GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon Gameplay Preview

GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon is a very stylish roguelite. It has the feel of a hyper colorful ukiyo-e print come to life. Everything from the detailed background, to the over the top enemy design, to the smooth animations create an unique sense of style.

The game play boils down to a typical roguelite. You try to get as far as you can until you die. You lose all your items and progress other than any permanent unlocks you have made. The game is separated into clear levels with a boss at the end of each level.

Undying Moon feels great to play. The action feels fast and the controls responsive. Each weapon has a main attack and a special ability. The basic katana, for example, has lower attack damage than other weapons but it has a counter attack ability that is really powerful when used correctly. Rolling past enemy attacks and attacking with weapons, items, and abilities look visually stunning and feel great.

The only small complaint I have is that the item progression feels pretty grindy. You will usually die before you can unlock any upgrades and when you die you lose everything (unless you have a skill unlocked that will retain a percentage of materials upon death). It will take a laboriously long time to make progress in unlocking anything permanent. This is not that big of a flaw as the game just simply encourages you to get better at playing it instead of relying on farming upgrades to make the game easier.

The game is not as difficult as it sounds. GetsuFumaDen’s difficulty is actually not that bad. I am not the best at these type of games and it only took me a few runs to get acquainted enough with the first level to be able to clear it completely while taking minimal damage. The second level is definitely much more difficult with more enemies that do more damage but it’s not impossible to beat. By taking each enemy encounter carefully and not rushing into fights, you can easily come out unscathed. The game is challenging enough and always keeps you on your toes as playing carelessly will result in a quick game over.

Overall, GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon is a solid roguelite with incredible visual style. The game feels pretty good to play and while unlocking anything feels grindy, the difficulty level of the game remains manageable.