Got loads of money from centuries of hoarding vast riches in your catacombs? Need some way to kill the time until the next full moon? Prepare to sink your teeth into Myths of Moonrise, the mobile game that brings together werewolves, humans, and vampires in an epic battle for supernatural supremacy against invading demons. While suffering from the usual pitfalls you’ll find in most pay-to-play games, MofM did have its high points that kept me playing it a bit longer than usual.
Let’s start with the creatures themselves.
The werewolves in Myths of Moonrise are ferocious and majestic, with their razor-sharp fangs and untamed power. The game allows you to build a pack of loyal werewolf warriors, which seem to be the base assault minions you’ll send out against enemy combatants. You’ll want to stay on top of training as many of them as you can, and the game helps you out with prompts that some of your training centers are sitting idle so you’ll keep tapping away in hopes of withstanding the first assault on your base.
But what’s a supernatural battle without the bloodsucking vampires? Myths of Moonrise delivers vampires that ooze charisma and mystery. These undead creatures bring a dark allure to the game, with their mesmerizing charm and deadly powers. Odds are good that if you recently started playing this game it was because of the mobile ads that made the whole game seem like a supernatural whodunit. You’ll be disappointed on that front, but as long as you just come expecting pretty faces and savage fangs, you’ll be okay.
Humans in this game are largely represented either as mages, or as weak throw-away thugs whose main purpose of inclusion seems to be to trade in their cards to save up for more powerful entities. Fair enough, I don’t think I could go toe-to-toe against a demonic invasion as I am, either.
Now, let’s not forget about the demons – the diabolical forces that have the werewolves, vampires, and humans joining up to fight for their survival. From fiery demons wreathed in flames to shadowy specters that haunt your nightmares, the demon characters in Myths of Moonrise are both terrifying and awe-inspiring. A few even decide to fight on your side, enabling you to unleash their dark magic and wreak havoc upon your enemies as you strive to claim dominance over the supernatural realm.
The gameplay in Myths of Moonrise is a perfect balance of strategy and gem-matching, which surprised me. Engage in turn-based battles where you strategically match gems to empower the lineup you’ve brought with you into battle, making use of their unique abilities and synergies to gain the upper hand. The combat animations are visually stunning, with each character unleashing their powers with dramatic flair. It’s a thrill to watch your werewolves tear through enemies with their primal strength or witness your vampires gracefully glide across the battlefield, sucking the life from foes.
Myths of Moonrise also offers a variety of customization options, allowing you to personalize your avatar to your liking. Upgrade their skills, equip them with powerful artifacts, and unlock unique abilities as you level up. This in turn boosts your troops, giving you an edge not just against the NPC creatures you’ll fight on the map, but also against fellow players who target you for resources.
At the end of the day, this is still a pay-to-win game. You can boot up the game for free, but you only have about eight days before the protective bubble bursts on your encampment and you’re subjected to raids from individual players and powerful alliances. If you don’t figure on spending a few hundred dollars to get your foot in the door with a top-tier power, you should just accept that your primary purpose in the game is to provide entertainment for the “whales”, what developers call the big spenders who like to make cash flow so they can stomp poor people.
The art and the matching games are what will really keep you playing Myths of Moonrise, long past the point you’ve locked your bank account for your own well-being. It’s a game that’s a fun time-waster, so long as you go into it knowing what to expect … and don’t fall for any of those atrocious mobile ad games that can make you think you’re picking up another dating simulator.
[Reviewed by Ashley Nicole Hunter.]