Vampires intrigue and excite people. These night walkers are strong, sexy, and will stop at nothing to get what they want. Books, films, and TV programmes can’t get enough of these undead beasts. So it was no surprise when my latest Visual Novel used them as the core concept. Cross the Moon follows a more traditional book style than other Visual Novels, so strap yourself in as you have a lot of reading ahead.
Developed by Patrick Rainville and published by Ratalaika Games, Cross the Moon is another Visual Novel they add to their library. Set in a grimy city, this is a sultry murder mystery novel about humans and vampires co-existing. With no dialogue choices and over 100,000 words, this is a meaty story that can be enjoyed slowly.
Cross the Moon keeps you guessing throughout.
I’ve read countless books and played my fair share of Visual Novels. Yet, Cross the Moon kept me fixed from start to finish. The usual clichés of over-sexualisation or camp frat teens never appeared, and this was quite refreshing. Yes, some characters are colourful, and there are moments of steamy action, but it focuses on its core concept. You’ll enjoy a tale told from three viewpoints. These characters’ lives are beautifully intertwined, and this gives you a rounded view of how the plot evolves.
The story takes place in the fictional country of Armorica and focuses on the isolated city of L’Amour. This grimy metropolis allows vampires and humans to live side by side. Rules govern the vampire’s feeding habits, and businesses profit from their love of blood. But where there is greed, there is crime, and this is where Cross the Moon excels. Its twisted plot tricks you at every turn, keeping the truth veiled at all times.
L’Amour hides a great secret beneath its streets and in its dormant state, it sets the wheels of fate turning. Sibling vampires, a young detective, an occult, and corporate corruption form the backbone of this fantasy tale.
Three points of view and lots of intricate twists.
The three protagonists drive the subtext perfectly and the story follows; Ryouko Otsuki, a female detective fresh in the city. She is chucked in at the deep end when handed an appalling murder to solve. Lux Amantie the best friend of Apollon, the lead suspect in this murder mystery. And finally, Aurore, Lux’s sister who craves blood and begins a job in the city’s synthetic blood pharmaceutical company bloodFLOW. Each element uncovers clues and seedy secrets that fuel the plot further.
With an ever-changing perspective, it’s tough to keep up with the story. The subtleties hidden in the dialogue require focus and attention. If the text slips you by, you’ll struggle to follow the plot. You must take your time and enjoy reading the oddly framed narration. The unknown storyteller explains the tale to an unnamed listener. It was bizarre, but it worked. It felt like you were listening to a secret conversation, and this matched the murder mystery theme.
Cross the Moon blends a cartoon style with realistic backdrops.
With many Visual Novels taking the Anime/Manga route, it was nice to see something more stylised. Cross the Moon blends a monochromatic cartoon style with realistic backdrops. Each character is drawn with crisp lines and their striking features have minimal movement to express emotion. Using darker tones enhanced the oppressive atmosphere and added a sinister feeling to the story. The text was easy to read because of the clear font and contrasting colours.
The audio delivers some excellent atmosphere matching tunes that bring the world to life. Clever use of silence and sinister sounds builds suspense and enhances the mystery surrounding each scene. The variety in the music was a pleasant surprise. Many styles were used, and this prevented you from finding the soundtrack tiresome.
I applaud the developer’s eye for detail in both the audio and visual aspects. With such a long story taking many paths, it would have been easy to lose interest. However, the aesthetics were interesting from start to end and helped support the well-written story.
Sit back, relax, and watch the text roll by.
Like most Visual Novels there is little to do in the way of controls. You’ll select your text speed, choose to skip if you wish and then relax. With no dialogue choices to be made, this is very easy to play. A journal records the story so if you miss any key lines you can revisit them here. It’s a clever idea that ensures you don’t miss important information.
Sadly for all its plus points, it has some negatives. Replay value is one drawback as it has none. With no alternative plots and all achievements unlocked in one playthrough, there is little reason to return. With around six to ten hours of reading time and a thoroughly enjoyable story, this is still worth your effort.
Cross the Moon is a moody and interesting murder story.
Using vampires as the protagonists was always an interesting choice. The variety of characters and their intertwined lives makes for an intriguing read. You’ll be hooked on the mystery and will fall for this story’s charms. Think Cluedo meets The Twilight Saga and you’re on the right lines. Cross the Moon is a great Visual Novel that is worth investing some time into. I loved it and recommend you to buy it here! Take a trip to the seedy underbelly of this dark city and solve the mysteries hidden within.
Tbf I actually like these games when you can unlock every Achievement without having to replay if you don’t want to. I mean, putting choices is definitely a plus, but “completing” a game shouldn’t be tied for you to have to choose something you don’t want to.
Yeah for sure, it was just a little unusual for the genre. As a plus point for achievement hunters they can simply skip all the way through if they don’t like the story.