Moons of Darsalon

Written by Jason Dailey on 2/5/2025 for PS5  

I can’t say that I’ve played anything quite like Moons of Darsalon, with its blend of Lemmings-style puzzles and physics-based action platforming that continuously delights. It’s a brilliant game, but also a finnicky one at times, which requires a bit of patience and the occasional restart of a level. Still, when everything worked as intended, I didn’t want to quit playing because it’s such a charming little game that, impressively, was made by a solo developer.

The game features dozens of levels with puzzles that progressively increase in difficulty. The goal is to find and rescue astronauts that have become cut off from the base on each level. To do so, you will guide them by issuing commands on the directional pad – follow, stay, move right, or move left. These commands can be issued to entire groups near you or issued to individuals by aiming directly at them. At times, you will need astronauts to stay put and stay safe while you create a path for them to navigate. You may need to blast a hole in a wall, or conversely, build a pathway for them to safely cross. They will follow your command if you make it to where they can safely do so and therein lies the puzzle. In addition to environmental puzzles, some levels also have enemies you will need to protect the astronauts from as well. So, for instance, while you’re trying to build terrain for them to cross, and while issuing commands, you might also be fighting off aliens, or spaceships, or even bats. It can be a lot to manage at once, and certainly can be challenging, but it never felt unfair. In fact, apart from the glitches, I found the game to be extremely well-balanced. Combat, puzzle difficulty, vehicle physics – everything, really – is so finely tuned and crafted that I’m shocked, frankly, at Moons of Darsalon’s somewhat buggy state.

That said, the first 12 levels of Moons of Darsalon are unadulterated action puzzler goodness, with level 13 beginning mostly the same way before I ran into a bug that left me stranded on a ladder. I restarted the level but found myself stuck in the exact same spot again. On the third attempt, I took a different route, avoiding that stupid ladder altogether, and was able to complete the level. A few levels later, it happened again, but I knew the workaround by that point – no big deal. Truthfully, I ran into a game-breaking bug a few levels later that has since been fixed, but the update to address that issue conjured up new ghosts in the code. Now, astronauts will occasionally “t-pose” as if they’re stuck in the environment, and there is nothing you can do about it besides, yep, you guessed it – a level restart. It’s annoying, and if Moons of Darsalon was not so damn good when it is working, it might be unforgiveable.

Solving each level’s puzzle is a real treat, with a new tool or obstacle introduced each time to keep things fresh, and your astronauts on their toes. I appreciated the amount of variety and thoughtfulness in its level design, as well as the developer’s willingness to exercise restraint at times. For instance, not every level includes combat, instead placing an emphasis on navigating environmental puzzles. Of course, there are some levels where you’re pretty much blasting your way to the end, which is also a nice change of pace at precisely the right time. But even though the game has several tools in its belt, it doesn’t just give you those tools for the sake of giving you tools – it’s much more deliberately designed than that, with most levels having one solution that you need to work out, though you can arrive at that solution in several permutations. There are times when you will need to blast a hole in the wall with the Laser Gun, build a path with the Ground Maker, or simply guide astronauts through the dark with your flashlight.

Puzzle solving leads to fun moments of discovery too. During one level, I needed to help astronauts navigate dark areas but did not have a flashlight. I climbed a platform to see if I could manipulate a pendulum light to illuminate a chasm, and sure enough, I was able to swing it and hold it in place long enough for them to find their way to me. There are lots of moments like that, where all the game’s systems come together brilliantly to make video game magic. Just in that specific moment, I was blown away by the game’s physics, lighting, and AI systems, as well as how they all worked together. A good puzzle game will make you feel smart and satisfied when you arrive at a solution on your own, which is the case in Moons of Darsalon.

The intricacy of its gameplay systems also lends itself to a high replayablity factor, with each level having three stars to reach complete mastery, and only one required to complete the level and move on to the next. With that said, unlocking the next level does require you to have a certain star level, so you can’t simply one-star each level. For example, I needed 47 stars to unlock level 16 but only had 45 at the time. I had a far better grasp on the game’s mechanics at that point, so a quick return to the first few levels allowed me to knock out a couple of their secondary challenges, thus awarding the necessary additional stars. To that end, there is a minimum number of astronauts that need to make it to base to clear a level, which awards a single star. The two and three-star challenges add further stipulations, such as not taking any damage, or not using a certain tool. I would say Moons of Darsalon falls under that “easy to pick-up, but difficult to master” mantra, and I can easily see it taking dozens of hours to nab every star.

Looking a bit at how the sausage is made, Moons of Darsalon features a retro pixelated art style that blends 2D sprites with 3D models for some objects. It also throws in modern lighting techniques and realistic physics, which are quite striking in its pixelated environments. It throws a CRT filter on top of it all for good measure, and the result is a modern retro (metro?) video game that both looks great and feels great to play. It sounds great too, with a vibey 8-bit sci-fi soundtrack, and terrific sound effects that stand out the most. The Laser Gun sounds like it was ripped straight out of the original Star Wars films, and I adore it.

At the end of the day, Moons of Darsalon is a great game until it isn’t. When everything works as it should, it is a real delight and a truly unique gameplay experience. Despite its bugginess, I wholeheartedly recommend that you play it, because I’ve already witnessed the developer’s support for the game during my time reviewing it. The bugs will get squashed, but even on the off chance that they don’t, I still think it is more than deserving of your dollars and time. It’s simply too unique and confidently made to skip, bugs be damned.