Great game. And it's free.

Legitimately one of the best rpgs on steam. I am not familiar with the games Moonring is supposedly a throwback to, they are well before my time, but this game feels like a revelation in the way it handles exploration and discovery. It's like someone gamified the way we discuss Souls lore and made it a part of the progression system. The world itself feels like a puzzle that unravels as you play it, and you have all the agency in how to pursue that knowledge, which in turn leads to adventure and player progression.

Sorry if I come across as cryptic, but seeing as the game is free (like actually honest to God free, no mtx bs in any capacity) you lose nothing by trying it and honestly best to go in blind when it comes to narrative, world-building and systems, as they are so fun to discover as you play and wouldn't want to spoil too much.

While combat is a core pillar of the game it is not what really keeps you playing. This is not Diablo or WoW where you are chasing powerful loot and XP to fulfill a power fantasy. It also plays very differently to modern CRPGS with it's bumping system, so while the game is turn based technically, it actually plays more like Superhot, where the enemies only move if you take an action. With that said, while the combat does seem simplistic at first, there is actually a surprising amount of depth to it. Personally I don't think I've scratched the surface in my current, admittedly short, playtime.

Make no mistake, Moonring is all about the adventure. Combat is more often than not a risk/reward choice. You can go for the bandits, but that maddening cloud on the map is getting closer, and the more time you spend fighting the more time you spend in it until you are facing 5 bandits while tripping balls. How many games can you say that happened in?

Biggest barrier for entry for most people will be the overall presentation. I think the style is actually a lot easier on the eyes that it first appears, and the game has a great visual grammar overall, but I do get that this is ultimately super subjective and some people just won't like it. It does provide a lot of clarity and I think the dev Fluttermind did an amazing job of making it all cohesive and legible. Personally, I think it actually makes it really easy to immerse myself in the setting, because it provides just enough information but allows the imagination to fill in the gaps.

Lastly I will say that this weirdly does scratch a Fable itch. If you're familiar with those games, especially the first two, you might find some interesting parallels here from design sensibility. Definitely worth a buy - oh wait....

Let me throw my money in your face please