Recent reviews by Mushroom

A story set in a new land
Yet somehow turned out to be bland
The character dense
It all makes no sense
So trite like a grain in the sand

I feel like jumping off a bridge
So desperate for this one wish
Make us not a dog
For Wuk Lamat's vlog
At least my voices weren't English

Seriously though, it annoys me to the point I had to leave this review.
Starting off with this after wrapping up the Hydaelyn and Zodiark storyline makes me pessimistic about the story of future expansions. The writing just feels off, especially when you compare it to previous expansions and while those too were not without fault, their mediocre/awful parts weren't as blatant as they are in this one.

I'm mostly leaving this negative review because I know for a fact that Square Enix takes these into account. A "Mixed" score on a Steam page is a bad look and while this expansion might be beyond saving story-wise, I hope they will do better for the next. Also my ass is not leaving feedback on the cesspit that is the FFXIV forums, not like they read from it anyway.

Only fun and interesting end-game can redeem this expansion for me at this point but I imagine for many people that don't engage with that kind of content, this was a kick in the nuts.

Makes me feel like I'm stuck in clown limbo, forced to make the funny numbers go up via funky Poker.
Highly addicting game that makes you lose track of time. I hate clowns with a passion, 10/10

Most fun I've had in a shooter in years. A unique blend of ideas with an environmental destruction twist makes for a very high-octane and hectic experience.

Edit 16.06.24 - I was kinda excited for Season 3 but after playing a decent amount, I've been pretty disappointed with where the game is and where it's headed.
The new weapons/gadgets are really lackluster compared to Season 2, game-breaking bugs have still not been fixed (and have somehow gotten worse), the push towards Terminal Attack is not where the game should be headed and the current balancing makes the game a lot less enjoyable than before. And then there's also the issue of people leaving occurring so frequently that it feels like there is either no punishment attached to it or it is not severe enough to curb it more effectively.

This has been my go-to FPS since it released back in December 2023 (after playing the Open Beta) but right now I'd rather play other games than have a miserable time with this one.

I'm keeping it on my radar, but looking back at how long it took to address prior balancing issues/concerns, I don't have faith the sweeping changes that I long for are coming anytime soon.

Censorship is nothing new in the gaming space, and while I absolutely dislike it in any shape or form, it at least retains the original content albeit in a modified variant, but straight up removal without any replacement is a new low.
Even worse is that some content was part of the game's original crowdfunding campaign or featured art by other artists who wanted to pay homage to this title with their contribution.
This just feels like a desperate attempt to attract attention with the lack of care/thought put into this decision for a game that is nearly a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ decade old...

While the premise is neat and story is somewhat there, it's definitely more bits and pieces of lore compared to the base game without ever committing to telling you what actually transpired. This leaves a lot of room for interpretation which one can either love or hate, I'm more inclined to the latter so the story didn't really do it for me.

The strongest point of Mooncrash however is its gameplay: the goal is to escape with all 5 characters on a single run with a time limit ticking at every corner.
Each character has a different playstyle and each run is unique in that there are slight variations/modifiers applied to it: a part of the map missing power, hazards making traversal more difficult, different enemy spawns and so on, similar to a roguelike if you will.

The time limit is an integral part of the experience and functions similar to Risk of Rain: the more time you spend in the simulation, the more difficult it gets (enemies are respawned in harder variants).

I personally like the time limit a lot, it feels like most games are afraid to implement them to allow players to enjoy a game at their own pace and leisure, but I enjoyed it because:

• forces you to memorize and traverse the map at an efficient pace
  
• streamlines you towards doing the objective you're trying to accomplish (escape routes or story objectives)
  
• adds a sense of urgency
  
• a persistent map in which characters' actions influence the environment for the following character(s)

All characters share the same timer and map in a single run, with characters able to influence the map for those being played after (for example, unlocking a route early so other characters get access too). This time limit and persistence combination makes for a very interesting blend hat emphasizes the strongest parts of Prey's gameplay.
There is some leniency to the system however since you earn credits for doing things in each simulation which you can spend on items that a character can start with. Stockpile enough points, have a lot of Neuromods (which do not reset between runs) and you can have a powerful start, especially if you buy items to emphasize a character's strengths and to cover their weaknesses. This clashes a bit with the original premise but I think its fair in that it allows you to not be at the complete mercy of whatever you happen to find at the start of a run.

I enjoyed Mooncrash a lot and you can definitely see the similarities to Deathloop, a title Arkane released 3 years after this came out. I had a good time doing countless runs; learning the map as time went on, improving how to deal with threats and eventually finishing all story objectives and a single run in which all 5 characters escape.
It feels like this DLC is being slept on similar to how Prey 2017 was slept on when it came out which is a shame because it does a lot of interesting things, especially if you're a gameplay enjoyer like me. I can wholeheartedly recommend this even if it's mainly for the gameplay alone.

tl;dr hard pass if you dislike repeating runs, time limit or lacking story, otherwise definitely worth looking into

I make the cannon rotate

A fun time with friends/friendly fire incidents, but the lacking sense of progression and the fact that a lot of weapons are locked behind paid DLC detract heavily from what is a solid foundation of a twin-stick shooter.

Grab it when it's on sale and watch out for those air drops/strikes.

I do it for free

Good execution for what is exactly Outlast but co-op.
I haven't played Outlast 1 or 2, but as someone who enjoys co-op this is a fun time with friends, even more so if they are easily scared. Haven't seen any performance issues and the objectives are tied into the context of the map's theme and layout.
The lobby system is neat, while character customization is limited, it's pretty cool that you can decorate your room and have friends visit. The room options don't leave much freedom either but how it ties into the lobbies is well-designed.

If I had to complain, it would be the lack of map/enemy variety in conjunction with it's somewhat hefty price tag, but the underlying systems (great connectivity in multiplayer and the fact that I can't remember any bugs I encountered) are very solid which is extremely rare for an Early Access launch.

With the price tag in mind, if you're on the fence I'd say maybe wait half a year and see how much content they added by then, otherwise I recommend this co-op/horror blend wholeheartedly.

Singleplayer is okay, but the game's concept really shines when playing multiplayer with 3+ people. The mix of stealth movement with offensive actions/inaccurate movement compromising your position makes for a very unique party game to play with friends in a similar vein to Bomberman. Lots of maps, settings and characters to tinker and play around with mix things up a great amount.
If you have a friends and like games such as Ultimate Chicken Horse, Screencheat or Lethal League, then this is definitely a great title to pick up.