Parents' Guide to

Moon

By Harold Goldberg, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

This lunar experience is deeper than many console games.

Game Nintendo DS 2009
Moon Poster Image

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What’s It About?

It's scary. It's the future. And it's the unknown. In MOON, you're Major Edward Kane, a brave astronaut sent to Earth's moon to check out something weird that's going on beneath the dusty surface. You enter a strange, glowing opening and go down, down, down in an elevator which leads to long tunnels and a possible connection to the Roswell mystery. What exactly is the source of the strange energy readings you're receiving?

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It's not every day that you get a generally enjoyable first person shooting experience that feels more like an adventure game. But with Moon, there's a deft (though not perfect) combination of story, game control, shooting, and music. On the top screen, you'll see cut scenes and a first person view as you move through lunar locales.On the bottom screen, you'll see maps, sometimes very intricate, indicating the ways to go. The bottom screen also lets you look all around. Movement is controlled via the D-pad and shooting, by the L button. After you play a level in Adventure Mode, you can go back in Quick Play mode to try for better shooting stats.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (2):

Moon, run by the software first seen in the gory Dementium:The Ward, is not a run and gun, blood-spattered shooting experience. There is indeed first person shooting with various guns that do different kinds of damage. But here, the story matters as much as do the weapons – a rarity in video games. For variety, you'll be driving a vehicle on the moon's surface and shooting from it (and taking time to admire the changing, star-filled skies).

The game does have its challenges, however. Driving a vehicle and walking through tunnels is seamless, but you'll find the occasional bug. The enemies, like hovering, shooting bots, are very similar throughout. It's sometimes difficult to aim via the touchscreen and, at the same time, move via the D-pad. And you'll often wish there was a button to adjust your view so that you automatically look forward at eye level. Despite these problems, though, Moon has more soul and story than many of its more expensive console counterparts.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what it would be like to live on the moon and to encounter robots beneath the lunar surface. Why would you like to live on the moon? Would you like it better if it was a peaceful existence? Or would fighting angry robots add excitement to your existence? Who or what would you take with you to the moon? Why?

Game Details

  • Platform: Nintendo DS
  • Available online?: Available online
  • Publisher: Mastiff
  • Release date: January 13, 2009
  • Genre: Action/Adventure
  • ESRB rating: T for Violence, Drug Reference
  • Last updated: November 4, 2015

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