When I started writing this review, I was on the fence about whether to recommend it or not. After reading my own thoughts on the game, I realized they were mostly negative. I will say that the game did keep me playing for 10 hours (enough for me to finish it and all achievements), and I don't regret purchasing it for $10. The game is unique, atmospheric and in a way, meditative, but in the end, there's just not that much there. It feels like the designer confused artsiness with actual content and gameplay depth.

I purchased Mirrormoon expecting a puzzle game, but there are really only two puzzles (three, if you count finding the "anomaly", which is the endgame condition). The first is the "Side A" section of the game, and although it is very enjoyable, it only lasts about 30 minutes. The second is figuring out the ship's controls, which again, is a short, one-time puzzle. The rest of the game--"Side B"--has you exploring a procedurally-generated galaxy, with planets similar to the one from Side A. The thing is, they all use just a subset of Side A mechanics without building on them at all, so you're really just going through the motions over and over. You'll never encounter a more interesting puzzle than the first, or even one you don't know how to solve already.

Weak as the puzzles are, I think it's clear the game is really intended to be about exploration. In many ways, the game does this well. When you start Side B, you are put into the current "Season," which is a finite, procedurally-generated galaxy shared with other players. When you're the first to solve a star, you get to name it, and all future players will see that name. In your search for the "anomaly" (vaguely hinted at in the starting text for Side B), you may even find that others have helpfully labeled important stars. The game captures the feel of deep space very well. But again, the downfall of the game is, you've seen nearly everything in Side A. The planets vary in color scheme and in the 3-4 structures strewn across the surface, but that's basically it. You can spend an hour hopping from planet to planet, and the payoff is... you see a handful of colored posts on one of them, or a lone chair. The most interesting find you can make would be one of the observatory planets, but those are rare and don't justifly the effort needed to find one.

I guess after all that, the question is why I was willing to keep playing for 10 hours. I did find exploration somewhat meditative, and I suppose I did enjoy being the first to visit a planet, naming it and in a sense claiming ownership of it. More than anything, I suppose it was stubbornness and desire to see the ending. I was probably entertained for about 2 of those hours, relaxed for 3-4 of them, and frustrated, annoyed, or bored for the rest of the time.

When I started writing this review, I was on the fence about whether to recommend it or not. After reading my own thoughts on the game, I realized they were mostly negative. I will say that the game did keep me playing for 10 hours (enough for me to finish it and all achievements), and I don't regret purchasing it for $10. The game is unique, atmospheric and in a way, meditative, but in the end, there's just not that much there. It feels like the designer confused artsiness with actual content and gameplay depth. I purchased Mirrormoon expecting a puzzle game, but there are really only two puzzles (three, if you count finding the "anomaly", which is the endgame condition). The first is the "Side A" section of the game, and although it is very enjoyable, it only lasts about 30 minutes. The second is figuring out the ship's controls, which again, is a short, one-time puzzle. The rest of the game--"Side B"--has you exploring a procedurally-generated galaxy, with planets similar to the one from Side A. The thing is, they all use just a subset of Side A mechanics without building on them at all, so you're really just going through the motions over and over. You'll never encounter a more interesting puzzle than the first, or even one you don't know how to solve already. Weak as the puzzles are, I think it's clear the game is really intended to be about exploration. In many ways, the game does this well. When you start Side B, you are put into the current "Season," which is a finite, procedurally-generated galaxy shared with other players. When you're the first to solve a star, you get to name it, and all future players will see that name. In your search for the "anomaly" (vaguely hinted at in the starting text for Side B), you may even find that others have helpfully labeled important stars. The game captures the [i]feel[/i] of deep space very well. But again, the downfall of the game is, you've seen nearly everything in Side A. The planets vary in color scheme and in the 3-4 structures strewn across the surface, but that's basically it. You can spend an hour hopping from planet to planet, and the payoff is... you see a handful of colored posts on one of them, or a lone chair. The most interesting find you can make would be [spoiler]one of the observatory planets[/spoiler], but those are rare and don't justifly the effort needed to find one. I guess after all that, the question is why I was willing to keep playing for 10 hours. I did find exploration somewhat meditative, and I suppose I did enjoy being the first to visit a planet, naming it and in a sense claiming ownership of it. More than anything, I suppose it was stubbornness and desire to see the ending. I was probably [i]entertained[/i] for about 2 of those hours, relaxed for 3-4 of them, and frustrated, annoyed, or bored for the rest of the time.