Moroi Review – A Dreamlike Journey Through Darkness
Violet Saint’s debut title, Moroi, is an isometric, action-driven game with puzzle elements draped with a horror aesthetic. It’s now out, and we had the chance to explore its eerie, dreamlike world ahead of release to see if the gameplay beneath it matches the atmosphere.
Is this one horror worth experiencing for PC players? Or is this a title best left on the basement? Read on and find out.
What Horror Lies in Moroi?
Looking at Moroi, it’s easy to understand the twisted minds that went into designing the levels, characters, and the general atmosphere, as it oozes with a surrealist and unsettling mood that draws from David Lynch’s work. This is undoubtedly its biggest strength, as the world of Moroi is a rather dark and gloomy one, but not in a bad way; instead, it’s hauntingly beautiful, like stepping into a dream that teeters on the edge of a nightmare. The environments feel deliberately disjointed, the characters seem familiar and alien, and every corner hides something that feels slightly off, inviting curiosity and unease in equal measure. It’s not horror in the traditional sense, but a slow, creeping dread that settles into your bones the longer you stay.
There are some more vibrant, colored areas in the game, with humor sprinkled throughout the characters, like your eventual meeting with a talking duck who offers its teeth for weapon upgrading. The joke is that ducks don’t have teeth, yet here we are, talking to a duck with teeth that it’s willing to pull out for you. But for the most part, expect encounters and level designs to revolve around a much grimmer setting, with one such early encounter being with a meatgrinder that wants you to jump inside it so that it could murder you in the most gruesome way imaginable.
Its world feels stitched together from fragments of forgotten dreams and feverish hallucinations, where logic takes a backseat to atmosphere and emotion. Every interaction, from the grotesque to the hilarious, feels intentional and layered, rewarding players who enjoy deciphering meaning from madness. Unfortunately, a lot of that gets taken away from the game’s overall experience, as once you begin to settle into the world and look past the visuals and beautifully designed sets, the world of Moroi doesn’t offer much else.
Much of the questlines offered by NPCs can pretty much be summed up as fetch quests, and going around and exploring to find said items typically involves either dealing with waves of enemies or solving puzzles. The puzzles might as well have not been in the game, given how mindless some of them could be. Some can be a bit challenging, but for the most part, I did feel like they were relatively easy, to the point that I’d hardly call them puzzles.
The combat, though, is my biggest disappointment, as it mostly comes across as barebones due to its straightforward design. Built with a top-down perspective, Moroi at times will almost feel like it wants to be a twin-stick shooter, only with melee, which isn’t a bad idea. It’s just that the execution isn’t very enjoyable, as you’ll find it lacking in any real challenge, even on the higher difficulty settings. Instead, fights feel like they’re meant to be drawn out, which is especially true for boss fights, which brings out the tediousness of the general gameplay. It’s not the worst thing I’ve ever played, far from it, it’s just that there doesn’t feel to be enough to really “grab” you and make you want to play through all of it. Often, it can feel clunky, especially when using a controller. I suppose there’s a reason a mouse and keyboard are recommended for playing, as the game did play better, although not to the point where it made a significant difference.
In the end, Moroi is a game that thrives on atmosphere but struggles with gameplay. Its surreal world is unforgettable, but the shallow combat and uninspired quest design make it hard to stay invested for long. It’s a fascinating experience—just not always a fun one. Fortunately, it’s only $15, not a big ask, and I would still definitely check it out
Score: 7/10
Pros:
- Strong emotional and visual consistency throughout the game world and characters.
- Oozes with a surreal, unsettling mood inspired by David Lynch’s work.
- Fun humor at times.
- Overall, the story is alright.
Cons:
- Once the visual novelty fades, there’s little substance to keep players engaged.
- Many of the quests boil down to being fetch quests, and they’re just not that interesting.
- Puzzles aren’t well thought out, and at times, feel thrown in.
- The combat lacks depth and can be tedious, especially during boss battles.
The publisher provided a review code for Moroi. The platform played on was PC. You can read MP1st’s review and scoring policy right here.
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