Check out the newest Chichuki Views episode. This time ere looking at Lunar Lander Beyond on Steam from Atari. This game reminded me of the classic game Asteroids, but with a modern feel/look. I really like how this game looks since it has a anime style to it. There are cut scenes where the art is very well done as well as voice acted scenes between missions.
We have the option of playing as one of several pilots, each with their strengths and weaknesses. You’ll be able to see what abilities your pilot has before you select them for missions. There are different difficulty modes that you can select from as well. I mention that here because the various modes have different play options. If you need to restart a mission or fail one, easy and normal setting don’t require you to pay a fee. You will have to collect currency during the space missions to replay missions and level up your pilot. Complete the mission and get experience points for your pilot. Some missions will have you find new pilots for your crew. Add them to the team and see if they have a different skill you’ll need to complete a mission.
Flight takes a little getting used to but once you do, you will be flying like a pro. That being said, the first few missions I found myself being a little more cautious and then when I get the hang of things, I was being a little more daring in my flying such as during a race mission. I took a few turns slow but once I figured out the path, I was speeding up, getting to the ring and gliding through.
You will be able to level up your pilot by collecting experience points during missions and learn new skills for the pilots. An interesting game play mechanic is stress on your pilot. If you damage your ship during missions, your pilot will build stress. During missions, you can grab medicine in a pill to lower it. After missions, you’ll have to go to the med bay and see the medical staff. There are different methods to heal but your pilot will have to sit out a flight and not be available for the next mission. This is an interesting way to force the player to use different pilots and not over level too much. I used the same pilot for the majority of game play but I did try a new pilot as well. I like the fact that if I use the same ship model as the prior pilot and then switch pilots, I don’t need to re-equip items.You will want to keep stress to a minimum because it can mess with your head during game play. Hallucinations will start to show up on screen and you might not be able to tell what’s real and what isn’t actually there.
You will be able to find and equip new items to your ship during missions. The tractor beam was my favorite because you can speed by items in space and grab them with the tractor beam. The most practical item during missions was the stabilizer, which was used to slow your ship down as well as stop quickly. You will also need to master the stabilizer to land your ship because if you don’t land slowly, it will damage the ship. One thing I didn't like was a mission that required you to have pinpoint steering and ship control. You needed to smash meteors with your ship. You're trying to keep a colony safe and that means keeping the barrier from breaking. I found this very difficult and it was hard to stop on a dime since you don't have the best control of your ship.
I didn't know what to expect when I started Lunar Landing Beyond. I found myself enjoying my time with the game. Having the option to customize my ship and pilots allow me to play my way. The writing and voice acting was great and they really add to the game. I'd like to thank the folks at Atari for the Steam review code.