Space Moth: Lunar Edition Reviews

“What’s the objective of the game?” In Space Moth: Lunar Edition, your goal is simple: blast your way through waves of enemies and survive to the end of the game’s stages while racking up the highest score possible. As a shmup, clearing levels is just part of the challenge—mastering the mechanics and squeezing every point out of the scoring system is where the depth lies. “What tools do you have to achieve this?” Your ship comes equipped with two main attack types: a normal shot and a focus shot, similar to what you’d see in classic Cave shooters like DoDonPachi. On top of that, the game introduces a unique special ability that revolves around your normal shot. As you fire, a white ring grows around your ship and gradually charges your ability. Once the ring becomes rainbow-colored, it’s fully charged. Activating it allows you to absorb enemy bullets for a brief window, boosting your score significantly. This makes clever use of your normal shot and special ability key for hitting high scores. You’re also given a limited number of screen-clearing bombs. These provide a safety net by granting temporary invincibility and clearing bullets from the screen in tight situations. Bombs can also help strategically during boss fights or dense bullet patterns. “What’s the gameplay feel like?” The gameplay has a distinct Mushihimesama vibe, thanks to its insect-themed setting and bright, vibrant visuals. Bullet patterns in Space Moth are a blend of static, aimed, and what feels like “random” designs, some reminiscent of Crimzon Clover or other shmups. This mix makes each stage feel varied and keeps you on your toes. Stage 3 stood out to me in particular, thanks to its gorgeous colors and well-designed patterns. The visuals across the board are bright, colorful, and energetic, helping to create a unique identity for the game. “Is the game difficult?” There’s no explicit difficulty selection in Space Moth: Lunar Edition. However, the game’s clever design lets you adjust the challenge level through your playstyle. If you focus on survival without worrying about score, it’s not too hard to clear the game. Mastering the scoring mechanics, on the other hand, adds an extra layer of challenge for more experienced players. For reference, it took me about 6 hours of practice and runs to achieve my first 1CC. Understanding the mechanics and not stressing about scoring made the process feel accessible but still rewarding. “What other features stand out?” The game includes a Training Mode, which is perfect for practicing individual stages or bosses. It’s a great feature for players who want to refine their skills without needing to replay the entire game. The soundtrack deserves a mention as well. The music is laid-back and fits the game’s tone, complementing the colorful visuals and creating a chill yet engaging atmosphere. “Final Thoughts?” Space Moth: Lunar Edition is a fantastic shmup that combines classic mechanics with unique features, like its special ability system, to create a memorable experience. It strikes a nice balance between accessibility and depth. The game reminded me of the best aspects of Mushihimesama while introducing its own ideas. I really hope the developers follow this up with a sequel—this one is too good not to continue!

fun little cave-inspired doujin. theres two gimmicks to the scoring, part of it is bullet cancels with this special zone thing you can activate which raises your mult, the other half is using your rapid fire to soul drain enemies, making them shoot much harder patterns, and then killing them with laser for big score. it didnt appeal to me enough to go any further than 100% achievements and a quick 18m score, but it's relatively interesting and definitely should appeal to someone. i kind of wish bombing didnt take away your skull mode meter, because currently bomb spamming final boss and settling for 1x for the final boss defeat bonus seems best for score, while it would be cool to have an aspect of bomb spamming it then using skull mode right at the end to get back to 24x multiplier for the bonus. the survival play is decent, though quite easy, and one of the achievements has an incorrect description on steam (but a correct one ingame.)

One of the best SHMUPS on PC, now updated/remastered/remixed.