Hey all, I just wanted to share my overall thoughts on the game and feedback for Moon as someone who is passionate about loot-driven RPGs in general. This is a long post, so I’m not sure if anyone will actually read it.
For a little bit of background, I used to play WoW hardcore back in the day and for better or worse, that game has heavily influenced what type of games I like to play, basically: an RPG with co-op elements where you get loot and make your character stronger and has a handful of endgame goals. I mostly don’t care for story in these types of games, but I am an endgame player, and that’s what I care about the most.
However, I am getting older and don’t want to play a game like it’s a job, so I appreciate a more casual approach/playstyle these days. With this game being early access, I am also stopping to smell the roses and experience everything the game offers instead of rushing to the max level and perfecting my build.
I am also a big Souls fan and have played all 3 Souls games and Elden Ring through to competition, even if I have used co-op carries to complete the games.
review starts here
This game is billed as revolutionizing the ARPG genre by combining Dark Souls and Diablo. It is difficult to say whether it feels revolutionary at 10 hours into the game, but I can say it is extremely fun, engaging, and fresh.
Wicked feels very much like a Souls game in terms of combat and its class system or lack thereof, but with a Diablo-style camera and loot, it is more similar to the Diablo franchise than Souls. The loot aspect is pretty much the only thing this game has in common with a traditional ARPG. Unfortunately, I don’t feel like I am far enough into the game to give an accurate review of the loot system. I am level 10 and still searching for a rare staff to replace my common one and feel like I am doing more damage, but I don’t think this game ever wants to give you that god-like overpowered feeling found in ARPGs.
The combat in the game feels just about perfect, depending on your play style. I like to be fast and move around, and I love that they hotfixed stamina to make the combat feel more fast-paced and fluid. Moon, I really think that was a good call early on and I hope you never revert it, only improve it.
Equipment load seems pretty unforgiving compared to Souls games but I think that is part of the classless system in play. You can choose to upgrade it whenever you level, but with only 3 stat points per level they feel precious. I do wonder how getting 4 stats per level would feel or maybe your last 10 levels you get 4 stats per level to help experiment with builds. Especially since you can eventually switch between weapons.
The world design is probably the most impressive part of the game. There is so much depth and exploration packed into each part of the map it really is a sight to see. Looting feels good, but also overwhelming especially in the first part of the game when your inventory space is limited and you don’t have a chest to store things yet. The world is brimming with resources for you to loot that is either new gear, upgrade materials, or crafting materials which is like a whole other system I haven’t gotten to deep dive into yet. Overall though I really enjoy what I have been able to do so far. Building projects seem neat and collecting wood/ores to build and grow the town is enjoyable to me. I’m excited to dig in deeper and build out a house and farm.
Realms are pretty interesting, and a mechanic I am not quite sure I have seen in a game before. You can create multiple realms and just re-farm the game from the beginning, which I have taken advantage of to kill the first boss multiple times so I can get the quest reward afterward to get more ring slots and inventory space. Since progress is tied to your character, you keep everything you receive no matter which realm you’re in. I haven’t decided if I like this or not or if it feels obtuse to grind instead of a traditional reset-the-world thing in other Souls games at checkpoints.
I’m really excited for the future of this game and the first major update to add co-op as I really am itching to play with friends. The two hotfixes that dropped over the weekend were a surprise to me and make me feel like Moon is just as passionate about this game as the players and truly wants to build a great game with player feedback.
I will say to everyone who wants Moon to stick to their vision: I’m not saying they should cater to every player complaint and not stick to their vision, but I do want them to listen to the majority of player feedback. If they truly wanted to stick to their singular vision, then they shouldn’t have released this game in early access and asking for player feedback. They opened that can of worms and so far I think they have done a great job at listening.