MOONVALE - Detective Story Reviews

Do you have just so much money in your bank account and you want to get rid of a lot of it? Then download this app where micro transactions reign supreme! We’ve got: randomized loot boxes of AI art as customizations. AI avatars for two characters so far (Eric and Adam, you’re doing great sweetie) Mini games that you have to play when they say you can play them! (No more doing them all at once so You can enjoy the story without interruption, you silly goose) Zero premium packages! Opportunities to earn one gem. Opportunities to spend 25 gems for a single response! Opportunities to spend even more gems if you want to see any of the multimedia that you won’t be able to relook at! The choice to give them $150 for 1500 gems that definitely won’t last because everything costs gems! A Duskwood special offer that is exactly the same as other offers except you get 5 extra hearts! That’s 5 more hearts you can use on the mini games that are genuinely torture! And interrupt the game constantly! Did you think the mini games would be integrated the same way they are in Duskwood or Orphans like a fun little hacking thing? Don’t be ridiculous. :) If you loved Duskwood you are going to hate this app; but if you really love micro transactions and spending all of your real world money on small amounts of content at a time then this game is for you!

After Duskwood, I’m sure most of us were expecting to pay for a multimedia pack. Instead they gave us a diamond system. These diamonds are scarce, and it takes so many diamonds to do any little thing. According to them, it’s so users that can’t afford the multimedia pack, can play multiple times and unlock everything. Well I tried this. My second time playing and the diamond choices I unlocked, are locked and you have to pay diamonds to unlock it again. How is that helping anyone. They are just using this excuse to explain this horrible diamond system made to make everyone buy diamonds. Also a lot of people paid for the multimedia pack in Duskwood, so it would have made sense to have that as an option as well as the diamond system for users that couldn’t afford it. Really they just got greedy. Also I’m not a fan of the AI. They could have paid actual artists or used stock photos and their is response is that it’s here to stay so get used to it? Ridiculous. Unless some changes are made, I think I'm going to have to uninstall.

I’m sorry to see that not only does this game rely on ai art rather than even stock art for in-game character portraits, but it’s gone to a nickel-and-some option that doesn’t include the ability to pay for a premium content unlock all at once—making it much, much more expensive, and much, much more immersion-breaking with popups for gem purchases and so on. I was all set to buy a vip/premium/paid unlock option and very excited to play the new story by the Duskwood devs, but… all that, combined with cosmetic unlocks being hidden random (they look like you can select them and unlock the one you want, but even though you opened the purchase option by picking a specific item, it just randomizes what you get from the entire pool—and there are three or four different categories of item, so you might get four random portraits you don’t want, no backgrounds, and no avatar frames).

I will happily play the game and give it an updated review if they fix some of these problems, but it just doesn’t feel like Duskwood this time.

I loved Duakwood, I paid for the premium multipack once and that was wonderful. No need to spend $$$ to get through the game. Did not expect spending $$$ on this app during just the 1st episode which is ridiculous nonsense. You play the mini games which are torture for only stars which you convert to diamonds. 45 stars for 1 Diamond? How is this possible??!! You play 3 mini games for random 4-5 messages, not exciting as Duskwood. I had more expectations for Everbyte Studios, as a player you emotionally connected with the Duskwood characters, the design and graphics were great considering a low-budget game. You truly felt as though the calls and messages were coming directly through your phone and not MOONVALE . this app on the other hand, there’s no emotional connections with the characters as they are using AI, the design and graphic are not realistic which feels artificial. Please bring back the same level as Duskwood with the graphics, the design, the real characters, the in depth gameplay!!! Thinking of uninstalling…

After playing episode one and reading feedback from the developers on the Everby website, I have complete faith that this app will be every bit as good as Duskwood.

I’m not sure if it’s because a lot of the players are young girls but the immediate hate on this game seems unfair. I admit I’m also ready to msg Jake and talk to old friends - but calm down! Give it some time before you throw your hands up and say “I’m done!” Give them some credit, they have worked hard on this for 2 years, they’re not going to let us down. I’ve read many reviews complaining about the AI character pics - but the developer stated that they’re temporary while the cast the actors who we will be meeting soon. Patience.

You don’t have to buy excessive amounts of diamonds- once you finish an episode you can replay it for a Timewalk bonus. You earn more coins and diamonds on each play through.

To the developers, you’ve made a game with characters who have become dear to our hearts, thank you. Forgive some of us who maybe get a little too emotional before receiving all the information. The first episode was great, keep them coming!! 🙂

At the beginning, my thoughts were similar to a lot of people, however, after reading the updated FAQ I completely see the direction that this app is heading and fully trust Everbyte’s team to get it there! The gems aren’t a huge thing, because of the multiple playthrough feature. As long as you know that going in and don’t just mindlessly “spend” gems you’ll be fine! I’ve played through the first episode multiple times already to complete the various achievements, and have been able to complete them all. The team knows what they’re doing and I think any of us coming over from Duskwood will be really pleased with the end results! Can’t wait for episode two!

Duskwood was my favorite mobile game of all time. Everbyte was my favorite developer. I was excited throughout the years of waiting for this app for another game like Duskwood, from a developer that’s positively different. But somehow, Everbyte has managed to become just one of the same copy paste developers using AI art, paywalls with exorbitant prices, and ultimately shallow story telling and engagement.

I would have happily spent more money on a game like Duskwood, especially for a similar premium version. Gladly. But $8 to watch an unimportant video sent by a bland character with nothing but an AI image for a profile? 20 minutes of a nonsensical mini game every 10 messages? Childish, clunky UI? No. I will not PAY TO PLAY this app until Everbyte lives up to all their talk about how “we hear you.” Please, Everbyte. You’re on track to ruin yourselves like this.

So far I am happy with the game. My only question is where are the mini games so I can move on. I suspect the answer is they are still being developed and there isn't a second part to move on to yet. Which is cool I just wish there had been a message to that when you finish part one. I will say one thing about diamonds. Well two things. I like the fact you can convert coins to diamonds. Top notch choice there for the developers. However I went to purchase an avatar for my character and ended up spending all my diamonds opening chests to never actually get to my avatar. Didn't like that so much. But overall I'm happy. And I hope the next episode is here soon.

I loved Duskwood and enjoyed the storyline, however I cannot say the same for this app. I have been anticipating this game for some time ever since Duskwood ended, and let’s say my hopes were high and Everbyte let me down. In the beginning I wasn’t as bothered by the AI photos as I was the obvious cash grab, I had to pay almost 45 dollars just to get all the media/picture/videos. But that also wasn’t a bother until I realized that once you replay the game it doesn’t save the choices you bought, so not only do I not enjoy the AI photos I also had to repay for the choices I already paid for in the beginning of my play through. Not really sure how to contact the devs to see if this is an issue on my part or just a horrible idea to get cash from players.

honestly anytime there’s any kind of sequel to ANYTHING (games, movies, books, etc) (even tho this isn’t technically a sequel) people are gonna find a million things to complain about. i for one am just so excited for the new plot line and the new side story. the game is NOT “unplayable” because of the gems and the ideas they have for how to incorporate AI into the game without it writing the whole story are SOO COOL and im so excited to see how it pans out. i LOVE mystery and adore that i can be the MC in “my” own story AGAIN. duskwood is so special and i can tell this app will be too!

Look, I LOVED Duskwood (the first game in this series). I played through close to 10 times and have the hoodie and eye pins to prove I’m a huge fan. I’ve been lovingly anticipating this app and found it easy to be patient because the Everbyte team had earned my trust with their storytelling, depth of characters, and fully explored world that sucked me in. But this app has a lot of problems.

First the good stuff: the story already seems amazing!! I’m excited to discover more about this mystery and analyze clues with the characters. Each of the characters have personalities I can’t wait to learn more about and figure out what sort of dynamic I want to have with each. The quality of videos is even better than Duskwood and feels like real calls. I love the integration from your gameplay in Duskwood and how that plays out with the new characters as well.

But now the bad stuff: while Duskwood had a premium package you could buy to access all photos, this app makes you pay with gems every single time. I’m sure you could play the game without buying these extras, but you will miss out on the experience completely. You don’t have to buy gems though, you can earn them in the mini game or convert coins to gems. The problem with that is that you can only play the mini game until the gameplay resumes (usually after 1-4 games), and then the mini game becomes locked. Unlike Duskwood, you cannot play ahead to unlock the entire chapter to have a seamless experience with your new friends. What’s worse about the gem purchases is that you cannot access all of the videos and photos that characters send after the fact. Even though you say in dialogue that your phone records all video calls you receive, there’s no way to access these unless conversations prompt you to send them. In Duskwood, characters had profiles that contained everything they sent. In this app, once it’s buried too deep in a conversation, there’s no watching it again.

Many people are having an issue with the AI profile photos for characters. This bothers me a little less but only because I assume these characters have not yet been casted (like with what happened with Hannah in Duskwood), and that once they are cast, their profile pictures will change. But I do think stock photography would have worked better here, since there are a lot of moral arguments around AI images.

Speaking of the profiles, you have to also pay gems to unlock profile photos, backgrounds, and frames for yourself. Though it’s a random system and you cannot simply buy the ones you want.

I know that the Everbyte team is a small one. And I do not mind supporting them by buying gems to continue the story. However, I do not feel like I can recommend this game to friends like I do with Duskwood, simply because of the gem system. I hope this changes in future episodes.

My favorite thing about Duskwood was that I could choose to either have FOMO or pay a one time fee and unlock everything. Now in this app I am 1/4 of the way through and already feel like I’m getting micro-transactioned to death. Having to spend gems to see the text messages between other people is unfortunate. It takes away from the immersion and reminds me it’s just a game.

I get they’re trying to make money, but I’d rather pay $10 once to unlock the “secrets” and then pay for aesthetic improvements vs paying per secret.

Almost halfway through the first episode and love it! My only hang up is the amount of gems you need for certain plot lines (romance, secret chat) whereas in duskwood you paid a flat fee for premium. I prefer the way it was before. I’m hoping if Jake makes an appearance it won’t cost me to romance him because I’ll be so mad if I have to pay to have 20 gems every time I want to use the extra dialogue.
Other than that, great game so far and intriguing mystery.
Just wish there was a premium without the need to purchase gems every 5 minutes.

Update: Uninstalled

Pros: - Acting is amazing Cons: - No Premium package/Multimedia pack, and the amount of gems to view a chat/image is ABSURD (19 diamonds to unlock AI image, 25 diamonds for romance route...Can you imagine how much it will cost to get through the whole game?) - Lack of immersion, game doesn't feel real (AI pics are a sore point, no character profiles, lack common sense (for ex, nobody care who I am and why I'm involved, etc.) - Sudden secret chats & nonsense "candy-crush" minigames without the hacker backstory (plus they are harder than in Duskwood, and you can't play them all, in order to experience the story without interruption) I genuinely wish you the best Everbyte, but this app caught me off guard. Sad, confused and heartbroken :(

I enjoyed the first episode a lot. More than the first episode of Duskwood, honestly. I never paid for the multimedia pack in Duskwood, so the diamond system here doesn’t bother me. It doesn’t really interfere with game play at all. The story is interesting, though I wish we were hearing more from the rest of the group. I do wish I could reset the episode from the beginning once I’m done, because I enjoy seeing the rest of the options with having to uninstall.

I am a fan of this genre and loved Duskwood. I can echo what many others have already commented on the biggest disappointments here: for a move that supposedly aspired to “promote access”, eschewing the premium pass in favor of exorbitantly priced gems is a puzzling move. Bragging up the potential to personalize your profile only to make personalization options available using gacha pulls is also strange. Who wants to unlock sixteen different face choices, most of which you wouldn’t select even if they were freely available? The AI graphics bother me less than they seem to bother others; if the economy stuff is adjusted to something more manageable, I’ll be content.

I really love Duskwood and have a lot of respect for the developers. However, I can't help but say that this app's art looks cheap compared to Duskwood. As for currency, it is impossible to accumulate diamonds, and the prices are set too high. I paid about $20 for the first episode. If you think that paying so much for one episode of a game on your phone is normal, I will tell you that you will not find people who will invest that kind of money. Mini-games are also inferior in quality. And again, waiting for months for new episodes, questions arise about what you have been doing these two years.

I absolutely loved Duskwood and was looking forward to this game for quite a while. Unfortunately, the creators have went the greed route - instead of being able to pay a flat fee for exclusive content (like Duskwood, which I was more than happy to do), everywhere you turn around there’s a cash grab that wants you to continue spending money for the content. I’m not dishing out more for an iPhone app than I would for a full game on Steam. Insane.

The story is good so far, but the interface is much more cartoon-y and cheap feeling than Duskwood. I’m not sure if I’ll even finish chapter one at this point. Sad!

It seems like the developers changed quite a bit. Like others stated, you have to pay to unlock certain chat paths and or video content. It’s frustrating bc when you do the timeline and have to completely restart (it will not let you choose where to restart) the ones you unlocked are now locked again. The characters seemed to be lacking in personality and the weird photos added to the disconnect. Really disappointed. I paid quite a bit for really nothing much.

I agree with everyone on the diamond system- it’s horrible. Then I pay money so I can customize my profile only to find out I can’t pick what I want, it’s random. If I’m paying money then I should be able to choose my profile pic and background. The story itself was sooooo slow. It didn’t pick up until the end only to find out there’s no release date for episode 2. I hope the developers take people’s remarks to heart and make changes otherwise I’m not gonna bother downloading future episodes.

This game has been a huge disappointment. I have played Duskwood since it released and fell in love with it! Every season got better! When I heard that a new game was being released I had such high hopes! Only to quickly realize that this game holds no light to Duskwood! I payed for the Duskwood game to be able to experience the whole game. But this app is not set up that way! This keeps you from being able to experience the whole game unless you want to keep purchasing diamonds. Then when I quickly found out that you had to play the game and then repeat the whole game again to have an opportunity to experience the whole game or pick other options I was disgusted. Not to mention the text and conversations that just kept being repetitive! I was so annoyed that the characters were saying the same things but just 30 different ways. Who wants to have to play a game more than one time? Don’t fix what is not broken and Duskwood was amazing you had a base game on how people like to play and had every opportunity to grow off of that. I won’t play this game I feel like I have been cheated.

contrary to what some others have been saying, i am actually really liking the story. the main downfall for me is that, while duskwood had a “vip” package of sorts, this one makes you pay separately for every upgrade which is really annoying