First-person
shooters have never been a natural fit on the Nintendo DS. The handheld just
doesn’t lend itself well to the genre in terms of visuals and controls. So even
though Renegade Kid’s latest effort does those two things as good or better than
any FPS on DS, it still has trouble overcoming the hardware.
Moon’s controls
are certainly accurate. Using the now standard stylus aim/turn mechanic and the
face buttons for movement, Moon feels very precise. Don’t let the initial rifle
fool you; it’s purposefully inaccurate. As you gain superior weapons you begin
to appreciate the controls and aiming becomes natural and fun. But inaccuracy
isn’t the biggest problems this setup faces as any DS FPS player will know. This
control scheme just plain hurts. The problem is that while using the stylus, you
have to support the DS entirely with one hand. You can’t set it down because
then the shoulder button becoming awkward to use. And in a shooter, the trigger
is pretty essential. These certainly aren’t problems exclusive to Moon, but the
awkwardness is here in full force. But other than that standard complaint, Moon
controls well. In fact, the only real issue with Renegade Kid’s design is that
they incorrectly mapped the sniper rifle’s zoom in the left-handed setup. We
southpaws always get the shaft!
Gameplay-wise,
Moon certainly doesn’t break new ground in the genre. In fact, it’s very, very
simple, as most levels have you traversing the various corridors of an alien
base on the moon with a fairly simple objective of either collecting an item or
eliminating a boss. There are a few change of pace levels early on that have you
driving on the surface of the moon, but these are quickly abandoned with good
reason. Although it does expand the scope of the game, the moon car (dubbed the
Lola) controls horribly and has the turning radius of an 18-wheeler on an icy
road. Not good when trying to maneuver through a minefield.
One nice
addition to the gameplay is the RAD, or, Remote Access Droid, which can sent
through small shaft and under low lying pipes to lower shields that block your
way. This serves as a nice gameplay switch in a game that has you almost
constantly fighting hostile drones and aliens.
The boss fights
are also well done. In fact they are probably the best designed aspect of the
game. Even though the bosses repeat, there is always some twist on the
environment, and the level of difficulty is just right.
Unfortunately
the main level design doesn’t fare as well. Although it isn’t technically poor,
the environments repeat way too frequently. There is very much a feeling of seen
one, seen them all here, as you’ll be passing through rooms that simply look as
though they have been repainted and reused. Apparently the aliens, even with
their superior technology, never advanced beyond a very primitive level in
interior design.
The save system
is also worth noting. Moon only let’s you save a specified points, and this can
lead to some very frustrating moments, as you may have to repeat some areas many
times. The most frustrating part is that the game simply has you going from room
to room and the save function is so quick that you could certainly slip a
checkpoint in-between every door. The level design is perfectly setup for this.
So the best strategy is probably to clear a room, run back to the save point to
restore your health, continue to the next unexplored room and repeat. Luckily
enemies don’t respawn, so once you clear a room and save, it’s clear.
Graphically,
Moon is very impressive. The 3D graphics are sharp, run very smoothly and
feature more detail than we are used to on the DS. The game also features some
nice cinematics, even if they are pixilated and feature a fairly bland story
presentation. The problem here isn’t with the programming, but the art. The
interface is clearly Metroid-inspired, which is good, but the art direction is
nowhere near the quality of that series. Putting aside the fact that the designs
repeat themselves, Moon really doesn’t have any distinctive visual styling. When
you are exploring an alien environment, you should be able to come up with
something more exciting than a series of indistinguishable corridors. Some of
the enemy designs fair a bit better than the environments, but they are still
nothing memorable or unique.
Sound effects
are about what you expect from the DS, nothing more, nothing less. The music on
the other hand is downright annoying and repetitive. In fact, you’ll probably
want to turn it off after you’ve heard the same piece looping endlessly during
extended play sessions.
Despite all its
flaws, Moon is an ambitious title for the DS, and one that is fairly successful
considering the limitations of the hardware. It certainly isn’t a notable title
in the genre as a whole, but as far as FPS on DS is concerned, it’s near the top
of the list. If you are craving a DS shooter, you can’t do much better than
Moon, but that doesn’t mean it’s a great game.
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Gameplay: 7.5
Solid gameplay
mechanics boost a fairly standard design. The boss fights are well done.
Graphics: 8.0
While technically
superior, Moon’s bland art direction hurts the game’s visual impact.
Sound: 6.0
An otherwise decent
sound design is hurt greatly by the irritating and endlessly repetitive score.
Difficulty: Hard
Moon is no pushover.
Even on the normal setting, it will definitely provide a good challenge.
Concept: 7.0
There aren’t any
particularly innovative concepts here, but what we get is a generally solid
design.
Overall: 7.3
Moon is a solid
first-person shooter, especially considering it’s on DS, but it certainly has
its fair share of shortcomings and annoyances.
