Rainbow Moon is a pretty nifty old-school game which uses turn based mechanics, and believe it or not has quite a bit of content for what is an arcade game. I was initially surprised at how polished everything was ranging from menus to the overall user interface.

The game has been in development for a long time, but I guess that’s one of the reasons why it appears to be so polished, compared to other arcade games in its class. It makes a good first impression, and that’s something that really convinces you to spend more time on it and see what the developers have crafted.

I love the visual style, which is a bit cartoony yet so charming to look at. This is not a graphical powerhouse by any means and it kind of feels like something that’s best suited for a portable. A Vita version of the game would have been something incredible, and a surefire way to pass time considering there’s so much content on offer here.

This is an arcade game after all which is exclusive to PSN, and for a price which is quite incredible when compared to the content it offers. Any RPG fan would have their hands full with this game.

While the game follows basic RPG conventions and gameplay mechanics, one thing that’s a let down is the story. It’s pretty barebones where its your typical hero vs villain scenario with a lack of twists and turns. The game puts you in the shoes of Baldren who hunts his foe called Namoris, and the latter teleports into a world called Rainbow Moon.

I have to say, the art design really stood out amongst other things, although, it kind of felt like you were transported into a cartoony Diablo 2 world.

As soon as you reach the new world, you will soon encounter enemies which you can avoid and reach the first village, but in case you choose to fight, you can scrape through and also get introduced to the combat system.

The combat system is quite simple where the enemy and you both get a turn to get close to each other, but bear in mind, ranged attacks will work even if you aren’t close to your enemy. It’s a bit tough early on in the game, so like almost all RPGs out there grinding helps immensely.

However, in Rainbow Moon, the need to grind to present a proper challenge sometimes takes you out of the overall gameplay experience. The UI and HUD are very well designed and actually helps in making the game accessible to plenty of people out there. In short, you won’t feel lost or need to invest a significant amount of time to just learn the gameplay mechanics.

I shudder at the fact that the game is slightly challenging on normal difficulty so how difficult will it actually be on hard? Rainbow Coins are the currency of the game which you can spend at vendors to buy items and abilities to use in skill slots. Everything else is like a normal RPG where killing enemies nets you experience which you can use to level up. There are also sub-turns that enables you to do more actions whenever you move.

It’s quite a lengthy game, and a charming one too. The need to grind for experience reduces the overall enjoyment because it isn’t satisfying, but if you are a veteran RPG player, chances are, you would love it.

This game was reviewed on the PS3.