Game Review: Saga of The Moon Priestess

By Al

Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, XBox, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC

Games that emulate the formula put forth by The Legend of Zelda series aren't exactly rare, but it's not too often that one makes an attempt as obvious as Saga of The Moon Priestess. Released earlier this year on all major platforms, we're going to be taking a look at the game on the Nintendo Switch today. That's probably the most interesting place to examine Saga of The Moon Priestess on, as one can easily access most of the games that it's clearly inspired by on the console already. Seeing as we have a lot to go over, let's skip the intros and dive right in!

Saga of The Moon Priestess puts you into the shoes of Sarissa, a girl armed with only a spear and the ability to communicate with the Goddess of the Moon via several conveniently-placed statues. She sets off on a journey to rescue the recently captured Prince of Lunaria, a person who I don't think she actually has any connection to. I guess heroes don't need reasons to do what they do, but some reference as to why the cause is so important to her would've been nice. The story is very thin, and never really gets fleshed out. There is a simplistic charm to it that kept me from dismissing it outright, but I wouldn't judge anyone else who did exactly that. Is it the fact that you stumble upon a group of plotting ducks that made me like the game? Maybe, I'm not going to say that it isn't, but I will say that it was the small amusing touches that allowed me to overlook the bigger issues with the plot. All that aside, it did bother me that the writing was as thin as it was, since it would've been very easy to put in more story. The intro itself actually shows the Prince get kidnapped, and that single scene promises far more than the rest of the game delivers. It almost seems to belong to another game as it has more narrative to it than anything involving Sarissa. We're off to a wonky start, and missed opportunities might the name of the game here, but let's move on to gameplay to see if that's truly the case.

I went into Saga of The Moon Priestess thinking that it would play like the Game Boy Color Zelda games, namely Link's Awakening, and I'd be lying if I said it didn't fulfill that expectation at least a little bit. Your goal is to clear the five dungeons, get the five key items, and rescue the prince. There's a decent amount of side content too, but you'll mainly be travelling through the overworld unlocking new regions with each new item you get. The items are all Zelda staples too like the bow, bombs, power glove, magic rod, and so on. I guess those items could just be considered generic too, but something about their execution screams Zelda to me. Sarissa's attacks are limited to a single straight slash with her spear, and she has no item for defense at all. That means that unlike Link, she can't block attacks with a shield, nor can she attack enemies at any other angle but straight on. Enemies aren't anything special, but the boss encounters are pretty cool and often require the use of the item you just acquired in their dungeon. There's also a village that you can visit that has some NPCs that you can interact and trade items with, a shop to buy consumables, and an extra bonus dungeon to get additional secret items. That all sounds fair enough, but things start the fall apart the more you play.

Even though Saga of The Moon Priestess looks and plays like a GBC Zelda game, it has nowhere near the polish of one. I don't think it's meant to be a difficult game intentionally, but there are several factors that keep it from being fair. First off is the hit detection, which is all over the place due to the very direct nature of Sarissa's attacks. Her spear is thin, and only strikes directly in front of the direction she's facing, leading to all sorts of missed attacks. Sarissa herself can only move in four directions, so you have to constantly make sure you're aligned to strike enemies that have no such movement or attacking restrictions. Next up is the fact that there is no cooldown from taking damage. There is a knockback that I think is meant to take you out of harm's way, but you can be killed within seconds if an enemy gets you trapped in a corner. This is beyond frustrating, and pretty much the only reason I died at all during my time with the game. Then there's the little things like healing items not respawning during a dungeon, no way at all to defend yourself from enemy attacks, not being able to simply drop bombs onto the floor, dungeon rooms that seem to be designed in ways the game's system doesn't seem fit to handle, and other similar smaller issues that just add to a game that is hard to like at times. The world itself is rather small, and you're not given a lot of reason why you're doing anything either. Nothing short of visiting the town's fortuneteller, or looking up a guide online, will get you through this game. If you don't simply give up in frustration early on of course.

Now I don't want to just bash Saga of The Moon Priestess, because there were plenty of times where I was enjoying myself, and I did keep coming back to it in spite of its many issues. I guess there's the simple fact that there are those aforementioned Zelda gameplay elements that it got correct, and they helped me to look beyond some of its worst aspects. I mentioned the comparisons to the GBC Zelda games, and I think that those inspirations only really exist in the visuals and opening presentation. Much of the game plays like a smaller OG Legend of Zelda, and it's best to go in with that mindset to get the most out of the experience. There's more to it than just that of course. The graphics and music are both pretty good too, and the retro aesthetics are totally on point. I wish that the developers spent more time polishing the gameplay than making Sarissa look like a busty anime waifu in the inventory screen, but I guess we have to pick our battles. This is a small indie game, and it only costs $5.99, at the end of the day I find it hard to hate it all that much. It's far from perfect, but its scope and price reflect that a bit in my opinion. Maybe the developers can do better on a sequel? One can only hope.

Even though I don't think I can give Saga of The Moon Priestess a full recommendation, I do think it's worth checking out if you're a fan of the Game Boy Zelda titles, or the very first NES game. It doesn't stand up well to them, but there's enough here to scratch that nostalgic itch. Its low price also means that you won't be out of a ton of money if you're not as forgiving as I am. If you're playing on the Switch, you can even move on to the Switch Online Game Boy app and play the originals when you're done! Or I guess you can just play/replay those games right now and skip the first step. Either way, happy adventuring! See you in the next one!

Check Out Saga of The Moon Priestess on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/saga-of-the-moon-priestess-switch/

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Story: C
Gameplay: C
Graphics: B
Music/Sound: B
Value: A

Overall: B-

Pros:
+ Successfully emulates several aspects of the old school Zelda games.
+ The music and graphics are both fairly well done, and the retro aesthetics are excellent overall.
+ There's a charm to the game that keeps one playing in spite of its many issues.
+ At just $5.99, it's hard to hate on it too much.
+ The developers saw fit to make Sarissa a busty anime waifu, so there's that if you're into it.

Cons:
- Movement and attacking are a chore as Sarissa can only attack head on, and can only move in four directions.
- Despite Sarissa being very limited in movement and attacking, the enemies have no such restrictions. There's also no way to defend yourself, like with a shield.
- After the first (admittedly great) opening cutscene, the story simply drops off to near nothing.
- Hard to recommend when the games that inspired it are so easily accessible.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

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The real facts.