Moonlight Peaks

💜 Moonlight Peaks is one of those games where an hour can disappear remarkably quickly. I've already found myself reaching the end of a recording session and wanting to carry straight on, which is usually a very good indication that a life sim has got its hooks into me.

The obvious comparison is with games such as Stardew Valley. There are crops to grow, resources to gather, people to meet, places to explore and a home and piece of land that gradually become your own. But Moonlight Peaks has enough personality to avoid simply feeling like another farming game following the same formula.

🌙 The biggest difference, of course, is that you're a vampire. Your life happens at night, you sleep through the day and the familiar cosy farming routine takes place beneath moonlight rather than sunshine. It's such a simple reversal, but combined with the supernatural setting it gives the whole game a distinctive atmosphere that I absolutely love.

I've really enjoyed the freedom of deciding how to spend each night. Sometimes I've explored and met more of the locals; sometimes I've concentrated on gathering resources; and sometimes an alarming number of trees have discovered that Dracula's descendant apparently has a personal vendetta against forestry.

Look, I needed the space.

🧛 And yes, one of the locals has taken to calling me Dracula. I've embraced this development completely. My little purple vampire may be descended from Dracula, but so far she's considerably more interested in gardening, improving her home and being nice to the neighbours than terrorising the local population.

The world has been another highlight for me. I've enjoyed gradually discovering the different areas and meeting the people who live there rather than feeling any need to rush through everything. Moonlight Peaks gives me that lovely feeling that I can simply head out for the night and see where I end up.

🏡 Even improving my little home has been enjoyable. I've repaired the roof, made the place cosier and gradually started understanding some of the game's systems that weren't immediately obvious to me. That's part of the appeal: each session feels as though I've learned something new or made another little piece of my vampire life better.

I did initially question the price. Before spending proper time with Moonlight Peaks, it felt a little expensive for this type of game. Having now seen the size of the world, the amount there is to do and the potential longevity, my opinion has changed considerably. I can genuinely see myself putting well over 100 hours into this, so the full price makes much more sense to me now. Find it in a sale and, for someone who enjoys this style of game, it becomes even easier to recommend.

🧛‍♀️ My main personal disappointment is the lack of a male protagonist option. I have absolutely no problem playing female characters, but in a life sim where I could potentially spend hundreds of hours inhabiting that character, I prefer having the option to create someone that feels a little more like me. It certainly hasn't stopped me enjoying Moonlight Peaks, but I'd love to see that choice available.

There have also been a few little rough edges along the way. Most memorably, I managed to wedge myself beside the stairs with no obvious way to jump or get myself unstuck. Not quite the dramatic fate I'd imagined for a descendant of Dracula.

Apparently stairs were his true weakness all along.

😂

But those moments have done very little to diminish how much I've enjoyed the game. What matters far more is that I keep wanting to come back. I want to improve the farm, develop the house, explore more of the world, get to know its inhabitants and see what else my nocturnal little life has waiting for me.

Moonlight Peaks has taken a style of game I already love and given it an identity of its own. It's cosy without losing its supernatural personality, relaxing without leaving me short of things to do, and charming enough that limiting myself to roughly hour-long recording sessions has become an exercise in self-control.

That probably says everything.

💜 For me, Moonlight Peaks earns a Tom Recommends.