(Photo courtesy of: Metacritic) “”Settlemoon” puts a creative spin on RPGs.”
Aaron Preziosi
Connector Contributor
“Settlemoon” is an idle game developed and published on Steam by Lepioid LLC on August 1, 2023, featuring a unique, colorful art style and a relaxed, low-commitment gameplay loop. The game is set in an abandoned RPG world where the sky disappeared, and players are tasked with keeping it lit with stars, or various kinds of themed moons while building places for randomly generated adventurers to socialize, train, and shop, earning the player’s little hamlet some cash.
On the subject of cash, these wayward adventurers don’t just shop for the player, they also embark on quests after they leave town in true RPG fashion! However, “Settlemoon” has a trick up its sleeve. Instead of the player going out and fulfilling quests by slaying monsters and delving into dungeons, they are the ones posting quests and rewarding adventurers for their hard work. It is encouraged that players close the game and only check back every few hours, or even overnight. By then, you can pay adventurers for their troubles and receive the materials they acquired on their quests.
As the player progresses by placing more buildings and sending parties out to slay fearsome bosses, their village will go from a small hamlet to a bustling epicenter for adventure, attracting all kinds of unique visitors and NPCs. It is intended for players to piece together a story of what happened to the world of “Settlemoon” through notes left by these visitors, but most of the in-game text is written in a unique conlang. There are pictures, so the vague idea is conveyed, but the exact details are left unclear to the average player, which may be a bit frustrating.
However, the visual style of “Settlemoon” deserves plenty of praise. Lepioid LLC employed a pixelated art style for the game, using a limited yet vibrant palette drawn onto very dark, sometimes completely black environments. This makes sure every character, building, and UI element pops out of the darkness, making it clear to the player that they are moving and living amidst the melancholy gloom. The characters themselves are very well-animated, and it shows that a lot of care went into the art of both the randomly generated adventurers and the NPC visitors that breeze in every now and again.
All things considered, “Settlemoon” is a very laid-back, interesting take on the idle genre. Whether you’re looking to learn about a new world, build a cute little village, meet charming NPCs, or just idle away your time when you’ve got some, Settlemoon is worth your time despite its cryptic nature and certainly worth the $15.
Grade: B
