Published by EastAsiaSoft at a low price point, Saga of the Moon Priestess is essentially an indie Link’s Awakening. It is a bite sized, simple, approachable, wholesome four-hour adventure featuring the classic top-down Zelda perspective, puzzle solving, and combat.
Playing as a priestess, it is your job to stop a witch and rescue a prince. To do this, a tightly designed interconnected environment must be navigated, a handful of bosses must be bested, items must be collected, puzzles must be solved, and secrets can optionally be found. In short, it reuses the classic Zelda formula, right down to implementing a similar pixel art style. It is a wholesome, adorable little adventure, one that is done right and with care.
My complaints are few and minor. For example, the map doesn’t contain detail but holds just enough information to give the player an indication of direction. I also wish there was a dash move or some way to walk faster because trudging from one side of the screen to the other can be painfully slow at times (coupled with a crunchy walking sound effect). The “picking up stones” animation is slower than it needs to be too. Also, the ending is laughably short. After all that work, the player is rewarded with one text box and the game reverts to the main menu instantly. It might even be one of the shortest endings of all time in any game.
I also finished the game with a ton of money in the bank, leaving the overall experience slightly unbalanced. There are only a few optional things to buy so the player winds up collecting a ton of cash without any means to spend it. It is also strange that the player will need to collect several items throughout the quest but only one item can be equipped at a time. There are several unused buttons on the control so it is a bummer they couldn’t be assigned to preference instead of tediously pulling up the menu every other screen.
Although not perfect, it is an enjoyable quest. One aspect that stands out, for example, is that all the common enemies stay dead when navigating a dungeon. Since the map doesn’t indicate locked doors or where secrets are located, backtracking becomes necessary just to figure out where to go. This process is made more fluid without having to annoyingly fight the common enemies that just get in the way. Collectable items are also stolen right from Zelda, like the swap rod that changes your position with certain obstacles, the power glove to pick up large things, and the fire rod to light torches and burn enemies. This game really looks, plays, and feels like Link’s Awakening-lite.
Saga of the Moon Priestess is a perfect game to play on a lazy Saturday. The bite sized scope is small enough where you can just figure out where to go (the fortune teller can provide direction) just by randomly moving between areas, but it is also big enough to contain some secrets for those dedicated enough to spot them. This game was made by only a few people and sells for just a couple of bucks but pound for pound, this digital download swings well above its weight class.
Not As Good As: other Zelda knock offs
Also Play: the Zelda Oracle games on the Gameboy Switch Online app
Wait For It: Fairune 3
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
Twitter: @ZackGaz
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RATING
OUR RATING - 8.5
8.5
SCORE
An indie top-down adventure game heavily inspired by Link’s Awakening, Saga of the Moon Priestess is a downright charming little adventure that (mostly) hits all the right notes.