, the game does have three difficulty settings.  Unlike the other settings these can’t be switched on the fly, but the game does record statistics for each one.  Two other welcomed control features to mention – the game supports the neglected Circle Pad Pro (which I imagine is ideal) and it can also be optimized for left-handed play.

Episode 1 – One Small Step

Moon Chronicles isn’t so much a first person shooter as it is a first person adventure (think Metroid Prime).  There are plenty of enemies to tangle with, but they don’t swarm you.  In fact some areas have none, making each encounter more memorable and tense as a result, especially the couple of boss battles.  Even though you can move fast, the overall pace of the game is a slower one.  As you explore the vast environments, searching for alien artifacts to unlock a secret mission, upgrades for your health and ammunition clips, and watching the story slowly unfold via terminal readouts and comlink exchanges, you feel like you’re part of a sci-fi adventure.  The early acquisition of a remote access droid adds to the adventure vibe, as you’ll be sending it off to scout ahead, temporarily immobilizing enemies, and solving puzzles.  There’s even a fun section near the end that has you driving a moon buggy along the surface!

The biggest problem with Moon Chronicles, is that this is just the first episode.  You can replay missions on different difficulties, and engage in bonus VR training, but the main game is very short.  Players can buzz through it in just a couple of hours depending on the difficulty setting, and whether or not the bonus mission is unlocked – even quicker if they’re skilled, and skip things like filling all the map, destroying every enemy, and acquiring all upgrades.  Stat recording can encourage replay – time, shot accuracy, and merits are registered for each difficulty setting – but it’s still short.  Admittedly the cost of $8.99 for the amount of content doesn’t look great on paper.  However with future DLC episodes launching  for (hopefully) just a mere $1.99 each, is it really that bad?  While I can’t say for certain until the other episodes launch, I really don’t think so.  Situations like this are actually one of the reasons that I don’t care for episodic content as a rule.  The other one is cliffhangers.  Moon Chronicles has me in its grip!  Renegade Kid better get the DLC out quickly!

It’s tough settling on a score for Moon Chronicles.  It’s one short piece of a much larger game.  Given my enjoyment of past Renegade Kid games though (Mutant Mudds was my first eShop download, and still a favorite) as well as my enjoyment of this game, they’ve earned my confidence.  I’m certain they’ll handle the subsequent chapters very well, with care and consideration – not to mention the all-new Season 2!  If the DLC is anywhere near as impressive as this first chapter was, they’ll be lots to look forward to in the coming months.  Moon Chronicles is enthralling entertainment!

Moon Chronicles (episode 1) releases on 05/15/2014