Szymanski just does not miss. Yeah, his bigger projects like Dusk and Iron Lung are great, sure, but at the heart of his catalogue are these collections of minute, subtle short-form horror games that just do so well. Fingerbones and Iron Lung are the peak, but The Moon Sliver does just as good a job at not only holding your attention and being interesting, but having a very compelling narrative that makes you want to know more.
As someone who usually hates walking sims, this one makes you forget what it is. As you traverse the map, never certain of the rules or direction the game will take you, growing more and more fearful of what happens next, every aspect from the sound design to the (sometimes a bit iffy) dialogue just holds you. It's not a skin-crawler so to speak, as I found myself most enraptured by the story itself and uncovering it, but the horror is there, as you try to unravel a mystery that may determine your fate. And it sticks the landing! Unlike what I felt was a pretty mundane ending to something like Iron Lung, it's done so much better here and any scares are backed by the entire game's experience. There's nothing cheap or ♥♥♥♥♥♥, it's all done very richly and sincerely, and I heartily recommend.

Szymanski just does not miss. Yeah, his bigger projects like Dusk and Iron Lung are great, sure, but at the heart of his catalogue are these collections of minute, subtle short-form horror games that just do so well. Fingerbones and Iron Lung are the peak, but The Moon Sliver does just as good a job at not only holding your attention and being interesting, but having a very compelling narrative that makes you want to know more. As someone who usually hates walking sims, this one makes you forget what it is. As you traverse the map, never certain of the rules or direction the game will take you, growing more and more fearful of what happens next, every aspect from the sound design to the (sometimes a bit iffy) dialogue just holds you. It's not a skin-crawler so to speak, as I found myself most enraptured by the story itself and uncovering it, but the horror is there, as you try to unravel a mystery that may determine your fate. And it sticks the landing! Unlike what I felt was a pretty mundane ending to something like Iron Lung, it's done so much better here and any scares are backed by the entire game's experience. There's nothing cheap or shitty, it's all done very richly and sincerely, and I heartily recommend.