Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Moon Diver starts from a wonderfully direct place. You are one of Earth’s elite warriors, catastrophe has wrecked the planet, and the immediate answer is to run, jump, and hack through whatever stands in the way. There is no need to wait for the game’s basic pleasure to reveal itself. If a side-scrolling action game sounds good because you want to stay in motion and hit enemies, Moon Diver gets to that point quickly.

The reason to take it seriously instead of dismissing it as another slash-heavy platformer is cooperative play. Up to four people can tackle it together locally or online, and the Moonsault Combinations give the team a shared attack concept rather than making co-op feel like four separate players crowding the same stage. That focus makes the game more promising with friends who enjoy coordinating their attacks than with a group that only wants casual button mashing.

There is also some RPG seasoning in the formula, though Moon Diver’s core remains action first. Its strongest pitch is not a huge adventure or an elaborate progression chase. It is the chance to work through side-scrolling combat with a small crew, using a deliberate cooperative wrinkle to break up the usual jump-and-slash routine. The original Moon Diver launch announcement also makes clear how central that four-player design was from the start.

Graphics

Moon Diver keeps the action in a 2D side view, so you watch its warriors travel across Earth’s hostile stages from left to right while enemies close in around them. That framing suits a game built around jumping and melee combat, keeping the immediate clash in front of you instead of pulling focus away from it.

Story

The story is a clean action-game setup: a catastrophe has devastated Earth, and elite warriors return to reclaim it. It gives the fighting a purpose without demanding that you come for a dense narrative.

That thin premise is not necessarily a problem. In a game so centered on hacking, slashing, and cooperative attacks, the ruined-Earth backdrop works best as a reason to keep advancing through danger rather than as the main reward.

If you need characters, plot turns, and world-building to carry an action game between battles, Moon Diver may feel underfed. If you are happy with a straightforward reclaim-the-world mission, it stays out of the way and lets the combat carry the load.

Overall Experience

Moon Diver has a specific audience: you and a few friends who want a focused side-scrolling action game with a cooperative hook that goes beyond basic drop-in support. The Moonsault Combination idea gives it a real point of difference, and the involvement of Strider creator Kouichi Yotsui adds some welcome pedigree to its arcade-minded instincts.

Its limits are equally clear. The premise is spare, and the game’s appeal rests heavily on whether its constant forward-driving combat and group coordination click for you. A solo run can still deliver the basic action-platforming fix, but the four-player design is where Moon Diver seems most likely to justify its name.

At its best, this is a solid pick for a game night where everyone wants to jump into the same fight and make coordinated attacks matter. Go in for the brisk combat and co-op structure, not for a sweeping story or a radically different take on the genre. That is a modest recommendation, but an honest one: Moon Diver knows the kind of action game it wants to be, even if it does not stretch far beyond that lane.

Retro Replay Score

6.7/10