Momodora: Moonlit Farewell is the final instalment in the Momodora franchise—designed, as the series' creator states, to «close the book on many of the past games’ mysteries and questions». While I've not had the pleasure of playing a Momodora game before, I do like a good metroidvania—and I've been pleasantly surprised so far as a latecomer to the series.
Moonlit Farewell starts off a touch too slow, guiding you through an introductory bossfight before dropping you into a chasm. You fall unconscious and wake up in your house, waking up in your people's village with your fellow bell maiden fussing over you.
The town's filled with charmingly-animated sprites, even if I was made to jog around for a bit too long before I could get back into the action—I am known to be directionally challenged on occasion, so your mileage may vary. The core thrust is that some scamp has rung The Black Bell, causing demons to threaten your village's sacred tree. As a leaf-wielding High Priestess, your job is to put a stop to that.
You're accompanied by Cereza, a maiden who is useless in a fight—but she can turn currency into Sigils (build-defining cards) and make a mean snack, so we don't hold that against her.
At first, Moonlit Farewell feels a smidge sluggish. Momo drifts when she moves, and she doesn't exactly book it through the opening caverns. However, it quickly became apparent that Moonlit Farewell's aiming for more weighty, deliberate combat—and there's nothing wrong with that.
You have a stamina bar used for dodge rolling, a satisfying flash when you nail a frame-perfect dodge, and you eventually unlock a sprint button that gives you a very welcome burst of speed. It drains stamina, though—so it's to be deployed tactically.
In
UPS
Booking
BURST
sprint
jogging
beautiful