Moonlight Peaks Review

There are very few games that can scratch the cosy farming simulation itch, and even fewer that can scratch the itch well, but so far Moonlight Peaks has proven to be a contender as one of my favourite cosy simulation games I have played. As an avid lover of both Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley, Moonlight Peaks is a nice blend of the two with a cute gothic twist. Playing as the child of Dracula, you move out of your parents house to set out on your own adventure in the quaint little town of Moonlight Peaks. Here you will meet with the townsfolk, make friends, possibly fall in love, and find yourself on many adventures.

The cycle of the year is split into four distinct seasons, with each in-game night taking you around 20 minutes minimum to complete. This can feel a bit long at times as initially you have very little energy and cleaning up your farming space takes most of this, but once you have progressed to a certain point in the game you are able to adjust this setting. I personally think this is a great mechanic, as you can stretch the nights out longer as you move forward in the game, to give yourself more time to complete tasks and run around the map. Speaking of the map – it is HUGE! There are so many places to explore, with some being locked behind quests, forcing you to progress the game in order to progress through the map. This ensures that you aren’t going to explore everything all at once and grow bored, which I find is one of the issues I have in some other similar farming simulator games. 

There are multiple layers to this game which keep it interesting and make the grind seem less of a grind. While there is still a standard amount of in game days it takes crops to grow and goods to produce, such as wine, you are left with a few other fun activities to help you occupy your day. Aside from the obvious one of befriending townsfolk, flowers are your best friend at the start of the game for this as they are easy to find and the azalea’s are liked by most people, there are a few other things you can use to progress your game and occupy your time. After the first few nights you will be given a fishing rod, and thus you can begin the fun game of catching every fish to complete your collection (if you are a completionist like I am). You also meet Death at one point and he gives you a net to capture floating skull blobs who reveal how they perished when caught, and some of the ways in which they perished are hilarious. The net also doubles up as a way for you to catch critters, aka bugs, which are another collectible section in the game.

The game has certainly been optimised for controller usage, and encourages you if you are on PC to play with a controller, but I didn’t have too many issues playing with my mouse and keyboard. The key bindings are easy to change and the controls themselves are quite simple and easy, making the game very accessible as there is no need to hold anything for long periods of time or hit targeted skill check times for gathering, capturing or creating in the game. The mechanic of crafting is cute, and you are able to use items from your storage, meaning you don’t need to put in and take out your materials when using a crafting table, furnace or other items that assist you in building. I found this to be a huge time saver and it saved me from having to go back and forth and have perfectly stored and labelled chests so I don’t lose my materials. 

The townsfolk are a fun mix of interesting characters, who each have their own unique personalities and side quests for you to explore. I am yet to decide on a romance option, but there are plenty to choose from and someone to suit everyone. It gives a nice depth to the game to also see them interact with each other, with quests often intersecting over characters and giving you an insight into their relationships with each other. It’s very sweet and has some highly amusing moments, while also taking on serious tones from time to time. The art style is also beautiful for all of the characters, and the general overall aesthetic of the game is beautiful. You can tell that each aspect has been carefully thought out, from the caves to the trees to the different buildings and the furnished houses of each of the townsfolk. Everything fits together with care and intention and assists in making the game immersive and something you can play for hours out a time to tune out the outside world and relax. 

I don’t want to give too much away, but I certainly recommend this game to anyone who loves the farming and lifestyle you can have in Stardew Valley, while wanting easier mechanics, a little less of a challenge and the artstyle of Animal Crossing. While the game is very unique, especially given it is set at night and in a town of supernatural creatures, if you love either of the aforementioned games or games such as Sunhaven or Fields of Mistria, then you will also absolutely love Moonlight Peaks. I am keen to see where the game grows from here, as my concern is that once you get through a couple of years in the game you will run into a monotonous cycle. However, as the game is newly released, I am sure that they will continue to develop more aspects to it over the years. 

So in short, if you are a lover of the supernatural, the vibes of cosy spookiness and enjoy a good farming and life simulation game, this is definitely a game for you and you should absolutely pick it up!