Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight — an indie Metroidvania that’s been getting rave reviews for years.
I’ve been curious about it for a long time.
To be honest, I’ve never played a single Metroidvania before.
“That kind of maze must be rough for someone with no sense of direction…”
“I’m terrible at action games. My reflexes just don’t cut it.”
“It looks kind of plain......”
That’s how I used to think, and I kept my distance from the genre.But this time, I decided to face it head-on.Here’s my no-holds-barred, first-hand review.
<1>A perfectly minimal stage design that leaves zero waste — every step adds to the game’s density and satisfaction.
<2>No reflexes required. Observe. Think. Break through.
<3>Its plainness deepens the immersion of “controlling a character” itself.
The Calculated Density Born from Minimalism
I won’t spoil anything by showing the full map but let me just say this: the world in this game is shockingly small.
The playtime matches that scale too — even for someone as hopelessly directionless as me, it barely took nine hours to finish.
You won’t get lost easily here.
“Wait, doesn’t that mean the game’s short and not worth it?”
I get it — that’s probably what you’re thinking.But relax.
That small scale is exactly what makes this game so damn good.Let’s dig into why.
Every Scene Matters — Designed Purely for Gameplay
Take a look at the image below.
This is right after the tutorial.
That imp in the top right (cute ponytail, by the way) throws bottles filled with deadly poison.
The poison’s DoT is literally fatal — and at this point, you can only heal twice before the next save point.
Since MOMODORA doesn’t restock healing items until you reach one, getting poisoned basically means a slow death.
So, the first challenge the game gives you is simple:“Take it slow. Stay calm. Don’t get hit.”
Meanwhile, that imp in the bottom left (failing to hide behind her shield — also cute) blocks everything from the front.
She’s got high defense and fast melee swings, so if you go head-on, you’ll just eat damage for nothing.
So, your mission here is the opposite:
“Move boldly. Be acrobatic. Slip past her guard.”
See the contrast?
“Play it safe and avoid poison.”
“Be reckless and break through the shield.”
Even right after the tutorial, the stage layout already throws you into a purely game-like dilemma — two enemies, two opposite approaches, one tight space.
And here’s the wild part: this isn’t a one-time trick.
Except for a few story or visual moments, every stage in MOMODORA is built around dilemmas like this.
From start to finish, it’s all about constant, deliberate tension — no filler, no fluff.
Purely Distilled Trial and Error — No Fat, Just Focus
Each stage in Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight is shockingly short — over before you even realize it.
And every single one introduces a new dilemma: you face it, solve it, earn a new trinket with some special effect, and immediately get thrown into the next challenge.
It’s basically an endless conveyor belt of dilemmas.
Because of that, there’s zero room for boredom.
You keep experimenting, failing, and adjusting in rapid succession — so much that when you finally clear the game, you’ll realize you’ve been playing nonstop, fully absorbed, the whole time.
It almost feels like the game’s whole philosophy is:
“Deliver an experience where there’s not a single dull moment until the very end.”
And it works.
Just look at the Steam or Amazon reviews — nearly everyone praises the same thing: that intense feeling of satisfaction.
But that satisfaction isn’t some random byproduct of hype.
It’s designed.
This game deliberately cuts out every ounce of boredom and leaves behind only the most concentrated, rewarding moments — like it’s been precision-filtered for enjoyment.
Action Without the Need for Reflexes
In this game, there’s zero reliance on twitch reflexes.
No parries, no perfect dodges, no invincibility-frame juggling — none of that.Sure, a few stages have moving platforms that require timing, but they’re rare and exist more as a flavor accent than a core mechanic.
What Momodora really demands is observation, experimentation, and smart use of your equipment.
Let me give you a small, spoiler-free example from one of my runs:
“Looks like this boss is weak to poison. Maybe I’ll coat my arrows with it.”
“These mobs keep spawning infinitely... Wait, I can just chip them down from afar instead of risking melee.”
“Hold on—if poison arrows work that well, can I just spam them and melt this boss?”
That’s the essence of its combat loop.
You observe that poison is effective.
You notice that enemies respawn infinitely and close combat is risky.
Then you think: “So… why not just stay at range and wear them down?”And you try it.
There’s no reflex challenge here — only reading, thinking, and testing.
Where’s the safe zone?
How do you balance offense and defense?
Should you prioritize healing for safety, or damage for aggression?
When people call Momodora’s combat “smooth,” it’s not because it’s flashy or fast-paced — it’s because the game is finely tuned to let you experiment freely with your own ideas in the moment.
That’s where its rhythm comes from.
The Immersion Born from Subtlety
Momodora’s art direction keeps everything deliberately muted — low-saturation colors, soft lighting, and not a single flashy explosion or blinding effect in sight.
It never screams for attention.
It just exists, quietly pulling you in.
The same goes for its soundtrack.
Most of the music feels more like ambient sound — calm, restrained, almost meditative.
Even during boss fights, the tracks don’t erupt into high-energy battle themes.
Instead, they build a quiet, lingering tension that keeps you on edge without breaking the mood.
This subtle approach contributes to Momodora’s unique world-building, shaping a world that feels like “creepiness lurking in the quiet” or “a dystopia quietly winding down.”
Some NPCs meet tragically silent ends, and if you’re not careful, you can be led straight to a bad ending without even realizing it.
These moments quietly hint at an ever-approaching sense of doom, reinforcing the game’s understated but pervasive tension.
The world of Momodora remains consistently coherent — it never veers into meta jokes or random, out-of-place humor — which allows you to fully immerse yourself in its universe.
This consistency doesn’t just serve storytelling; it also shapes the gameplay.
As mentioned before, the core of Momodora is observation and trial-and-error.Honestly, if the game threw flashy effects in the middle of careful thinking, it would be distracting.
Its understated style seems deliberately designed not to interfere with the player’s thought process.
To sharpen its most compelling elements, everything else is meticulously pared down, ruthlessly stripped away.
The ruthlessness in Momodora’s world — its unforgiving tone and quiet brutality — mirrors the very design philosophy of the game itself.
In Short: If You Want a Calculated, Thought-Driven Action Game, go for it!
To sum it up, this is a game laser-focused on maximizing player satisfaction and the density of trial-and-error experiences — a true “thinking” action game.
Playing it feels closer to a high-quality simulation than a flashy action title — you’re constantly analyzing, observing, and experimenting.
If you’re looking for over-the-top spectacle, epic storylines, or breakneck action, this isn’t for you.
But if you want to experience the pure, gamey thrill of facing dilemmas and figuring them out, I can’t recommend it enough.
By the way, here on the blog, we’ve kicked off a hands-on project called IndieGame100, where we play through and review 100 indie games.
If that sounds interesting, why not take a peek? I think you’ll find some gems!
With that said, enjoy your gaming life!
Thanks for reading all the way through!
