Crimson Moon Review

Crimson Moon Review

Crimson Moon is an action-fantasy RPG from ProbablyMonsters that blends fast-paced combat with challenging Soulslike mechanics. Players take on the role of a Nephilim, a warrior born of both human and angelic blood, whose destiny is intertwined with the fate of the besieged city of Gildenarch. Overrun by demons, vampires, and other horrific creatures, the city stands on the brink of ruin, leaving its survival in your hands.

Sent on seemingly impossible missions by a commander willing to sacrifice countless lives in the war against darkness, you are thrust into a brutal conflict with only your guardian angel preventing your demise. As the mysteries surrounding Gildenarch begin to unfold, every battle brings you closer to uncovering a conspiracy that threatens the very world you seek to save. Will you endure long enough to deliver justice and reclaim what has been lost, or will you suffer a permanent “True Death” before discovering the truth hidden beneath the chaos?

Touched by an Angel

At first glance, Crimson Moon appears to follow many of the conventions that define the Soulslike genre. Defeated enemies drop Souls that serve as the primary currency, stamina governs nearly every combat action, and death carries meaningful consequences, including the loss of accumulated Souls during a run.

What sets Crimson Moon apart, however, is its unique approach to player death. Rather than ending a run immediately, players are protected by a Guardian Angel system that grants multiple lives. When health is depleted, the Guardian Angel intervenes, reviving the player at full health while consuming one of the available lives. Only after exhausting all remaining lives does a “True Death” occur, resulting in the permanent loss of all collected Souls. Unlike many Soulslike titles, there is no opportunity to recover your lost currency afterward, adding a distinct layer of tension to every encounter.

Players begin their journey at the game’s headquarters, which serves as the central hub for progression and preparation. From the War Table, missions can be selected to access the various biomes of Crimson Moon, each consisting of interconnected combat encounters and objectives that must be completed to advance. Missions can be tackled solo, cooperatively with a friend, or through online matchmaking.

Successfully clearing a biome allows players to retain the Souls earned during the expedition while unlocking new areas to explore. The headquarters also houses several important facilities, including a merchant for consumable purchases, a blacksmith for equipment upgrades, and a library where collected lore can be reviewed. The library also serves as a progression system, allowing players to spend Souls on powerful Boons that provide lasting combat advantages throughout their campaign.

Before heading into battle, players can customize their loadout using gear obtained from defeated enemies. Loot recovered during expeditions must first be cleansed before it becomes permanently available, after which it can be equipped and customized to fit specific playstyles.

Loadouts in Crimson Moon offer a range of options, including one-handed and two-handed weapons, armor sets, accessories, consumables, and an assigned Guardian Angel. Once fully equipped, players are free to venture into the world of Crimson Moon, where progression is structured around completing a series of challenges found within Nexus Gates.

These objectives range from eliminating all enemies within an area to defeating elite monsters and ultimately overcoming a district boss at the end of each route. Even in defeat, players retain acquired gear, experience, and overall progression, with Souls acting as the primary resource at risk during failed runs.

Combat in Crimson Moon is straightforward yet satisfying. Players engage enemies using their chosen weapons while managing stamina for attacks, blocks, dodges, and parries. A well-timed defense can create valuable openings, rewarding careful play and effective resource management. As battles progress, players fill an Angel Meter that can be activated to summon their equipped Guardian Angel. These powerful companions provide additional offensive capabilities and often apply elemental or status-based effects that significantly enhance damage output.

Enemies can also inflict elemental ailments of their own. Burning effects gradually drain health, frost attacks can freeze players in place, and poison steadily chips away at survivability. Learning how to mitigate these threats becomes increasingly important as encounters grow more demanding.

The enemy roster in Crimson Moon includes standard infantry units, shield-bearing guards, heavily armored foes, and a variety of supernatural threats. While combat remains enjoyable throughout much of the adventure, enemy behaviors and encounter strategies can begin to feel familiar over time. Despite visual differences between enemy types, many engagements ultimately require similar approaches, limiting the sense of variety as players progress.

Crimson Moon also incorporates roguelike progression systems through randomized loot and equipment rewards earned during expeditions. Depending on the selected difficulty level, players have opportunities to secure higher-rarity gear, which in turn unlocks stronger bonuses and more impactful effects. This creates a satisfying risk-reward dynamic that encourages repeated runs in pursuit of better equipment. For those seeking permanent progression, the blacksmith provides long-term equipment upgrades in exchange for gold, a resource primarily earned through side quests and optional objectives. Together, these systems establish a rewarding gameplay loop that continually feeds into character growth and build optimization.

Boss encounters are among the game’s highlights, delivering multi-phase battles that require adaptation and pattern recognition. Each encounter introduces new mechanics and attack sequences as the fight progresses, creating memorable set-piece moments throughout the campaign. However, as with many Soulslikes, much of the challenge diminishes once enemy patterns have been mastered, transforming battles into exercises in patience and execution rather than improvisation.

Depending on player skill level and whether the campaign is tackled solo or cooperatively, Crimson Moon can be completed in approximately four to eight hours. While adjustable difficulty settings provide opportunities for additional challenge, the overall structure begins to lose some of its appeal after repeated runs. The core gameplay remains enjoyable, but a lack of meaningful variation in objectives, enemies, and progression limits the game’s long-term staying power compared to the excitement of its opening hours.

Verdict – Wait For It…

Crimson Moon is a competent dark fantasy action RPG that combines Soulslike mechanics with an intriguing premise and a distinctive approach to death and progression. Its atmospheric world, strong visual presentation, and fitting soundtrack help establish an engaging foundation, while the Guardian Angel system provides a fresh twist on the genre’s familiar risk-reward formula. During its opening hours, this mechanic adds a welcome layer of tension and accessibility, making each encounter feel both challenging and approachable.

However, once the novelty begins to wear off, the game’s limitations become more apparent. Repetitive objectives, limited enemy variety, and a gameplay loop that struggles to evolve over time prevent the experience from reaching its full potential. While cooperative play helps alleviate some of the repetition and can make the journey more enjoyable, it does not entirely address the underlying issues with long-term engagement.

Unless you’re specifically searching for a quick Soulslike fix, it may be worth waiting for a sale, post-launch updates, or a demo before committing. Crimson Moon is a fun but ultimately uneven experience, offering flashes of innovation that hint at a stronger game beneath the surface.

*Crimson Moon was reviewed on a PS5 with a code provided by the publisher.