Moonscars

The protagonist and player character, Grey Irma, in the main art for Moonscars

***Moonscars*** is a platform game developed by Black Mermaid and published by Humble Games. The game was released on September 27, 2022 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One. In the game, players control a warrior named Grey Irma, who searches for her maker, the Sculptor. The game received generally positive reviews on release.

## Premise

> Push the limits of your combat skills, and master new abilities to progress through an unforgiving nonlinear 2D world. Face off against the relentless darkness that seeks to destroy you. In Moonscars, every death is a lesson learnt—and as you overcome each challenge, new truths will be revealed.
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## Gameplay

*Moonscars* is a 2D side-scrolling platform game with Soulslike elements. Players take control of Grey Irma, a warrior made of clay and bone, who must track down her maker, a being called the Sculptor. To find the Sculptor, Irma must fight through a world inhabited by creatures made of clay, where most human civilization is in ruins. Irma can defeat enemies by attacking them with her broadsword, which can cut through multiple enemies at once. Irma can also dodge or parry enemy attacks, with a parry giving the player the opportunity to both hit and push back an enemy. Each time Irma damages an enemy, she gains Ichor, which can be spent to regain hit points. Ichor can also be spent to attack with magical abilities, called Witchery. Each time Irma dies, she is resurrected at the last checkpoint the player used, and the power of enemies is increased. To alleviate this increase in enemy strength, the player able to acquire items called Glands from slaying monsters, which they can use to reduce the game's difficulty.

## Reception

According to review aggregator Metacritic, the PC version of *Moonscars* has received "generally favorable reviews", while the PlayStation 5 and Switch versions have received "mixed or average reviews". *Nintendo World Report* rated the game a 5 out of 10, praising the game's art style and options in combat, but criticizing the high level of difficulty and the rarity of the Gland items. *Rock Paper Shotgun* similarly praised the art style and compared the game to *Castlevania*, but considered the Blood Moon mechanic of increased difficulty to be a punishing addition. *Nintendo Life* said that the game was reminiscent of *Dead Cells* and liked how it deviated from other Soulslike games with its combat, but found its difficulty to be the "biggest downfall in the end".

## References

1. ↑ *Gematsu* – "Moonscars launches September 27 for PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC" by Romano, Sal. Published August 10, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 *Review: Moonscars - A Brutal, Beautiful Soulslike In Need Of A Performance Patch* – "Nintendo Life" by O'Reilly, PJ. Published October 11, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 *GameSpot* – "2D Action Game Moonscars Delivers Creepy Bloodborne-Like Energy In New Release date Trailer" by Ramée, Jordan. Published August 10, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 *Nintendo World Report* – "Moonscars Review" by Miller, Zachary. Published October 11, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
5. ↑ *Metacritic* – "Moonscars for PC Reviews". Retrieved June 1, 2023.
6. ↑ *Metacritic* – "Moonscars for PlayStation 5 Reviews". Retrieved June 1, 2023.
7. ↑ *Metacritic* – "Moonscars for Switch Reviews". Retrieved June 1, 2023.
8. ↑ *Rock Paper Shotgun* – "Moonscars is too punishing for my blood" by Castle, Katharine. Published September 27, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2023.