Moon (Nintendo DS) - Review by Andrew

Introduction

It's difficult to escape all things moon this week and with NASA celebrating 40 years since the original moon landing the media is awash with images and news pieces. Even Neil Armstrong made a rare appearance in Washington to chat about that fateful day at the end of the 1960's. Movie goers will also have noticed that Moon is nearing release starring Sam Rockwell and directed by none other than Duncan Jones who just happens to be David Bowie's son. All that brings us neatly to Renegade Kid's DS title, Moon, which is the follow up to their critically acclaimed The Ward. So, without further delay, let's join our team on the surface...

Gameplay

The year is 2058, the location: Luna Outpost Alpha. That's right, we're in the future and man has had a base on the moon for some years now but you have been called in when a routine geological excavation uncovers a subterranean structure of unknown origin. What is it? Who built it? It's up to you to uncover the mysteries within but no sooner do you begin than the bodies start to mount up. You're on your own but have constant radio contact with your commanding officers although they provide little in the way of guidance. Your first stop should always be one of the many mainframe computers you'll find dotted around the complex. These give you access to the whole layout, including the areas of interest which are generally where you should be heading however they won't help you with the barrage of robots and flying droids who are constantly firing at you, although as long as you fully explore the complex you'll generally have enough weaponry to deal with them all.

Each of the many rooms is sealed with a door and while the majority of these can simply be opened others require a switch to be activated. This is where your remote Droid comes into action as it can gain access to the many small air ducts and corridors which are otherwise inaccessible to you. It's also the only way you'll be able to collect the various alien artifacts which open up 'VR' training missions from the main menu after the main game. Once you've completed one outpost it's off to another but as not all of them are accessible on foot, you'll require transport. This involves jumping into your LOLA which is basically a moon buggy with the ability to fire weapons at anything which troubles you. This is a nice addition to the otherwise samey gameplay but the introduction of puzzles would really have improved matters greatly.

Controls

The D-pad is used in conjunction with the touch-screen to allow for the FPS experience whilst the shoulder buttons are used to fire the various weapons at your disposal.

Graphics

Renegade Kid have built an impressive engine here and it results in some immersive, well designed, environments which are a joy to explore. They might repeat a little too often and you could be forgiven for thinking you'd been there before but it's still just about as good as it gets on the DS. The animation is also effective and the bosses in particular movie with menace and purpose. It's all wrapped up with a generous amount of FMV which is just the right length (without you wanting to skip through it) and ties together the whole story nicely.

Sound

While the majority of the music is perfectly suited to the game occasionally the sound designer has got a little carried away. The results are best described as a clash of opposing sounds and you will find yourself lowering the volume to allow you to continue with the game. Elsewhere the sound effects can be quite helpful in locating danger and enemy locations and the spoken dialogue is well performed and audible.

Dual screen

Because this is a handheld FPS, you'll mostly use the stylus control to look around and guide your movements either on foot, in your LOLA or when controlling the droid. The rest is simply a case of selecting different weapons as and when they become available.

Final comments

While Moon starts out as a very promising and competent FPS (especially on the DS) it does run out of steam a little too quickly and the results are much less satisfying than you'd expect from developers Renegade Kid. The levels and enemies are very similar and once you've completed the first outpost there are few surprises. Still, there's much to enjoy with Moon and while this is a single player experience the control system is incredibly responsive and driving around the moons surface is great fun. It's just a shame there's not the gameplay variation we've come to expect from games of this nature.

Pro: Solid Controls, High Production Values.
Con: Repetitive Enemies and Levels, Sound can Become Headache-Inducing.
Final score: 8.1

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