March to the Moon (XBLIG): "A Retro Shmup/RPG Hybrid""

I'm a reviewer, and gamer who values true creativity. Truly creative games have sadly become kind of rare in the XBLIG marketplace these days though. You'll notice games that seem to borrow ideas from other's, and near clones of games that have recently been released. As a result of this trend developers of indie games often times flock to simple gaming genres in order to make a name for themselves. You will often see me tweet, or talk about the declining situation of the gaming industry, because of things like these. Regardless of my disgust the marketplace's current creative status I'm still grateful that there are some developers out there who actually produce noteworthy games. Califer Games just so happens to be one of the handful of noteworthy indie game developers that I'm speaking of. They recently contacted me, requesting that I review their latest release of "March to the Moon". I was a little hesitant at first, but it looked interesting enough to review. After playing it for a good while I was glad that I gave it a proper chance.

March to the Moon follows the wacky ongoing march of a man with means. Aside from sporting a wide array of hairstyles, and clothing articles this wayward fellow marches forth with all sorts of skills ranging from rage induced axe throwing to necromancy. His otherworldly trek ultimately takes him across the bottle littered grounds of a tavern, through a desert wasteland littered with dying fish all the way to his final destination, the moon. Along the way he encounters a barmaid who is concerned with a rat infestation, an ogre lord who is hellbent on destroying him, and even an alien who's persistence is uncanny. Whether or not this renaissance man makes it is up to one who controls his destiny, you.

This particular shmup (shoot'em up) is unlike any I've seen to date. It uses a top-down format that is a little primitive in appearance, but that is still effective. When the game opens up you are given the chance to resize the in-game screen to your liking using the trigger buttons on your Xbox 360 controller. After setting you're various preferences (including volume ..) you will be given the opportunity to start a "New Game" via the start menu. When you've chosen this option you will be asked to name your character using a keypad similar to the one on the XBL dashboard. I was able to fit my full moniker, "OtakuDante" which is definitely a plus. The following step will have you customizing three different sections of the hero.

The three available character customizations basically include a selection of unlockable hairstyles, a shirts, and pants. Accompanying the various options are up to three different color selections that vary with each given item. Initially you are limited to having a bald, or short haired dude with basic clothing articles. The other costume items can be unlocked by completing certain tasks within the game as you play. When you're through designing your dude you will select the first level, and stage via a simple calendar-like menu. After entering the first stage you will notice dialogue captions that instruct you to select a skillset. This step is very necessary, and must be done if you hope to progress through the game properly.

When you follow the onscreen instructions you will be led to a skillset menu that consists of 12 different skillsets that are each made up of passive, and active skills. To begin with you can only select one skill from the skillset you choose (Hunting, Flame, Illusion, Rage, Alchemy, Summoning, Runes, Earth, Necromancy, Engineering, Paladin, Spirit). As you level up by killing enemies with your skill/s you'll gain XP which will in turn level up your HP, and MP. You'll also earn points that you can put towards new skills, or use to level up skills you already have. When you rank up to level 8 your character will be able to learn a secondary skillset that can be mixed with your current selection.

One thing to keep in mind when selecting your skillset is that you are only allowed to use up to 4 "active skills" from the skillset/s you choose to use. They each correspond to the 4 different Xbox 360 controller buttons (X, Y, B, A) making them easy to remember. The individual onscreen skills, and skill names are accompanyed by a color coded circle associated with the button colors of your controller. Aside from the "active skills" (core skills) you can also learn, and upgrade "passive skills" which give added effects to your "active skills". This allows you the opprotunity to enhance your character's effectiveness as the enemies become more difficult to combat. When using skills in the game there are gauges/meters that are important to pay attention to. Across from each skill name on the game's HUD there is a bar with a percentage number in the middle. When the gauge is full, and ready to use it will be white, and read "100%". You cannot use a skill until the bars have been filled, and in some cases until your MP bar is filled to a certain point.

The levels in "March to the Moon" are divided into 8 stages each. In an haphazard way the layout is very reminiscent of games like "Angry Birds". You will begin, and finish each given stage within the game by simply making it to the end alive. With that being said though each stage is given a completion rating (Perfect!, Not Quite Perfect!, The Opposite of Perfect) depending on how well you performed, how many kills you got, and if you got hit during your march. A unique symbol relating to the completion ratings accompanies each level on the in-game menu. During every fourth stage you will encounter a boss battle that must be won in order to progress. If you fail at this task you will have to repeat the stage from the beginning. There are a total of 3 different difficulty settings that are unlocked/playable after you complete the previous difficulty setting. As such there's definitely something here for the more hardcore shmup gamers.

In closing I think that even though this game features some of the simplest graphics I've seen in an indie game it still has enough features to make it noteworthy. As far as replay value goes this game is definitely strong in that area. You'll find that unlocking costume items, and completing stages will require repetitive playthroughs. There's simply no way around it as it does have rpg elements. One thing I really liked about this game was the way the skillset system was setup. It's nothing short of brilliant. You'll find that no two skillsets are exactly alike, and that pairing two of them up when you reach the designated level/rank will actually require some serious decision making in order to produce the best results. I ended up going with Necromancy, and Engineering which resulted in a pretty efficient setup. In one skill set I had projectiles that created undead assist creatures, and in the other set I had a gun with added effects that used absolutely no MP. You will be glad to know that there's a skillset that will suit most everybody's gameplay style.

As far as glitches, and bad features go I couldn't honestly find any. The game is solid from beginning to end. If you are into shmups as I am, and you don't mind rpg elements being added into the fray then I believe you'll enjoy this game. It also helps if you have an open mind when it comes to indie games as I do. When it comes down to recommending this game I'd say that it's definitely worth the points. The overall presentation is solid, and the creativeness is king. If you haven't played, or purchased this XBLIG title then at least give the trial version a shot.