From the moment I sat down withMoonbase LambdaatTokyo Game Show, I knew I wouldn’t last more than ten minutes before giving up. Survival horror is not, and has never been, my jam. But I couldn’t help myself, because this is one of the most beautiful horror games I’ve ever seen in my life.
In Moonbase Lambda, you awake from cryogenic sleep to the silent, darkened Lambda Base. As you wander the procedurally-generated maze around you, it becomes clear you’re being stalked by some kind of creature that is attracted to light and sound.
The way it plays immediately reminded me of Amnesia: The Bunker – while I’m not sure if this game has a crafting system, you will have to collect items and attempt to solve puzzles, while the terror of being stalked by some kind of strange predator is consistently palpable. There’s even a generator you have to find energy sources for, akin to The Bunker’s fuel generator mechanic that allows you to turn the lights on and see a few scant feet in front of you while trapped underground.
The game does a pretty good job of walking you through what you need to do. There’s a list of objectives offered to you on the left of the screen, ensuring you don’t waste time creeping around without purpose. Actually carrying out those objectives is a different story, considering that the map is randomised with each playthrough and you’ll have to move through it as quietly as possible, knowing that any slip could mean being found out. Procedural horror can often give way to a lack of scares through repetition, but even during my short time with it, Lambda keeps things fresh.
One thing that immediately jumps out about Moonbase Lambda is its art style. ThinkReturn of the Obra Dinn– the game is rendered in absolutely gorgeous dithering, translating your dark surroundings in surprising retro-styled fidelity. The graphics, though harking back to 1-bit games from the 1980’s, are dynamic and fluid, approximating shifting light and movement with surprising levels of precision. you may’treallysee your surroundings all that well in most cases, but you can see just enough, which really helps to build atmosphere and dread. The whole thing is put through a green filter, as if you’re looking through night vision goggles.
Perhaps I’m so impressed by this because of the high-quality, realistic graphics we’ve come to expect from horror titles, and gaming as a whole. Horror games rely so much on the unknown, and Moonbase Lambda’s visual style obscures just enough to make it extremely effective.
I also loved the sound design, which leans on traditional horror sound cues. I could tell that the creature was getting close to me when my heart started to pound loudly, muffling every other sound, and when my user interface started to distort. As I crouched in a corner, my heart beating so loud that it was a miracle the monster wasn’t tracking me from that alone, I couldn’t help but think, “God, this rules.”
In Moonbase Lambda, every action feels like a risk, because everything I do in my bulky spacesuit makes noise. I opened a locker to see if anything useful was inside, and it creaked so loudly that I was immediately nauseous with fear. Turning the generator on creates a massive hum,andjust turning the wheel to start it was so loud that I got stressed out.
Don’t just trust me – you can trythe demofor yourself right now. Moonbase Lambda is currently slated for a 2024 release.
Moonbase Lambda
WHERE TO PLAY
SynopsisThe era of interplanetary travel has arrived in the vast expanse of space. As an advanced outpost for terraforming, there existed the Moonbase Lambda. One day, the player awakens from a cryogenic sleep only to be greeted by the eerie silence of Lambda Base. Despite the confusion, the player begins to explore the base in order to survive…FeaturesMoonbase Lambda is a survival horror game which you have to escape from a procedurally-generated maze. The premise of the game is that an unidentified creature breaks into the moonbase, which leaves you no choice but to survive and escape from it.• 3D graphics with a classic-style dithering effect applied.• With a first-person perspective and restricted visual elements, it presents an unique horror-esque experience.• A procedurally generated maze with a different layout in each playthrough.
