Moons of Madness is an awesome title developed by Rock Pocket Games, a Norwegian company that entered the world of video game creation in 2008 and, today, has a rotating workforce of between 15 and 50 employees. . I wanted to emphasize this information as a small developer infrastructure, giving excellent results to the final results of the title we have in our hands today.
The "Cosmic Terror" of Lovecraftian books has attracted a lot of games that have been included in the horror genre. The last examples are in "Call of Cthulhu" or "The Sinking City", both titles act as the basis for narrating the mythological figure of Cthulhu made by H.P. The love of bone as a supreme entity, is sometimes revered as a god, capable of opening up the apocalypse.
That phrase is widely used, that of “cosmic Terror», when referring to Lovecraft's work however. What exactly is global terrorism? The Cosmic Terror is such an irrational fear that we all keep within ourselves the unknown, those dangers that may linger in the unconnected realm and that could endanger our existence as a race in the universe. And what better way to deal with the unknown than by launching yourself into the intangible Mars planet? This is a Mons of Madness suggestion, to lead us to feel completely helpless of loneliness while dealing with our deepest fears.
Technical section
Maybe this is the category we can expand. The developers of Rock Pocket Games have successfully used Unreal Engine 4, which gives the game a solid boost in terms of performance and lighting. When looking at the limited resources of the company, we must recognize the titanic effort, care and talent dedicated to the sport. The game at its technological level is not overdone, but it is not focused on anything, much appreciated these days.
The way the creators play with the lights and shadows, the contrast between the darkness and the spiritual light of the machines that surround everything, blends in well with the atmosphere they lift each other and helps a lot with immersion. The game is progressing well, although you should know that you don't have too much load at any time, since most of the time you will be alone in unfavorable conditions. In this feature we highlight the outdoors, where we go out with our car to visit the Martian area, where the company's best work in the real estate industry shines. As for the interior, they can be duplicated somehow because we will go through a lot of coral with gates and clone rooms. But we will also have many other conditions such as caves and others not to mention fall into the basement, all of them unique and reconstructed.
The sound effects are well used and will form a basic part of the experience, because they will often depend on the anxiety to deal with what the evil creature can solve at night. However, the game plays well with that serenity which makes us feel very lonely and helpless. Background music is almost non-existent and is offered one of two specific moments in the adventure.
Gameplay
Speaking of Mons of Madness, the most common would undoubtedly be Soma with an infinite number of matches and I think it's a success. Personally I see Moons of Madness as a step forward compared to other independent natural narratives, because if with titles like Lenders Of Fear by the Pole Bloober Team, it was enough to move the corridors for nature to do everything, the game would require more player, especially exploration and ingenuity.
The game takes us to the test station above Mars, a secret mission to test the possibility of a colonial achievement on the red planet. We will soon find the subterranean terror of the natural ecological system presented against invading species.
This action puts us in the shoes of developer Shane Newehart, from the perspective of the first person who I think is perfectly suited to give the game more immersion. If your expectations are action, this is not the topic. While it is true that it does not reduce us to event spectators as in other similar court games, it should be noted that gaming machines are not limited, which gives the impression that developers have chosen "small and good", as This is always shown. It doesn't offer too many options but what works like a clock operation.
That spirit of constant conflict ends up unattractive as we progress through the game. At first we deal with the horror of Mars with that shame of taking the wrong step, or that uncertainty that might be waiting for us in every room … every gate. The problem is that conflicts are too often nailed and, in the few cases where we have to escape the dismissal that reminds us, it is enough to move on without stumbling in the prescribed manner that goes wrong. Perhaps if they had opened up escape opportunities, such as cabinets to hide or other ways to prosecute our prosecutor, he would have found more value to keep that first argument because, as soon as we understand that it is enough to rush to free himself, we are just in the process of resignation.
The other thing that I think is affected is the ride in the Myccat car. From time to time we have to move outside to relocate. In this case we will use a non-motorized semi-autonomous vehicle, turning this trip into an imaginary world of Martha. I firmly believe that, with a little work, they could have given us a few more exploration brushes without the basics, which would have dramatically increased the experience and increased the time of a single and unresolved story.
We have to be careful of our supply of oxygen each time we leave the base. During the journey where the game takes us out to the dry surface of Mars, we have to wear our spacesuit. At these times we have to pay attention to our oxygen domain (I don't think it's important to describe what happens when you reach zero). Our first steps abroad will be taken care of by the fear of failing and losing our progress, but it is an ephemeral feeling because we can never be too far from an oxygen renewal source because even our car has a supply channel.
But as I mentioned earlier, what Monons of Madness does is good and there are enough points to allow you to leave the chaos in the chair by the time it takes to complete the adventure. The editing is very effective and, although we quickly stop feeling the real fear, that feeling of loneliness and emptiness will never leave us, and this is well done.
We will have many puzzles that are of sufficient difficulty to prevent it but force us not to reduce our attention. As for the stolen cans, I have to say that they left me a bittersweet taste. They fail to be killed, but are spared the useless intelligence of the enemy.
As for the tools, weapons and consumables that will make up our collection, most of them will be used automatically, so we won't be disappointed in what tool we should use to open the door or which piece of electronics the District needs to repair. Is this good or bad? It is very closely related. In many games we have endless running devices that only make us dizzy when we want what we need, instead I think they give us all the chewing all the time leaving the feeling that they are holding us by the hand like little kids.
Time
As for the duration of the game, there are very few entries to change. It's always about 9 hours for me and I think it shouldn't be too different from the other player because there is no other road or fork and that the title can last more or less depending on the parimony you are facing with each task. For this reason we are not facing an unanswered topic as there is nothing new to offer in the second game, unless you liked the story so much that you decide to repeat the same steps again. This way you can take my 9 hours as a limited amount of time it will take to end this awful Martian conflict.
Conclusion
In short, this is a highly recommended game for horror fans and a great adventure to narrate, where Lovesters fans will be especially appealing.
Month of madness provides us with a shocking experience where the feeling of loneliness and emptiness and fear not will be our greatest enemy. It's a game with flaws caused by a lack of infrastructure and budget, but with the kind of attention to detail and the involvement of its creators who have chosen the wisest of the greatest, and that's almost always appreciated.
I officially announce that I am a defender of this article as it provides far more advanced information than the current game catalog of this same genre (genre and budget), take Cthulhu's Call, Terrorist or Soma for example. So, if you enjoyed any of these articles, don't hesitate to bet on Moons of Madness. And, in my humble opinion, we should not lose track of the Rock Pocket Game because it could bring more interesting titles in the future.
We can buy a Moons of Madness for € 29.99 at the Microsoft store, a price I think is reasonable when considering what it offers.
