You could not pay me to go to the moon, I think. I’m glad Mr. Armstrong and Buzz Lightyear had a good time up there, but that place is scary! It’s just a massive, dark rock! But in the case of Dark Moon, an upcoming survival strategy game that just got a release date, that darkness is your friend, because if you want to survive on the moon, you’ve got to protect yourself from that hot, hot orb in the sky called the sun.
In Dark Moon, your goal is simple: stay the hell out of the sun’s path. This is a world where the sun’s rays will burn you to a crisp, so you need to constantly be moving to make sure you’re on the dark side of the moon (the scariest side and potential all-time best cover art for an album ever). So the story goes, you are a member of the Engineering Council, tasked with managing the construction of a mining system on the moon that gets all donked up after a solar storm hits the Earth, destroying all electronics, and leaving you without any form of communication.
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To get around the moon, you have a big ole spider-like vehicle called the Mechaplex, which serves as your main base of operations. Each playthrough is supposedly non-linear; as you make your way across the moon, you might come across survivors that want to join you (who may not have your best interests at heart), or you might need to gather up minerals to better survive.
You can build upon the Mechaplex too, netting your crew better abilities, or making easier and faster ways to get around. Occasionally you may have to make difficult choices related to said crew, the members of which may react positively or negatively depending on who you let onto the Mechaplex, and who you leave behind. Slightly nightmarish scenario to be honest! Better that it’s a video game and not my lived experience.
Oh, and that release date! It’s coming October 29th, so it’s only a few weeks away now. Seems seasonally appropriate, even if I don’t know I can handle it due to existential dread reasons. Might be worth adding to your wishlist on Steam if it tickles your fancy, though.
