Moonscars is an upcoming 2D soulslike metroidvania from developer Black Mermaid. Hollow Knight, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, Ender Lilies, Blasphemous, and Salt and Sanctuary are among the many examples of metroidvania titles that have tried to harness some of what makes soulslikes so popular. Moonscars is one of the next titles to adopt this approach, and it certainly seems to be differentiating itself with a visually striking art design.

Moonscars will launch next month, and developer Black Mermaid has released a slew of details alongside publisher Humble Games to get fans excited. It will feature skill-based combat where every death is "a lesson learned," a concept that Dark Souls fans will be familiar with. Promising a non-linear 2D world full of mystery and intrigue, Moonscars is keen to carve out its own identity, despite drawing heavy inspiration to similar titles such as Castlevania and Dark Souls.

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Moonscars Wears its Inspirations on its Sleeve

Alucard fighting a monster in Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night

It's almost impossible to talk about the metroidvania genre without bringing up its namesakes, the Metroid and Castlevania series. Castlevania's 1997 title Symphony of the Night in particular pioneered the genre, and laid the groundwork for a multitude of titles that came after it. A deep RPG offering players multiple choices and routes to take, Symphony of the Night produced a blueprint that Moonscars is just one of the latest games to use. Castlevania was also able to capture a gothic, Lovecraftian aesthetic that really added to its intense atmosphere.

Dark Souls has also spawned its own sub-genre, the soulslike, that left a lasting impact on the industry. Combining raw difficulty with deep, cryptic lore and robust combat, Dark Souls and its subsequent sequels from developer FromSoftware have sold millions of copies worldwide. Games like Code Vein, Dolmen, and Mortal Shell have all tried to replicate the Dark Souls formula, with differing results.

The other title that immediately springs to mind when looking at the art design of Moonscars is Spanish developer The Game Kitchen's Blasphemous, which released in 2019. With a plot that revolves around a religious land and cursed inhabitants, Blasphemous has tough combat and memorable bosses that clearly had a hand in forming Moonscars' look.

Moonscars has a Promising Premise

moonscars gameplay

Publisher Humble Games has described Moonscars' world as "unforgiving," and judging by the look of the grim environments on display, it's easy to see why. Gamers will play as the mysterious Grey Irma, a "clayborne" made of clay, bone and ichor. Grey Irma must track down The Sculptor, who is responsible for creating her, in an effort to understand why she was brought to be. Similar to Dark Souls, players can expect lots of lore to uncover as they make their way through the game. Just what has happened to civilization, why it's in ruins, and why it is now inhabited by so many monstrous beings are mysteries that the player must uncover.

There is no real way to block, aside from the standard parry mechanic, so the player will need to be aggressive, swinging Grey Irma's huge sword accurately and efficiently. Players can expect to die a lot, but that is the very nature of the soulslike genre, so this shouldn't really come as a surprise. Grey will also have special abilities known as Witchery, which she will be able to unlock and upgrade as the game unfolds; including traversal abilities to revisit older areas.

Xbox Game Pass subscribers will be able to play Moonscars on day one, even though there will only be a native Xbox One version - Xbox Series S/X owners who subscribe to Game Pass will still get to play it thanks to the backward compatibility. If Moonscars is able to deliver on its promises, then fans of soulslikes, metroidvanias, or both could be in for an incredibly unique experience when it launches next month.

Moonscars releases September 27 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, and Xbox One.

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