As someone who started his Momodora journey with Reverie Under the Moonlight – Momodora: Moonlit Farewell is possibly Bombservices best work yet. After the somewhat polarizing reception to Minoria in 2019, learning that a return and finale for the Momodora series was being made in 2021 left me feeling intrigued, and excited. When it comes to the game, however, there is a level of challenge and excellence that has made me replay it multiple times over. With a lot of love in its overall presentation, changing from the previously perceived gloom in Reverie Under the Moonlight to warmth in Moonlit Farewell. While ensuring simplicity was interwoven into every bit of platforming and progression in the game. This game is not a sad farewell, but a bittersweet sendoff.
Developer & Publisher // Bombservice, Playism
Platforms // PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, PC, Xbox Series X|S
MSRP & Release Date // $16.99, January 11th, 2024 (On PC) & February 6th, 2025 (For Consoles)
Reviewed On // Xbox Series X
On the Search for the Black Bell
In Momodora: Moonlit Farewell you will play as Momo, a High Priestess from the village of Koho. She is on a mission from the Matriarch of Koho to find and stop the ringing of the ominous Black Bell. The Black Bell is responsible for the rise of demons trying to attack the Sacred Tree of Lun. If Momo fails in her mission, the safety of her village and the rest of the world will fall to the total ruin that the Sacred Tree protects.
As far as a straightforward narrative goes, Momodora: Moonlit Farewell relies more on character interactions, and background storytelling to do its heavy lifting. That is not to say Momo and her journey throughout the game is not filled with cutscenes and important boss fights. In fact, the game throughout its short runtime of 6 hours achieves a lot. From epic fights to ominous foreshadowing and excellent world-building if you are new to the series.
Another element of the journey that Momodora: Moonlit Farewell excels in is your companion, Cereza. Cereza acts as your vendor, and comfort throughout the entire game. You can often take breaks and get to know her better. These breaks lead to excellent character development as you near the end of the game, which is wonderful. The game has a lot of heart put into every interaction. Whether it was with Cereza, or Dora, a close friend of Momo. Who acts as a tougher character compared to Momo when she appears throughout the game to help her.
The game ensures that you have a clear understanding of each character, and the entire world’s lore while letting you explore and fight to your heart’s content.
The Hectic Exploration in Momodora: Moonlit Farewell
Momodora: Moonlit Farewell has the standard Metroidvania level design. It is filled with platforming, shortcuts, and progression blockers to come back to. You start out by rolling and jumping through a forest environment. Then eventually you will be able to sprint through harsh winds to find ruins, decaying swamps, and even a fairy village. Then cap it all off with wall bouncing and double jumping which also gives you an edge in combat. Throughout the game, you will also find traditional checkpoints in the form of a shrine with a bell to ring that restores your health and mana. Cereza can also be found at these shrines to offer you upgrades.
Some offer minimal changes, while others are more effective. For example, you can either find more currency, acquire a vacuum to suck up currency instead of running over it – or cooler upgrades, like passive mana regeneration, more powerful bow attacks, and the ability to summon ghostly swords to fight with you. Obviously, you are limited to using a handful of these upgrades at a time. But the constant juggling between areas meant I could always experiment and find my preferred playstyle.
Along the way, you will also find historical areas with a traveling researcher and her bodyguard. You are not forced to engage with them, but if you do, you can learn more about some of the places you find. But my favorite part of Momodora: Moonlit Farewell‘s exploration was constantly finding fishing spots to relax in. Especially when the rest of the exploration is filled with many secrets to find.
The secrets in the game mostly boil down to more health, mana, and damage increases that become very noticeable. My only complaint about the exploration is how some discoveries are found. Some hidden rooms will have the smallest patch of grass removed to reveal a floor you can fall through. While almost every other secret is easier to find, some discoveries that require less satisfying exploration methods to uncover just feel inconsistent.
Whacking and Shooting
Similar to Metroidvanias, Momodora: Moonlit Farewell has a very basic combat system. Outside of the rolling around, you have a melee attack and a bow to use. What makes the game’s combat stand out, however, is how the combat is presented. Obviously, you will have small foes and environmental hazards to keep in check. Like little demons that throw bombs and falling rolling foes. But Momo comes equipped with not a sword, or a dagger for melee combat. She is instead using a maple leaf that is purified to hurt anything demonic.
This leaf has a very standard combo, ending with a small projectile at the end. Some of the upgrades you can equip enhance its capabilities further. The bow, on the other hand, will look and feel distinctly cooler. Momo does not just stand in place and charge up a shot. Instead, she will have a consistent flair and flow with each bow shot, stringing together strong combos.
Both approaches work equally well with many of the bosses in Momodora: Moonlit Farewell. There will be standard bosses like a giant boar, or slime. With crazier epic bosses, like a harpy that requires more patience and ranged attacks. Not to mention more frustrating dual bosses or a giant serpent. But my favorite boss, outside of the final one, was a sword wielder who emerged from an innocent cat form. Her combos are devastating and kept my adrenaline pumping.
After finishing the game, there is also a cool boss rush mode that adds extra challenge to see how good your skills and builds are. Not to mention some hidden encounters. I really enjoyed every aspect of the game’s combat, narrative, and exploration. Nothing felt out of place and exceeded my expectations.
Bleak Frosty Pixel Art
Momodora: Moonlit Farewell nails its overall style perfectly. Everyone, even Cereza and the fairies are all grounded in a realistic design. Even Koho looks like something fantastical and well realized. Every zone also feels like its own thing but flows perfectly with one another. For example, when leaving Koho, you do not just jump into the forest, there is a dedicated path that brings you there, and the warmth of the village contrasts against the drab feel of the forest.
Likewise with the swamp area having mud you have to jump or roll through to avoid a quick death with falling pollen and a misty look to it all. The enemies also have their own grounded and at times weird designs. Some demons will be normal gremlin bodies with a singular eye for a head. While cloaked dagger wielding shadows will rush at Momo. It all looks, and feels unique, complementing the design of the world they are based in.
Flawless Performance in Beautiful Vistas
I cannot recall a single time in Momodora: Moonlit Farewell where I encountered any bug, glitch, or freeze of any kind. It is technically sound, seamless, and very beautiful. All of the game’s visual effects, backgrounds, enemy and boss design, and even the foliage in every zone are wonderful. Even the main menu and pause menu are very stylish. I would sometimes just kill the enemies in a certain area just to sit back and take in the views. While the forest, swamp, and fairy village are all striking and colorful, my favorite areas of the game were the interiors of certain ruins.
For example, under Koho is a temple dedicated to one of the key characters in the world’s lore. It has some enemies to clear out and water to trudge through. But when you arrive at the statue that commemorates that character, it feels gloomy.
The torches and candles are lit and the only thing you can hit with the leaf is that character’s bell. All of these elements are brought together perfectly by the game’s ambiance and soundtrack. Koho has a lively feel to its design, with a warm soundtrack to match. While the temple in the screenshot above has more empty feeling ambiance, and a somber track to accompany it. That is not to say that Momodora: Moonlit Farewell has awesome boss music, you will remember them by the time you finish the game.
Closing Remarks on Momodora: Moonlit Farewell
Momodora: Moonlit Farewell is a very satisfying experience. It does not drag on too long, nor does it wrap up too quickly. The combat feels uniquely presented and flows well. With tons of enemy and boss variety, alongside the beautiful locales and fleshed-out characters that accompany Momo throughout. Momodora: Moonlit Farewell is very worth your time and money. I am already excited about playing through it again to see how much faster I can get through it. I very rarely feel attracted to replaying anything, but this game’s journey is worth seeing through multiple times, and I can guarantee you will feel the same.
Final Score: 9.8/10
Note – A key was provided for the purpose of this review.
Pros
- Concise Story
- Excellent World Building
- Fleshed out Characters
- Mostly Great Exploration
- Fun Combat
- Epic Bosses
- Beautiful Locales
- Wonderful Soundtrack
Cons
- Some Inconsistent Discovery Design
