Moon Diver Critic Reviews

Moon Diver feels like the kind of game that was released near the end of the Dreamcast's life cycle. It's aimed directly at people who grew up playing this kind of game, with very few token nods to the fact that time has passed between now and 1999. You can usefully compare it to most if not all of the good 2D games of the last ten years.

It will not be remembered as one of the greatest in the digital catalogue as it could be much better, but retro gameplay fans will enjoy it.

Moon Diver is a classic platform game, very difficult to play but also very fun. It is an action game with some RPG elements and with an excellent multiplayer mode for four players. Recommended for those who love this genre of old school platform.

If you're interested in Moon Diver, play halfway through the game by yourself to gain some levels, collect various magic, and get used to the structure. Then fire up multiplayer and never look back.

Moon Diver is one of those divisive little numbers that you'll either love because of its repetitive, twitchy bombast, or want to drown in its own spittle. It's here. It's queer. Get used to it.

Moon Diver is at its best when playing with others, and all the positives really shine: the great effects and animations, the constant hack 'n slash adrenaline rush, and that addictive "let's-keep-going" element. But even then, things get way too repetitive, there isn't a ton of inspiration in regards to basic enemy design, and the overall repetitiveness of the entire production becomes painfully obvious.

A good game for the niche of gamers it's aimed at, but it's also inconsistent and flawed.

Like Strider before it, Moon Diver is a repetitive button masher that will enthrall you regardless of its shortcomings.

Cooperative platforming action with a nice nostalgic touch and some new features.

Both immensely satisfying and somewhat frustrating at the same time.

It's a game whose RPG-stylings will lend themselves well to super-powered speed runs many months from now, whose light touch and hidden depths could well create something of a cult following.

The multiplayer part of Moon Diver justifies its existence. Alone, however, the gameplay is getting repetitive pretty quickly despite its RPG elements. You're in for a mix between Mega Man and Hard Corps: Uprising.

Moon Diver takes all the charm of a retro-action arcade game and presents it with a shiny, new-generation look. At the core though, this game is about as old school as they come. As much as I love it, I am afraid that this is one solely for fans of the genre.

Moon Diver could have used more attention in creating a fun experience that didn't rely on over saturating players with enemies to kill, but depending on what kind of person you are, the hectic multiplayer can be a blast with an old-school bend.

If you can stomach its repetitive combat and odd cinematics, Moon Diver provides a moderately satisfying button-mashing experience.

Ultimately, Moon Diver doesn't stray from its old-school roots and only the most masochistic gamers will find much joy here.

So, no, Moon Diver isn't the second coming of Strider. Instead, it's carved out its own niche as a serviceable and party-game-flavored action title. Grab three friends, mash some buttons, and you can't go wrong. Just don't expect it to be Shakespeare.

Absolutely not a next generation Strider, but it is an unusual and fun co-operative platformer if you have the friends to hand.

Moon Diver is a game from another time. More a sibling of Strider 2, with whom it shares it creator Koichi Yotsui, than a successor, it has the same qualities. New elements like 4 player play and a magic system are thrown un a 90's design, both visually and gameplay-wise. So it's hard for it to feel like a 2011 game; which may very well be both its main strength and weakness. Superplayers will enjoy its skill requirements, others won't find enough in there for them to pay its 15 dollars.

A hell of a single-player challenge, which should only be taken on by the sort of sadist who one-credit-clears Cave shooters. For the time being, however, even as Moon Diver hardly feels like a modern-day Big Damn Deal, it is at its best when posing as the over-serious side-scrolling equivalent of a party game.