Getsu Fūma Den: Undying Moon

Game Overview

It's fair to say that no one expected a sequel to 1987's Getsu Fūma DenCreated in the early days of Konami's venture into the exploration platformer genre, Getsu Fūma Den became something of a hidden classic of the Famicom, before being eventually accepted into the larger Castlevania canon.. This Famicom exclusive was something of a Konami oddity, released at a time where the company was deep into experimenting with the nascent exploration platformer genre (that would later go on to be known colloquially as MetroidvaniaAt the intersection of Metroid and Castlevania lies the exploration platformer genre, the game style with heroes wandering expansive worlds, looking for items to expand their quest, known as Metroidvania. titles) in games like Castlevania II: Simon's QuestThe first true sequel in the franchise, and one of the few direct sequels ever released. It was the first game in the series to introduce players to the concepts that would eventually become the Metroidvania genre. and Konami Wai Wai WorldOne of the stranger games released from Konami on the NES, this title features mascots crossover together in a Metroidvania-style adventure. (among many, many others). But even among those games, Getsu Fūma Den was an oddity. It was a blend of multiple play types, featuring a semi-explorable overworld, side-scrolling action stages, and first-person dungeons all mashed together into something very different from anything else out at the time.

While sales figures for Getsu Fūma Den are hard to come by (both due to its age at this point, as well as few companies tracking Japanese release figures at the time), the title was relatively well received upon its release, with most trades praising its varied gameplay and creativity. Despite this, the title never saw a Western release, likely because the game was heavily steeped in Japanese mythology, which wouldn’t have translated well for Western audiences, and there was enough text in the title to make translation porting economically prohibitive. But the cult around the game only grew over the years, especially after hero Getsu FūmaThird and youngest brother of the Getsu clan, young Fūma has to pick up the clan's legendary sword when his two brothers fall in battle against the demons. The fate of the world is in Fūma's hands., and a stage based on his game, was featured in Castlevania: Harmony of DespairKonami's entry into the online massive multiplayer market, this game features teams of heroes going into Dracula's Castle to fight the demon, with rare loot and extra goodies to grab along the way.. Because of that, Konami eventually decided to revisit the title in the form of a sequel.

The team that was put together to develop what would eventually become Getsu Fūma Den: Undying Moon focused on creating gameplay that would appeal to modern players. This meant a focus on the prevailing gameplay styles of the era, most specifically an emphasis on roguelike exploration. Gone was the explorable overworld as well as the first-person dungeons of the original title, instead planting the new characters of Getsu Fūma (27th of his line) and Getsu Renge into a fully side-scrolling game. The characters (one who you unlocked after beating her in battle) move from their Clan’s home village through various portals, exploring the many realms of the Demon World, fighting and killing monsters for various currencies to buy power-ups. Defeating stages unlocked new areas to explore, but the player had to be careful with their health as dying would send them back to the starting village, losing much of their progress and power and forcing them to begin the journey all over again.

Upon release, Getsu Fūma Den: Undying Moon was praised for its visuals, nihonga style painted backgrounds and ukiyo-e character design, as well as the controls and gameplay loop. But reviewers also noted that the game lacked depth and replayability, and they criticized the lack of long term support the game received from Konami. Indeed, a number of updated and unlockable characters were planned for the game, but after initial sales for the title were sluggish, those planned updates were scrapped. That left the game technically in a completed state but still feeling very far from achieving its full potential.

Going to the game now we find a title that is visually interesting but with gameplay that feels a tad derivative. Most have noted that the game feels like it’s trying to compete with Dead CellsDeveloped by Motion Twin, this 2D platforming roguelike was praised for marrying the tough-as-nails gameplay of the genre with beautiful pixel art likened to the best Castlevania has ever offered., another roguelike platformer that even had a crossover with the Castlevania series, Dead Cells: Return to CastlevaniaA crossover between Motion Twin and Konami that brought a new area to Dead Cells, along with new weapons, gear, and other fun additions.. It’s a comparison that does Getsu Fūma Den: Undying Moon no favors as Motion Twin’s 2018 game is a technically impressive, deep, and fun title that has received regular updates and much praise. Had Konami’s title been given more support, and more time to reach its true potential, it might have been a worthy competitor for Dead Cells, but that sadly didn’t happen.

In the end we were left with a game that feels interesting but incomplete. Konami seems to have given up on the title entirely, not even updating its webpage on their homesite since the game’s initial launch. That leaves the game with a sad legacy, never reaching the potential to be the best version of itself. And with poor sales numbers for this sequel, who knows if Konami will ever come back to revisit the Getsu Fūma Den series again.