Moon Crystal -Famicom- 9.5

October 6, 2023

I have finally conquered Moon Crystal! I was very proud to finally attain the authentic cib last year, and this week I finally committed to beating the game. This was definitely one of the hardest NES/Famicom games I’ve ever beaten. And I loved every minute of it.

Moon Crystal has to be the best Famicom game that we never recieved on the American NES. It is a beautiful action platformer with the most fluid animation you have ever seen in an 8bit title. This game is a work of art and a labor of love by the little known studio, Hector/Hect.

The jumping mechanics are very responsive, allowing you to double jump and grab onto ledges. Switching directions takes proper timing, because there are so many frames of animation. It takes patience, but it’s part of the charm. The bosses and enemies have equal frames of animation, so the whole game looks almost like a very old Disney movie. These are the best graphics I’ve ever seen on the Nes/Famicom.

As stated earlier, this game is hard. And that is mainly due to the brutal boss battles. Every one of the end level bosses is unforgiving and requires mastery of jumping and being able to turn around on a dime.

There are seven levels here, and each is very unique in its setting and background. They go a long way towards setting the mood for the story, which is told through cutscenes in between levels. (Similar to Ninja Gaiden). The villain captures the hero’s family, and is trying to use the powerful moon crystal to create monsters. It’s up to you to rescue your family and foil the evil doer’s plans, with the help of his young daughter. There is a really cool plot twist towards the end, too.

Moon Crystal is absolutely one of the best games of its generation, and I’m giving it a 9.5 out of ten. It was incredible to finally experience this absolute gem.