Wolfsmoon

There is a killer on the loose in Elmville, and unless you want to become their next victim, you better hurry up and bring them to justice.

Wolfsmoon is a horror-themed puzzle game with pixel artwork. It was written in a terse style that is meant to mimic the text adventure games from the 1980s. However, Wolfsmoon is much more forgiving than games from that decade. While the puzzles are not exactly easy, the game cannot be put into an unwinnable state.

The gameplay is broken into two parts. The first part has you exploring the town of Elmville while collecting items and solving puzzles. There are a few NPCs that you can interactive with, but they are mostly static and unhelpful.

The second part takes place in a puzzle house. You find yourself trapped in a mansion, and you have to search every room carefully for clues on how to escape.

I felt that the puzzles were of medium difficulty. I did get stuck frequently, but progression never felt impossible. I was able to finish the game without a walkthrough.

Wolfsmoon also features beautiful pixel artwork for every location. The artwork does a great job of adding to the atmosphere without distracting from the written descriptions.

On the negative side, some of the writing is a little awkward. For example, if you try to fill a tankard with stew, the game will tell you that tankards are for beer. Fair enough, except for the fact that you have to eventually fill the tankard with something that is decidedly not beer. These moments are few and far between, and they certainly don’t ruin the game, but I can see how they could cause confusion and frustration.

Atmospheric and challenging, Wolfsmoon is a great game. If you enjoy solving puzzles, I highly recommend it.