[h1]A Cute Game with surprisingly indepth gameplay[/h1]
Moekuri is a mixed bag of a game to recommend. Speaking freely, the gameplay is quite fun and I would argue it handles the 'Collect them all' gameplay fairly well. There's a myriad of ways to play and there's no one definitive way to win. It's not a perfect experience though, as the game lacks in several departments.
[h2]Good[/h2]
[h3]Tactical Gameplay[/h3]
- It's a very in depth game with many bonus challenges in the post game, and even considering just the maingame you'll have plenty of fun trying to make your class work with the creatures you chose. Personally, I chose to focus on two typings with an Evoker class and found almost the entire game to be manageable, while still being quite entertaining. There are certain creatures that are far and away top tier options, but I would argue you're never forced to use them and they have their own costs that can't be ignored.
[h3]Great 'Collect em all' Styling[/h3]
- The main way to get new creatures is to simply either buy them with gems at random or to capture them in battles. Considering you can capture even in Story Battles or the post game, should it be compatible, and it gives you a myriad of options. I must note however that certain characters can only be unlocked with the gem purchases at random, so it may take quite some luck, or more hitting 'New + Unowned' and paying 60 gems for a new creature. I wish that the game gave out more gems, it does detract the experience for completionists that it takes so long to grind, but for general players it shouldn't be an issue.
[h2]Neutral[/h2]
[h3]Music[/h3]
- I would argue that the music is more or less fine in this game, but considering how often you repeat basic stages, it's a shame that the game doesn't offer a jukebox mode, even in the postgame, so you can listen to the interesting songs the game has to offer, instead of the same four or five songs while grinding for gems.
[h2]Bad[/h2]
[h3]Artstyle[/h3]
- The art style in this game is nice in terms of the in battle sprites, don't get me wrong, and it's consistent with the story segments. However, the art of the actual creatures that you're spending 90% of the playtime looking at is... inconsistent. There's a myriad of artists involved with this game, and there are certainly some winners when it comes to art... and there are the others. I'm glad that it allowed more artists to spend time working on art for a game, but I can't help but feel that it detracts from the game's overall feel. At the very least, it does give it it's own unique feeling.
[h3]Story[/h3]
- While I spent time trying to argue my way that the art style is fine, I can't do the same for the story. The story was lacking, and overall felt that it both dragged on and was being rushed through at lightning speeds at the same time. Overall, I would almost argue that skipping the story segments may be the best, keyword almost. It's not that long to read, and there's a few times that it's fine, but I would not call it good by any stretch of the imagination.
[h3]Lack of QOL[/h3]
- One of the larger issues for me is the overall lack of QOL for players. I can understand not having any full auto modes for the main story, to encourage players to at least try and pay attention, but even in the postgame where it's finally time to try and collect everything is a shame. With an Achievement that wants you to win 500 Battles, something that will be the [b]last[/b] achievement you will get, even after all the Collection achievements, it's a shame that there's nothing in the post game to simply have your character just move and attack automatically. There is a certain character that can at least do that, but since it won't end the turn automatically due to not wanting to take away your ability to summon, there's little point... especially as the only character that can do this is only unlocked after doing one of the hardest trials in the game, where realistically you should've finished your post game grinding already. Finally: While gems are used to unlock characters, they're given out far too infrequently to ever recommend using until it's time for the postgame grind, as it requires 60 gems to guarantee a new unit, while the best lategame stage will only give 15 gems after a few minutes of fighting. Notably: If the game offered discounted gems, say 5 games for beating a stage with level 20-30 units, at least that could give you options if you had a way to beat those stages much quicker, but the game will stop rewarding gems after you pass them in level by a certain point.
[h3]Tedious Achievements[/h3]
- If you're not aiming to 100% the game, I would argue this isn't really an issue... but the game doesn't respect your time when it comes to fully completing it. Achievements such as 'collect everyone' are to be expected, and I don't shame the game for that. Rather: Achievements that require you to deal 999+ damage in a single swing can tedious when the main methodology to doing so is spending 50-100 turns buffing your characters while the enemies can't fight back, and it's not the only achievement that feels needlessly created. 250 Won Battles is a perfect number to aim for when completing everything, but 500 is a joke. Killing 5 enemies at once is fine, 20 is a little much when there's only so many stages that allow for that many characters to be out at once, let alone be within range for defeat. If these in game achievements at least awarded you with gems, say 100~, it'd at least reward you for trying by allowing you to collect new creatures for spending your time on this... but I'm afraid it doesn't.
[h1]Final Thoughts[/h1]
The game is great, [b]only[/b] in regards for the tactical gameplay it offers. If you're looking for anything else, try to find a better game, you'll spend your time better. Still, if it's tactician gameplay you're looking for, this game won't disappoint.
