Info about Momodora III:

Official game description:
Momodora III is a classic action platform game with a variety of items and secrets.  
It's the third installment of the Momodora series, although playing the previous titles is not necessary to enjoy the game!  
The game takes a departure from the style of Momodora II and focuses more on linear level design, similar to the first title in the series.  
It follows a simple story revolving around sudden weird apparitions at the village of KoHo.  
The people of the village send two priestesses, Momo and Dora, to investigate the matter.  
Features:  
\-6 regular stages, plus one secret stage!  
\-Items that allow you to customize your way of playing  
\-Difficulty selection  
\-Several secrets, and more!!

Release date: Jul 1, 2014

Categories: 2D Platformer, Action Platformer, Metroidvania, Pixel Art Style, Single-player, Boss Fights, Speedrunning

Feature scans:
- Proton/Linux: score 10; verdict: Works Well; summary: The game Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight runs well on Proton according to user reviews. No Linux-specific bugs, crashes, or required workarounds are reported. The evidence consistently indicates a smooth experience.
- Steam Deck: score 40; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: The game is not officially verified for Steam Deck but runs well after forcing Proton 8.0-4. Common issues include an initial 30fps cap and occasional controller configuration bugs, but overall the experience is playable with minor adjustments.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $1.00 - $5.00
  - Reasoning: Multiple reviews explicitly state that the game is worth between $1 and $5, with specific mentions of $1.99, $2, and $5 as fair prices. The comment that the price is slightly high suggests that the upper bound of fairness is around $5, as prices above that would be considered overpriced. This consensus indicates the community's fair base-game price range is $1 to $5.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 4.0h
  - Story completion: 1.5h
  - Session length: 1.5h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The majority of reviews state that main story completion (beating the game) takes between 1 and 2 hours, with a typical value of around 1.5 hours. For full completion including all achievements, reports range from 3 to 7 hours, but most cluster around 3-4 hours, so 4 hours is a reasonable estimate for game completion. Session length is roughly equivalent to a story playthrough since the game is short, averaging 1.5 hours per sitting. No specific endgame playtime was directly reported; post-story content (NG+, speedrun achievements) adds replay time but no clear hour count, so endgame is set to null.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game offers addictive gameplay that is easy to start, but a minor learning curve (cannot move and attack together) delays full enjoyment until the player adapts to the controls.
  - Stance: Clicks after
  - Anchor: After mastering the basic combat controls (adapting to the inability to move and attack simultaneously)
  - Time to anchor: N/A
  - Friction: Learning curve: cannot move and attack at the same time
  - Unlock drivers: Practice and familiarity with controls; Progressive item unlocks that expand combat options
  - Conditions: Solo play; Short play sessions (addictive pick-up-and-play loop); Experimenting with item combinations; Linear progression with clear pacing
- Player Archetypes:
  - Casual Newcomer (buy)
    - Motivation: To enjoy a short, accessible adventure without frustration or time commitment.
    - Playstyle: Chooses easy or casual difficulty, explores at a relaxed pace, completes the game in a short session without seeking high challenge.
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: casual gamer; newcomer; time-limited player
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Challenge Veteran (buy)
    - Motivation: To overcome difficult challenges and feel a rewarding sense of mastery through precision and skill.
    - Playstyle: Selects hard mode from the start, learns boss patterns, aims for speedruns or full achievement completion, and seeks precise mastery of controls.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: veteran; action lover; completionist; speedrunner
    - Reference games: Cave Story; Vlambeer games; Dark Souls
  - Completionist Explorer (sale)
    - Motivation: To achieve 100% completion, find all secrets, and unlock all achievements.
    - Playstyle: Explores thoroughly, uses backtracking and warping to find hidden items, grinds for currency, and actively pursues achievements across multiple playthroughs.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: completionist; explorer; achievement hunter
    - Reference games: Metroidvanias
  - Retro Enthusiast (buy)
    - Motivation: To relive the nostalgic experience of old-school 2D action platformers in a lovingly crafted indie package.
    - Playstyle: Appreciates pixel art, retro music, and classic platforming mechanics; plays at a relaxed pace to absorb the aesthetic and nostalgic feel.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: old-school player; indie fan; pixel art lover
    - Reference games: Cave Story; Noitu Love; Castlevania


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Great music and soundtrack (weight 0.42): The music and soundtrack are consistently praised as nice, beautiful, catchy, and even surprisingly awesome, enhancing the overall experience.
- Beautiful pixel art style (weight 0.41): The pixel art is frequently called beautiful, bright, and well-made, contributing significantly to the game's visual appeal.
- High replayability and achievements (weight 0.4): Players enjoy the replay value from achievements, multiple playthroughs, and New Game+ mode, encouraging completion and exploration.
- Excellent value for price (weight 0.39): Multiple players note the game is worth its price, even at full price or as low as $1-$2, providing great value for the experience.
- Excellent platforming mechanics (weight 0.37): Players praise the platforming as enjoyable, stable, and precise with simple controls. This is a core strength of the game highlighted frequently.
- Challenging bosses on harder difficulties (weight 0.21): Bosses are considered interesting, memorable, and more challenging on higher difficulties, adding depth for experienced players.
- Simple and comfortable controls (weight 0.19): Controls are easy to master, stress-free, and smooth, with a recommendation to use the D-pad for best results.
- Well-paced level design (weight 0.13): Level design is considered well-paced and improved from previous entries, with the best design among the series.
- Fast-paced Metroidvania experience (weight 0.13): The game is described as a fast-paced, excellent mini-Metroidvania suitable for a single evening, combining platforming with exploration.
- Refined and improved gameplay (weight 0.13): Players note the gameplay is refined and improves upon previous games in the series, showing thoughtful development.
- Great for speedrunning (weight 0.12): The game has good speedrun potential, appealing to players who enjoy fast completion challenges.
- Customizable playstyle with unique items (weight 0.09): Many unique items allow players to tailor their playstyle with options like speed rings, clones, and life leech, adding variety.
- Characters full of personality (weight 0.08): Characters are described as cute, offbeat, and full of personality, making the game more memorable and engaging.

Common complaints:
- Too easy overall (weight 0.63): The game is widely considered too easy, with simple difficulty, trivial bosses, and overpowered items that remove challenge. Easy mode becomes meaningless after upgrades.
- Barely any story (weight 0.54): Reviews indicate the narrative is extremely minimal, superficial, or nearly nonexistent. Many players found the story vague and not engaging.
- Frustrating controls and physics (weight 0.48): Controls are criticized as clumsy, slippery, and imprecise, with issues like inability to move while attacking, long knockback, and accidental falls. Screen shake and hitbox problems worsen the experience.
- Very short playtime (weight 0.48): Players consistently report a very short game length, often 1-2 hours, with some completing it in under an hour. This is a major point of criticism for the game's value.
- Bosses too easy (weight 0.41): Bosses are generally considered too easy, with simple patterns that can be beaten by spam attacks. Some bosses are frustrating due to cheap mechanics, but overall difficulty is low.
- Unfair enemy placement and deaths (weight 0.35): Enemy placement is sometimes considered unfair, and the game features many instant death mechanics from spikes, pits, bombs, and off-screen projectiles, leading to frustration.
- Boring and repetitive design (weight 0.33): Level design is considered lazy and repetitive, with reused visual motifs, simple maps, and a plain, dull atmosphere. Traps and enemy patterns feel overly familiar.
- Too linear for Metroidvania (weight 0.33): Multiple players note the game is linear rather than a proper Metroidvania, lacking exploration, multiple paths, and non-linear progression. It is described as a linear action platformer.
- Worse than predecessors (weight 0.32): Comparisons to earlier Momodora games and Cave Story are unfavorable, with players stating this entry is less polished, less engaging, and a step backward in quality.
- Lack of depth and features (weight 0.32): Players find the game shallow, with no cutscenes, quick dialogue, few secrets, and no deep gameplay elements. Missing common mechanics like double jump, wall climbing, armor, and equipment changes are noted.
- Limited replay and content (weight 0.29): The game is short and offers little to do after completion, with limited replayability and some hidden elements that remain unsolvable without guides. Achievements are very hard.
- Minimal map and poor UI (weight 0.27): The map is almost nonexistent or very simplistic, and the UI has issues like no options menu during gameplay, missing controller icons, and a buggy screenshot function.
- Technical and performance issues (weight 0.23): Some players report performance issues like 30fps speed, slowdown with many enemies, system instability, and hassle getting controllers to work. Steam Deck compatibility is mislabeled.
- Poor value for price (weight 0.17): Given the short length and lack of content, many reviewers feel the price is too high, suggesting waiting for a sale. The game is described as not worth the full price.
- Language support missing (weight 0.15): The game lacks support for Chinese, Spanish, and Portuguese translations, which limits accessibility for non-English speakers.
- Annoying sound and visual effects (weight 0.13): The annoying laugh when dying and the trailer song not being in the game are minor but noted complaints. Screen shake is also criticized.
- Overpowered items break balance (weight 0.12): Items like the ghost companion and attack multipliers at low HP trivialize bosses, making the game even easier. This unbalance contributes to the lack of challenge.
- Frustrating save and checkpoint system (weight 0.08): Save shrines are sometimes too far apart, and checkpoints are scarce, leading to tedious backtracking and frustration when dying.
- First games missing from Steam (weight 0.08): Players note that the first two Momodora games are not available on Steam, which affects context and story understanding for newcomers.
- Screenshot function broken (weight 0.07): The screenshot function does not work properly or takes weird screenshots, which is a minor nuisance for players who want to capture moments.

Gameplay feedback:
- Replayability through achievements and endings (weight 0.33): Good replayability is noted due to achievements, multiple endings, and New Game Plus mode for carrying over items.
- Short playtime around 1-2 hours (weight 0.33): Multiple reviews agree the game is short, with playtime ranging from 1.5 to 2 hours, making it a quick experience.
- Metroidvania style with linearity (weight 0.3): Players describe the game as a Metroidvania platformer but note it is fairly linear, combining exploration and achievement hunting.
- Platformer with fast-paced action (weight 0.27): Reviews highlight a fast-paced 2D platformer experience, sometimes described as difficult, with emphasis on action.
- Cave Story and Dark Souls inspiration (weight 0.27): The game is frequently compared to Cave Story and Dark Souls, blending retro pixel art action with challenging elements.
- Simple and concise gameplay (weight 0.2): Reviews describe the gameplay as simple, basic, and lovely, with refined foundations and a compact scope.
- Boss fights with distinct patterns (weight 0.2): The game includes boss fights with a few easily memorizable attack patterns, adding some challenge.
- Melee and ranged combat options (weight 0.2): Players can use basic sword attacks, charge attacks, and ranged attacks, offering a standard combat system.
- Equipment system with items (weight 0.19): The game features equipable items that allow players to customize their playstyle, with up to three items available.
- Two playable characters: Momo and Dora (weight 0.17): Players can choose between Momo and Dora, who share similar abilities but Dora is considered easier to play.
- Reminiscent of Momodora series (weight 0.08): Structurally similar to earlier Momodora games, it is seen as a less polished throwback to Momodora 4/5.
- Speedrun-friendly design (weight 0.08): The game is speedrun-friendly, with a possible completion time under half an hour for experienced players.
- Mega Man-like platformer (weight 0.07): One review compares the action game to Mega Man, highlighting its platformer style.

Performance notes:
- Fullscreen fix for performance (weight 0.1): Several users note that setting the game to fullscreen mode resolves half-speed issues and allows the game to reach 60fps instead of starting at 30fps, suggesting a performance bug related to windowed mode.
- Linux and Steam Deck compatibility (weight 0.1): Users report the game works well on Proton for Linux and runs perfectly on Steam Deck, indicating strong compatibility with these platforms.

Recommendations:
- Play earlier games first (weight 0.45): Several clusters recommend playing Momodora I and II before this entry for the best experience, though they note it is not strictly necessary. Some suggest starting with Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight instead.
- Great value for money (weight 0.39): Many reviewers emphasize the low price ($2-3) as making the game well worth purchasing. It is seen as excellent value even at full price, but especially during sales.
- Recommended for specific genres (weight 0.34): The game is particularly recommended for fans of metroidvania, platformer, and retro indie games. It appeals to those who enjoy classic 2D action with pixel art.
- Good for genre newcomers (weight 0.29): Players consider the game a great starting point for those new to metroidvania or action platformer genres. It is accessible and helps introduce the style.
- Compare to Cave Story and Vlambeer (weight 0.09): Fans of Cave Story or Vlambeer games are likely to enjoy Momodora, as it shares similar design sensibilities. These comparisons help potential buyers gauge the style.
- Play on hard mode (weight 0.09): A couple of reviewers specifically advise starting on hard mode for a more rewarding challenge. This suggests the game has a difficulty curve that benefits from higher difficulty.

Other player notes:
- Previous games are free (weight 0.04): Players note that Momodora 1 and 2 can be obtained for free from the developer's website. This is a small, informative detail that may affect purchasing decisions.

Emotions:
- Satisfaction (weight 0.25): Players are primarily satisfied with the game's high quality relative to its low price, praising its polished platforming, tight controls, and charming pixel art. The short length is seen as a positive for quick, replayable sessions, and the achievement system encourages mastery and multiple playthroughs. Overall, the game provides a complete and rewarding experience that feels well worth the cost.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.19): Players find the game enjoyable due to its fun and challenging gameplay, addictive loop, and charming pixel art and music. The simple controls, cute characters, and well-designed levels make it accessible and engaging, while the achievements and boss fights add replay value. Many appreciate the low price and overall pleasant experience.
- Disappointment (weight 0.15): Main sources of disappointment include the game's very short length and lack of depth compared to later entries in the series. Players also expressed frustration over missing language translations (Spanish, Portuguese, Korean), poor controller compatibility, and overly simplistic boss patterns. The absence of earlier games on Steam and a perceived lack of replay value further contributed to negative feelings.
- Frustration (weight 0.11): Frustration stems from clunky controls, unfair enemy placements, and instant-kill traps that break the flow of gameplay. Specific issues include the cumbersome ranged attack, problematic save shrine placement, difficulty spikes, and a lack of clear instructions for certain mechanics. Hidden collectibles like the golden ladybug and bugs with controller configuration also added to player irritation.
- Excitement (weight 0.06): Players feel excitement from intense boss fights, the discovery of secret bosses and hidden paths, and the sense of progression from items. The high difficulty creates tension and requires careful strategy, while New Game+ and achievements like speedruns add replayability. References to previous games and anticipation for future entries also generate enthusiasm.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.05): The game evokes strong nostalgia by faithfully recreating the feel of classic 8-bit and 16-bit platformers like Castlevania and Cave Story. Its pixel art, chiptune music, and simple yet engaging gameplay remind players of retro games from their childhood. For some, it brings back memories of the doujin game scene and earlier entries in the Momodora series.
- Appreciation (weight 0.03): Players appreciate the game's polished graphics, music, and tight controls, as well as its fair difficulty and generous save points. The charming aesthetic and tender affection in its design are noted as rare qualities, especially from Western studios. Good value for a low price and Linux support are also praised.
- Admiration (weight 0.03): Admiration is expressed for the excellent pixel art, sprite work, and soundtrack, which are seen as improvements over earlier Cave Story-inspired games. The developer's attention to detail and presentation is particularly highlighted, with some noting the quality shown in their social media posts.
- Slight disappointment (weight 0.02): The main issues are the negligible story and shorter-than-expected length, which leave players wanting more depth. Bosses are considered too easy and lack strategic depth, and the weak dialogue further detracts from the experience.
- Annoyance (weight 0.02): Annoyance arises from mechanical flaws like broken hitboxes, the absence of a map, and distant checkpoints that cause tedious backtracking. The screen shake effect and a non-functional screenshot system, along with an unstable game state, also frustrate players. The laughing sound when dying is an additional minor irritant.
- Joy (weight 0.02): Joy comes from the fun and varied gameplay, smooth movement, great music, and cute graphics. Achievements and the overall entertaining experience add to the positive emotions, with the soundtrack and art style being particular highlights.
- Pride (weight 0.01): Pride is felt by players who appreciate the origins of the Momodora franchise and seeing its evolution. The fact that the game was developed by a Brazilian developer also inspires a sense of pride and support.
- Amusement (weight 0.01): Amusement is derived from absurd death situations, such as being killed by an enemy's bomb while attacking it, and from bugs that are useful for speedrunning. Overpowered items that make boss fights trivial also provide a lighthearted, humorous experience.
- Mild disappointment (weight 0.01): Mild disappointment comes from expecting a Metroidvania but finding the game to be linear. The short length and vague story also fail to meet expectations, leaving players wanting more depth.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Confusion arises from a lack of in-game guidance, leaving players unsure of where to go or what to do. The character selection mechanic, which affects the protagonist's emotions, adds another layer of complexity that some find difficult to navigate.
- Pleasure (weight 0.01): Players experience pleasure from the fun, easy-to-pick-up gameplay and the charming platformer experience. Despite the low difficulty, the game remains a blast to play and offers a relaxing yet engaging time.
- Love (weight 0.01): Love for the game is expressed through the overall experience, with some players crediting it as the start of their affection for the Momodora series. The controls, items, and achievement system are particularly adored, making it a standout title.
- Relief (weight 0.01): Relief is felt when the game functions properly after applying necessary fixes, and when plentiful save points reduce the stress of dying. These elements make the gameplay smoother and more forgiving.
- Hope (weight 0.01): Players express hope for future remasters and are looking forward to the fifth game in the series. This anticipation is rooted in their positive experience with this entry and desire to see more content.
- Sadness (weight 0.01): Sadness is caused by the lack of a co-op mode, as well as the melancholic world and character reactions that evoke a somber mood. These elements contribute to an emotionally poignant experience.}