Dark Moonlight

Put some fresh undies and buckle up for Dark Moonlight! A survival horror action game set in the near future, you follow David Kellerman, a man suffering form numerous fears and phobias who tries out a new experimental therapy. I’ll give you a chance to guess how quickly everything turns awful. That’s right; immediately. It’s up to you to control Kellerman, and find a way to escape his growing nightmares and find a way to get some semblance of peace at the end. If you are after a spooky game that plays on the fears of humanity, then you are in the right place. Let’s get into it.

Gameplay

A first-person survival game with minor action scenes, this game looks and functions a lot like Resident Evil 7: Biohazard or Outlast. It has you spending an exorbitant amount of time running around trying not to get torn to shreds by whatever horrendous monster is trying to hunt you down and eat your face.

Thankfully, unlike Outlast, you actually have ways of defending yourself in this. This makes it so that, although the game is scary, you do not feel entirely hopeless through it. You must battle through the enemies and a limited inventory. What do you take? What do you leave behind and regret an hour later? Ammo is limited but so are first aid kits, the choice is yours. It’s all part of the game and it adds a tremendous amount to the overall experience that the game provides. It’s a method that you cannot argue with, the choice to take or leave things lies entirely with you. No one else to blame if something doesn’t go according to plan.

Story

As you progress, the game has a fantastic way of messing with your mind, where you sometimes think that things are intentional and that it functions like Superliminal, and that it is all part of the experiment. There is something really impressive about how the game handles itself and its writing. It really makes you question from start to finish if anything you are seeing is actually happening or not. It takes the psychological thriller aspect to the extreme and I absolutely loved it.

Visuals

The AAA-quality graphics of this game takes the whole experience to a brand-new level of immersion. I was captivated from start to finish with the lighting and design choices, as they truly set the mood and add a tremendous effectiveness to the atmosphere.

The monsters are amazing to look at. Gross, but amazing. The particle effects in some of the levels were stunning and truly added a sense of awe to the experience. I will warn you that there is a lot of gore in this game so if you aren’t into dismemberment and general grossness like that, this may be difficult to get through. It’s designed to play on your fears, and that it definitely does.

Pros

• Great Visuals
• Excellent gameplay
• Brilliant concept

Cons

• The story was a little simple and could have used more layers of complexity.