Originally released on PC a couple years ago, Moons of Darsalon by Dr. Kucho Games has trickled its way onto consoles. Mixing Lemmings’ “save them all” gameplay with a twin-stick shooter is an interesting combo but there are a few unfortunate stumbles that hold back the creative experience.
This indie developed title is essentially one big rescue mission. Playing as a stranded astronaut, it is your job to find, save, and lead other stranded comrades to the exit point. Armed with a laser gun that can shoot through terrain and take out enemies, a gun that can create solid ground, and a jetpack, the player has a creative toolset to get the job done. On top of that, ammo is limited and the jetpack can easily overheat making resource management critical. The intuitive control scheme makes it easy to juggle all these requirements, making use of both sticks and giving commands to the NPCs via the d-pad. Since this game is rather unique, there is a several stage learning curve.
Not only is the challenge high at all times, this digital download does not hold your hand. Enemies attack aggressively, some jumps require pixel precision, and earning anything more than a 1-star stage ranking requires near perfection. This is one of those games that rates you harshly at the conclusion of each stage which winds up being more discouraging than enticing. Yes, I know I need to find all the stranded and bring them back unharmed, but the only way to do this is through repetition and patience, two things that run short when the difficulty and stage design is intentionally frustrating.
For example, what should be a series of simple jumps at the beginning of Stage 6 winds up being a lesson in how poorly the character responds to ledge grabbing. Calling it random is giving it praise. Then, if you make it beyond what should be a simple challenge, it can become rage quitting when the player isn’t given enough visual information to know when the heat damage ends when trying to fly through tight spots with the limited jetpack. Then if you make it to the exit with all the survivors, you can take damage simply by being the first to cross the finish line instead of the NPCs, resulting in a lower score or even death. It is also very possible to soft lock yourself by running out of ammo, leaving your trapped in a pit. There is an option to restart, but it requires fumbling through the menu to get there. There are many of these little instances which ruin the cohesion and makes things way more difficult than they need to be.
The unfortunate frustration really holds back what could otherwise be an entertaining, almost arcade-like experience. Using twin stick controls to shoot enemies and restore parts of the environment is fun, and the 60s art style mixed with early 80s sound synth effects create something with plenty of personality, but it becomes hard to enjoy when you can’t clear a simple jump, you run out of ammo leaving you stuck in a hole, or the NPCs do not follow direction. The fluid pixel animation of each character, like how they dance at the end, is rather charming though. Also, there are some glitches too, like how the game restarts upon starting a new stage (I am playing this pre-release so it is possible some bugs can be squashed before public availability).
For each thing to enjoy in Moons of Darsalon, there seems to be a counter frustration. This new take on Lemmings is headed in the right direction but would have benefited from having a little more time in the oven (even though it took over two years to see a console port).
SCORE: 6/10
Also Try: Solar Jetman (NES)
Wait For It: a Lemmings battle royal
Not As Action Packed As: Rocket Riot (X360)
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
X/Twitter: @ZackGaz
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