Hell on the Moon
Life on Earth became unbearable, and humanity began to explore space. Pioneers discovered traces of an ancient civilization on the Moon. They didn't find the owners, but they found two creatures that could take any form desired by the beholder. People wished to see God and the Devil before them, and they got what they wanted.
Flirting with the supernatural ended as expected: with the death of almost all inhabitants of the Moon. Some affliction turned people into monsters that attacked everyone in their path. Only a few survived, taking refuge in guardians – artificial shells into which human consciousness could be transferred.
For the next 200 years, only scouts arrived on the Moon – prisoners working for a reduced sentence. A network of overseers named Aileen transfers the consciousness of prisoners into guardians so they can collect valuable items and information.
The game begins with the arrival of a scout named Fox on the Moon. The girl is transferred into a guardian, and on her very first mission, she stumbles upon the Abyss. Fox looked into the Abyss, and it looked back at her, bestowing new abilities. Now Fox can get rid of the affliction, but she will be hindered by an army of remaining monsters.
Exploring the Depths
To complete tasks, you need to explore the Moon, but you won't get to walk on its surface. Inside the Earth's satellite is the maw of the Abyss: a dead city, a flourishing forest, mines, giant towers. Each level offers breathtaking views that you want to examine.
The entire environment is gigantic. You start to feel like an insect crawling through cracks and pipes. The game allows you to explore almost every corner – curiosity isn't always rewarded, but wandering is still enjoyable. The Moon's interior resembles the Citadel from System Shock, where everything is just as massive.
Fox is very agile and takes no fall damage – unless she jumps into the void. Over time, she will learn new skills and become even more agile. Temporarily, you'll be allowed to control guardians that can ride aerotracks, like in BioShock Infinite, jump on walls, and destroy enemies with giant cannons.
Thanks to clever design, it's impossible to get lost – necessary locations are highlighted. Secrets are marked with signs and accompanied by unique music. Among the secrets, you can find notes, maximum health upgrades, and red crystals. Due to the lack of invulnerability after taking damage, health is not very meaningful – if you get caught in a long burst, you are guaranteed to die. The crystals are hidden very cunningly, and I didn't find out their purpose – perhaps you need to find them all first.
Characters are rarely encountered. If you're lucky, you'll stumble upon adequate scouts or surviving humans. The rest have been marinating for hundreds of years in self-hatred and hatred of others. Throughout the game, they will shift blame onto each other in Fox's head. At some point, the main villain will appear and say: "I won't hide that I'm evil. But there's a nuance!" – after which he will join the chorus of arguing voices.
Fighting Monsters from the Past.
At first, the enemies are not impressive. They shoot slow bullets, lasers, fly, teleport, and defend with shields. On the second to last difficulty level, there are no survival problems.
You're given a boring laser rifle, a shotgun, and a sniper rifle to fight back. You destroy blue shields with the shotgun and pink ones with the sniper rifle. Fighting with a keyboard and mouse is uncomfortable due to the aiming system: the game is designed for a gamepad.
The battles are disappointing for a long time, but then the game reveals itself:
- The ability to absorb wounded enemies for health appears. If an enemy is blown up, it destroys shields and wounds those around them.
- After upgrading, the guns will work as they should.
- You'll get a fourth gun that colorfully destroys almost everyone in sight.
After the first serious battle, you realize that before it, the game persistently taught you how to fight. Bosses unleash all the attacks on Fox that enemies and mini-bosses used before. Battles with them are short but fun and memorable – you have to constantly move, change weapons, and monitor your surroundings.
Diagnosis
Throughout the entire playthrough, Luna Abyss defies expectations. At first, you think it's a simple platformer with shooter elements, distinguished only by its appearance. But then the game proves that it's fun to move and shoot – it's not afraid to spend the player's time so that they master all the mechanics.
But we can't forget about the game's appearance! It's very beautiful, massive, and diverse. You're surprised not only by the environment but also by the fact that you're allowed to study it thoroughly. You want to spend more time in the game than originally planned – exploring levels is simply enjoyable, even if curiosity isn't rewarded.