Moonscars revealed its release date in a recent reveal trailer. It is a horror-themed Metroidvania that releases on September 27th.

Moonscars is a Horror-Themed Metroidvania by Developer Black Mermaid

The Metroidvania Genre definitely has a lot of flavors to choose from. We have popular entries like Hollow Knight: Silksong looming just over the horizon, or Dead Cells with its continuous post-launch support. There are things like Crowsworn that look like a mix between Hollow Knight and Devil May Cry. We also have some more colorful entries like Bo or Fallen Tear.

Moonscars is looking more strikingly different from the aforementioned games earlier. Instead of having a vibrant, colorful world, Moonscars takes upon simplicity. It makes use of a limited palate of colors and masterfully blends in blacks, greys, and reds to perfection. Let’s see what Black Mermaid has to bring to the table with their upcoming title, Moonscars.

Moon-scarred

Moonscars is a traditional Metroidvania through and through. You play as a Clayborne, a sort of homunculus birthed from clay, bone, and ichor. Your name is Grey Irma, a Clayborne that wakes up without any recollection of their past and their purpose. Grey Irma is alone in a world of black and white.

Grey Irma thus embarks on a quest to literally meet her maker, an ominous figure called “The Sculptor”. The name’s quite fitting for someone who literally births life into clay automatons. Moonscars’ story is one of existentialism – why were the Clayborne created, why have they been separated, and why do they have no memories? And more importantly, why is the world devoid of any joy, and instead filled with horrendous monsters and other abominations?

The Weight of the Sword

Combat in Moonscars will primarily be with Grey Irma’s usage of heavy weapons. The gameplay will be much slower than others in the genre, perhaps somewhat more like Blasphemous than Ori and the Blind Forest. Due to Grey Irma’s weapon of choice, the gigantic greatsword, her attacks are slower and more deliberate, but also more painful. She can eviscerate multiple enemies with just a single blow, provided she can get that hit to connect. And like any good action game, Grey Irma can parry with her massive greatsword.

Fights look brutal and satisfying. The painfulness of Grey Irma’s attacks is further accentuated by great sound effects and visual feedback (hitstops, flashes of light, and deep red blood). Blood particularly stands out as it’s quite a stark contrast to the dark backgrounds. Much like a Soulslike, it looks like pattern recognition in enemies’ attacks will be key to becoming a successful warrior.

Grey Irma will also have access to special abilities called Witchery – supernatural magic that will have various destructive effects imposed upon her foes. She will also have other weapons of mass destruction in her repertoire. From the gameplay trailers, she will have some sort of spinning wheel-type weapon that will cut enemies to shreds. She also has a giant hammer that can be used for slower, but even more powerful blows.

The World of Moonscars

Black Mermaid’s choice to make Moonscars have a monochromatic tone definitely leaves a mark. It makes the world feel lonely and sad, which considering the subject matter, is quite fitting. The world of Moonscars is a nonlinear affair, so it seems that Grey Irma can wander in any direction in search of their purpose.

Of course, since this is a Metroidvania, there will be paths that are inaccessible, at least at the start. For example, The Earth Bowels, one of the areas in Moonscars, will always be accessible. However, to successfully discover all its secrets, Dark Irma will need to be able to dash through the air, across great distances. This will be an upgrade that she can obtain later down the line.

Moonscars’ enemies are full of horrific, twisted shells. There will be various imps, creatures, warlords, and whatnot trying to slay our heroine. She may even encounter a fallen comrade or two who have succumbed to the darkness.

Tale of the Moon

Moonscars will release on most major consoles and PC on September 27. More importantly, it will be a day-one GamePass Release. No price has been determined by publisher Humble Games just yet. While waiting for this to release, why not check out some of our Favorite Metroidvanias?

---

For more news, check out Spinoff Dragon Quest Treasures Gets New Gameplay Details, Persona 5 Royal Gets New Trailer and Xbox Series X Gameplay Revealed, and Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak Introduces 4 New Monster Variants in Title Update 1.