GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon Preview

It’s always a mystery to me why games are only released in small regions. This happened to the GetsuFumaDen franchise which started back in 1987 with a release on the Nintendo Famicom system in Japan. The game never made it outside of Japan, which is really a shame because it is an excellent title. Games like this are the reason I got into collecting titles for the Famicom. As soon as I was able, I imported the game and was pleasantly surprised to find out that understanding Japanese wasn’t required to enjoy the game. Now 34 years later we finally have another title in this franchise being released, and not just in Japan.

GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon is being released on the Nintendo Switch in 2022 but for right now it is an Early Access title on Steam. Along with this new title, the original Getsu Fūma Den is also available to play. The 8-bit title is just an emulated version of the game so it is in its original Japanese language. It would be nice to see a translated version, but it is still a great game worth playing nonetheless. 

Undying Moon takes place 1000 years after the original game, where we learn that the leader of the Getsu Fuma clan took down Ryokotsuki the demon lord, driving all of the demons back to hell restoring peace to the world. But now, Ryukotsuki has managed to return, causing chaos in the world and it is up to the new Getsu Fuma clan leader to defeat this threat. 

This is a roguelike, action-platforming game that reminds me of Dead Cells or even Hades with both titles taking place in hell. I personally am not usually the biggest fan of roguelike games, especially when you lose absolutely everything and it’s incredibly hard to make your character stronger. The instructions in GetsuFumaDen were quite convoluted so it was hard to figure out exactly what you need to do to level up your character and weapons to be able to progress through the stages. So I’m hoping the final release will address this and make it less frustrating. 

Now, despite my gripes about the game being a roguelike and difficult, GetsuFumaDen is worth playing. Especially with the absolutely gorgeous artwork that looks like tattoos that have come to life. As you come across enemies in the level and attack them their health bars become visible so you will be able to see exactly how much damage you have done and how much more you need to do. Running and slashing like crazy isn’t the most effective method I found. When you run into enemies like Oni, you will see he is carrying a huge spiked club. If you are hit by this weapon you are looking at 250 damage on the downward hit then when he brings it back up you get hit again. So it is definitely worth the time to be stealthy and attack from the back. When you get through the level and find the portal to the boss you will find a huge and amazing looking monster. It was epic! Despite getting my butt kicked, I couldn't wait to get back to that point to see more of that demon. 

The map system in GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon is so helpful! Usually maps just show you the areas you have visited and just major things located there. In this game the map shows you where all the portals are that you can fast travel from another portal to, where the remaining enemies are, the portal that leads you to the shop and where treasure boxes are located. It even shows where you dropped weapons to switch to another one, so if you dropped a weapon that you ended up needing you can just check that map and go right there to pick it back up. This definitely saves on time spent backtracking along with the ability to use a portal to travel to any other portal you have already discovered.

In GetsuFumaDen you carry your main and secondary weapons. The main weapons include katanas, umbrellas, blades, bludgeons, spears and gauntlets. The secondary weapons are your smaller ones like explosives, bows, kunai, caltrops, mana bracelets and pipes. Pipes are essentially muskets. The secondary weapons can only be used for a set amount of time before you run out, or have a cooldown period in-between uses. You can equip two main weapons and two secondary ones, so if you find others that are stronger or that you would rather use you can swap them. The one you dropped will remain at the spot just in case you need it later.  

Every time you are defeated in GetsuFumaDen you are reincarnated and your soul and memories are brought back to life at the Getsu Fuma Estate. This is where the GetsuFuma clan is based, and where you can train and power up your weapons. Since Undying Moon is a roguelike game, the weapons you get along with your katana are random and the levels are always changing. So each playthrough is different and you can’t depend on your memory or being given the best weapons right off the bat. Sometimes you get lucky and are given a couple of powerful weapons right from the beginning, but other times you will have to search the level looking for better options in a treasure box or at the market. 

There is so much potential here for an amazing game. I think if a few things were tweaked this could become a must-play title for people who love roguelikes or action-platforming games. At this point the game is definitely playable, but for the cost, it might be worth waiting for the final release when everything is polished just a bit more.