Moonstrider

I wanted this game since it came out in September 2015, but I only had gotten it in August 2017. I know Steam only says I've played it for .3 hours, but since I have a laptop, I play this game when I go on vacation, and in the car. I probably have 15 hours in this game, but i was offline for almost all on if. This game is very fun and addicting, and I really do recommend this game to anyone looking for a car ride game or a casual game to play while waiting for friends.

I recommend this game beacause it has unlimited replayability, but it is still in development so some bugs might appear, like crashing in the level after tutorial, but that issue is really avoidable, b/c you only need the basics, so just hit play and pick a character, and go; and the achievements a not working on my verision, but who needs achievments anyways... right..? right?



I hope this game gets lots of love, from the makers who already filled it with wonderful art.

This is a game that I can keep coming back to, which is exactly what I want in a good Roguelike.

Each level is a star system with randomized planets, and just the fact that I'm warping around the galaxy and traveling between planets makes the game feel bigger than it really is. It even shows you a map of the galaxy you're currently in, which is different each time you play.
Fighting whilst circling around planets is great fun and also makes gameplay interesting when you get abilities that are affected by the size of the planet you're on. Moonstrider has an interesting system for navigating levels; You have to use 1 fuel to jump between planets, and since you generally only collect 2 fuel at a time you have to plan out your jumps if you want to thoroughly explore a system.

I really like that there is a secret area you can get to, although I have yet to find out what lies in wait if you complete said areas. They add this sense of mystery that I don't get from a lot of games.
The game even has 6 unlockable characters, and they all have a good balance of pros and cons, and some of them have very unique gameplay. When I first played the melee character, Nadia, I thought they were far too difficult to use, but after getting some practice runs in I learned how to use their crazy bomb-and-dodge-jump and they became my favorite character. I love Nadia's risky, in-your-face, high DPS style.
The boss battles are a lot of fun as well, and they even have expert mode variations if you encounter the same boss later in the game.

Overall, it's a very polished game with an impressive amount of content to explore and excellent replayability. I hope it continues to get updates well into the future.

I personaly know the creator for this game, and pre-alpha tested it. It was good then, albiet with 3 levels, no map, 3 bosses, a handfull of enemies, and ocational bugs. I remember how exited we all were when this got greenlit for steam. Its great to see how much this game has grown, and how much has been added. There are new charechters, achevements, and a full story line! Its more than I thought it could be, and they have expanded and improved on everything. Its gone from a good game to an awesome game! Its very easy to get adicted and play for hours on end, or to pick it up for 10 minuits every once and a while. Its posible to take it slow and take your time, or jump straight to the boss (literaly). I would most definatly recomend it to anyone.

This game does an awful lot right, it has one of the best currency systems I have seen in any game, the fuel system serves it's purpose well, bosses are reasonably difficult, this game is just what you would expect from an indie rouguelike. Now, pros and cons.

Pros:
+ Currency system is the best I have seen in a very long time. Enemies drop the in game currency (gems) when killed, they drop like 4-5 in my experience, which is very little since each planet as on average around 2-3 enemies and items cost upwards of 40 gems, if you are only getting money from killing, you won't be able to buy everything. Likely not even if you kill every enemy in the level. You can instead refine ore into gems, BUT, now you have to choose. Some useful thing, or money. Usually fuel or max energy increase or health or a 30 second powerup. All of which are worth taking.

+ The random occurences in each level are very fun (think curses in Binding of Isaac, but implemented better) I have seen solar flares, which are bright flashes of light which (I think) damage you if you are on a side of the planet exposed to the sun (I never took chances) Not only do solar flares look beautiful, but they take advantage of the core concept of the game (planetoid roguelike). The others are cool as well, and I wish there were more, but none are nearly as memorable as the solar flare.

+ Fuel. The fuel system is one of my favorite elements of the game. Most of the time, you have to choose between fuel and health. The two most important stats. You can dig up the Bright red ore and choose between one exra max health and one extra fuel. If you run out of fuel you have to sacrifice life for being so careless. It is something that is always on my mind, as I like it to be full, yet (excluding each levels starting planet) you can never arrive on a planet with max fuel.

Cons:

- Energy. I feel like the Energy recharge delay could do with a decrease. I don't think the recharge RATE needs increasing. There is items for that. But the default delay is too much, and makes fighting a less fluid experience.

- Characters. I have not unlocked all of the characters, but I never use the ones I have unlocked. The dodge roll is simply too much better than the other characters dodges. My suggestion is that every character have a dodge roll, and a special ability. Like the 180 degree teleport. Maybe make the explode yourself backward could launch UP a similar height to jumping, and damage things around the liftoff point.

- Difficulty. The difficulty curve is a little wonky. The first level I can often get through with full health, but the second level I often die on, and the third level I often die in certain parts, while other parts are easy. A more steady curve would benefit the game. Sadly I can't give suggestions on difficulty, it's too hard to guage an average difficulty.

Conclusion:

This is a game that has some amazing gameplay mechanics, like the fuel system and the currency, but not only are they good, but they are implemented well. The games bosses aren't too creative, but their movesets are hinted at on similar enemies throughout the level. The game has some fundemental flaws, but none severe enough to make me angry, just sometimes disappointed.

Overall score: 9/10

tldr: Good game, screw every other character than the starting one.

EDIT: I have just unlocked the last currently implemented character, and the rule does still apply, but it is actually quite fun to play.

An interesting roguelike where you jump from from planet to planet mining ores ores that can soup up your character. Or give you more fuel to travel to new planets and gems (which is this games currency) to keep your adventure going. New characters mix up the gameplay and add some challenge. Bosses can be difficult at first, but once their pattern is figured out, they're not so bad. Overall a solid game and I can't wait to see what the developers do with this.

I played this game at a playtest at UNM and enjoyed it immensely. I didn't want to share the controller with anyone else there, but then I found out it was available to purchase on Steam! I got it and have been recommending it to my friends, too.

This game is an old school style of pixel art, which is well designed, colorful, and fun. The sound design is also fun, with appropriate space noises, creatures, music, everything. The entire art aspects alone should be a reason to invest time in the game.
The flow of the game and controls are a bit confusing at first, but then you get into it and the controls become second nature. The way the game forces you to choose how to manage resources and to strategize is clever and has you constantly thinking about what decision you'll make. And the difficulty of a roguelike is definitely present in this. You are certain to die a few times (or several times in my case) before you begin to figure out how things work. For example, learning enemy patterns through each playthrough helps you to make it further and further in the game. And the further you progress, you notice different environmental hazards, such as flytraps and acid pits, and then more extreme, galaxy spanning hazards, like solar flares and ion bursts. Equipment gathered is helpful for different situations, and the more gathered, the better. They can be used in conjunction to increase survivability and effectiveness against enemies. I get excited each time I find a different piece I can add to make my character more deadly.

All in all, I highly recommend this game to anyone who likes space themed shooters, pixelated artwork, and arcade style action with roguelike difficulty.

A tremendously fun, charming, and delightfully challenging rogue-like indie game! Great gameplay, fun tone, interesting arcade mechanics, and replay value better than most games. I'm extremely glad I was able to support this game and developer!

Fun, polished, entertaining twist on the classic rogue-like

Played the game for 1 hour now so I've not seen all the content the game has:


Pros:
-Nice gameplay and ressource-managment
-intense boss-fights
-great pixel-art
-nice, different planets with physics

cons:
-only seen 3 bosses in the first 2 levels so far. Don't know if there are more
-no difference between the first two levels. hope there will be difference between the levels later on


Would I recommend it?

Yes, it's really fun and intense. Buy it

I am a massive whore for roguelites, and this one is great. The physics are smooth, the collectibles are fun and meaningful, combat takes skill, and exploring is just straight up fun. I have yet to complete a run because I keep getting killed by the same boss (some green asshole ninja alien thing) but learning how to beat different enemies is legitimately fun. One of my biggest gripes with most roguelites is enemy AI homogeneity, but there is none of that to be found here. If you are ok with early access, I think this game is absolutely worth supporting.

This game is fun. The battles can get pretty intense! The music keeps me going.