Moonshades is a near perfect example of a 3D dungeon crawler

Nostalgia and good game design at their finest.

Here at Android Central, we love checking out all kinds of games in our Android Game of the Week highlight. A little while back, I talked about Grim Quest, which hearkened back to old school dungeon crawlers. This week, we’re checking out another game in a similar vein: Moonshades. And I gotta tell ya; this game is good.

If you grew up with the likes of Wizardry or Eye of the Beholder, I think you’ll love Moonshades. It’s a 3D dungeon crawler RPG with engaging combat, a serviceable story, and a true sense of immersion that draws you into the game. You begin to feel invested right off the bat, and any game that can capture you that easily is worth noting.

You’ll be fighting all kinds of fantastical beasts and monsters in a great variety of gear. Puzzles abound, and some are really quite challenging to solve. Combat is real-time, so you have to think on your feet. The game has a good pace to it, and I think going turn-based would have halted that.

Being an RPG, leveling and loot are key elements to Moonshades, and as you increase in power, you learn magic. You’re dropped right in the thick of things once you select your character portrait and how you proceed is up to you. Do you pick up every item, eager to learn more of the lore and backstory? Or do you just plow on ahead, killing everything in sight? That’s part of the joy of Moonshades; you can do either or both.

Inventory space is a genuine problem in this game, but you can always expand your carrying ability with Gems, the premium, in-game currency. None of us like microtransactions, and while it is technically possible to play the game completely free, you’re hamstrung if you don’t fork over a couple of bucks. It’s not predatory, but nor is it a good thing.

Being an RPG, leveling and loot are key elements to Moonshades.

If I had to make one complaint about this game, it’d be the touchscreen controls. While not bad, I think the movement arrows are way too close together for a phone screen. I don’t mind the swipes to look around, up, and down, but I pressed the wrong arrow more often than I would have liked.

All in all, I really like Moonshades. It scratches that D&D itch, makes me feel nostalgic for years long gone, and it was a good distraction in these trying times. I highly recommend this game to anyone looking for a good 3D dungeon crawler because I’m convinced it’s one of the best ones out there.

And there you have it, which means that it’s time for me to recommend our ever-growing roundup of the best Android games. And, of course, you can check previous Games of the Week, too.

Game of the Week

Moonshades

Free w/ ads, IAPs at Google Play Store

Fans of old school dungeon crawlers will find a lot to love about Moonshades. It looks good, plays pretty well, and is riddled with nostalgia. You can sense the D&D inspirations, as well as nods to games of years past. Despite IAPs, this is a very good game and worth your time.