Just four cool ninjas hanging out in a stairwell, doing ninja stuff.
This may not be a big deal for some players, but for people looking to have their own roster of characters, it could dictate on which system they decide to purchase the game. It should be noted that you can reset a character's data in the main menu. This is a RESET, not a respec, which means it erases all the character's experience points and MC's.
Four Moon Divers are nigh invincible for the first half of the game. Droves of enemies fall at your slashing blades. Bosses shudder from your onslaught of MoonSault Combos. Players can heal and revive each other. When one player is incapacitated, they are bound by chains. Other players can hack at these bonds to free their downed comrade. If they are not cut free in a set amount of time they are removed from the game and have to wait ten seconds to respawn. All four characters have to die to get the old game over screen.
As good as the game is with friends, it becomes a manic mess with strangers. Even in online play, characters are forced onto one shared screen. The camera usually focuses on the most advanced Moon Diver, so slower players are left behind rather easily. Luckily, the game is incredibly forgiving for missing jumps. Players won't fall to their death. They just take a small amount of damage and are either warped to the other players, or given an opportunity to climb out of whatever hole they've found themselves in. This can leave slower players watching a "P2" with an arrow indicating their position for much of the platforming levels, and some internet players are speed demons. You can even have all four players use Blue Guy, but then it's just a clustersmurf.
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The second time you see a cut scene you'll say to yourself, "Just frickin' heal me!" By the 347th time, you'll be legally insane.
The MoonSault Combo system is a double edged sword. More powerful MC's can use multiple players for an even more powerful effect. You initiate these by holding the circle button. An indicator icon will appear next to the other players, showing that you are trying to do a combo. As soon as they hit their own circle button the combo is executed. Some moves require all four players to participate for massive effects. Sadly, The MoonSault Combinations themselves can become a hindrance in co-op. Many of the MC's have little cut scenes that stop the action. If one player is spamming a cut scene MC, it really pulls you out of the game.
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If you can see the lasers, you're already dead.
As I previously stated, four Moon Divers are a force of nature for the first half of the game. Then around stage six, the lasers show up. There are a few lasers in earlier levels, but these only hint at the world of pain you are about to experience. These blue lasers suck up hit points like something something Charlie Sheen, something something cocaine. You can try to rescue your friends, which of course puts you in the path of the very laser that just killed the hell out of them. The beams blast through platforms. There is no hiding. If you're playing the game single player you may as well just turn it off.
You are going to die. You can freeze the lazers, you can blind them, but there's alway more. What's over there? Lasers. What's around that corner? Corner lasers. What's for lunch? A laser sandwic. What if I just run through the level? Forget about it buddy. The designer of this game had a fever, and the only prescription was more laser. You could say the difficulty ramps up, if you call the 90 degree angle where the floor meets a wall a ramp. I'm sure the game is beatable, but so is a puppy, and I don't condone that.
If you are still on the fence, check out the above launch trailer. Yep, the music sounds like the opening of the Blade movie through out the game. The first half of Moon Diver is a blast with some friends, either locally or online. The game is still fun with strangers, as long as everyone is talking. Mute strangers won't do you much good, but are a shade better than going it alone. Eventually, Moon Diver follows too closely in its predecessor's footsteps. A prohibitive level of difficulty will turn off all but the most dedicated players. Sure, you could grind out levels and power up your character, but there's just too many other great games out there. If you are an action platformer fan who likes a good challenge, and have some like-minded friends, this may be the game for you. As you can see from the screenshots and the video, the game looks great. It plays better. It's just a matter of how much punishment you are willing to take.
Moon Diver is available now on the PSN for $14.99. It should be out later this month on the Xbox LIVE Arcade for 1200 MSP.
Verdict
Co-Op Score
Overall
The Co-Op Experience: The Diver System allows players to jump in or out at any time, for a maximum of up to four players total. Guest players are awarded experience points for helping out.Combos increase in power and intensity according to the number of players. Collect new combo moves by picking them up on the map or fulfilling certain requirements.
Co-Optimus game reviews focus on the cooperative experience of a game, our final score graphic represents this experience along with an average score for the game overall. For an explanation of our scores please check our Review Score Explanation Guide.