Moonscars

Moonscars is a 2D action platformer from Black Mermaid that lands squarely in Souls-like territory, which means it earns every piece of progress you make and takes it back without apology if you get cocky. You play as Iraya, a clay soldier who wakes without memory and begins slicing through grotesque, beautifully rendered enemies in search of the witch who shaped her. The premise is lean but it carries real emotional weight. There is something genuinely unsettling about a being whose entire identity is borrowed, and the game knows how to let that idea breathe without over-explaining it. The combat system is the backbone. Iraya swings a sword with satisfying snap, and the parry timing is tight enough to feel earned rather than cheap. You gather Wit - the game's equivalent of souls or echoes - and lose it on death, which creates that familiar tension loop that Souls fans will recognize immediately. What sets Moonscars apart slightly is its Wishes system, where you spend resources to unlock and upgrade abilities that can meaningfully alter your playstyle. Some players will lean into aggressive berserker builds, others will stack defensive boons and play cautiously. It is not the deepest build system you will ever find in the genre, but it is coherent and makes repeated runs feel different. Where Black Mermaid clearly poured the most love is into the art and atmosphere. The hand-drawn sprite work is exceptional for a small studio - character animations have a weight to them, and the environments shift from rotting swamps to bone-pale cathedrals in a way that keeps the world feeling alive and oppressive at once. The soundtrack underlines everything without overpowering it. It is the kind of score you notice when it stops, which is exactly what a score in a game like this should do. If you are someone who plays games partly for mood, Moonscars delivers a specific, cold, moonlit feeling that very few games in this genre bother to construct this carefully. The criticism worth naming honestly: the opening hours are demanding in a way that might read as unfair rather than challenging to players who are not already fluent in the Souls combat language. The game does not hold your hand through its systems, and some boss encounters in the early game can feel like a wall rather than a puzzle. Pacing occasionally drags between larger set pieces. And while the narrative is intriguing, it leans heavily on cryptic delivery that will frustrate players who want clarity over atmosphere. It is a game that respects your patience more than your time, which is not a flaw exactly, but it is a filter. At roughly six to ten hours depending on how much you struggle and explore, Moonscars does not overstay its welcome. It knows what it is and ends when it should, which is rarer than it sounds. For fans of Blasphemous, Salt and Sanctuary, or anyone who wants a Souls-adjacent experience wrapped in genuine hand-crafted artistry, this is one of the more thoughtful entries in a crowded genre.

Kai · Scout Team

Indie & narrative

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