, formerly known as ''Necromachina'', is a side-scrolling platforming

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

developed by

feelplus Feelplus Inc. (株式会社フィールプラス Kabushiki gaisha Fiirupurasu) was a Japanese video game developer and a subsidiary of AQ Interactive. The studio was conceived by Microsoft Game Studios specifically to aid Mistwalker in video game ...

and published by

Square Enix is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational holding company, production enterprise and entertainment conglomerate, best known for its ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', ''Star Ocean'' and ''Kingdom Hearts'' role-playing video game ...

. It was released for the PSN on March 29, 2011, and the Xbox Live Arcade on May 4, 2011.

Plot

It is the dawn of the 22nd century on the third planet from the sun. Humanity, broken free from its eschatological thralls, now watches as a lone boy stands before it. Within his hands, he controls the power of Mephistopheles – a force which can breathe life into that which has none. Animated machines devour the helpless; buildings shower the streets with storms of glass; cups, trains, bridges, whole towns – the remnants of civilization are transformed into bloodthirsty beasts whose only purpose is to wield the hammer of judgment. The boy's name is Faust, and he will not stop until he has cleansed the planet of humankind and claimed it as his own. Centuries have passed since his advent, and the world now holds its breath as the End of Days draws ever closer. Yet hope is not lost. Hidden among humanity's last remaining survivors, an elite unit of specially trained

ninja A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enem ...

known as Moondivers have been lying in wait for orders from their

Shogun , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakur ...

to embark on one final mission to reclaim the planet. Today, those orders arrived.

Development

Koichi Yotsui directed the four-player side-scroller, with gameplay reminiscent of the '' Strider'' game series, which was also helmed by Yotsui.

Reception

The title has received generally mixed reviews, with a score of 61 on

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

gave ''Moon Diver'' a score of 7 out of 10, calling it fun but inconsistent and flawed. The ''

Official Xbox Magazine ''Official Xbox Magazine'' (or OXM for short) was a British monthly video game magazine which started in November 2001 around the launch of the original Xbox. A preview issue was released at E3 2001, with another preview issue in November 2001. Th ...

'' gave it a score of 4.5 out of 10, praising the co-op mode but criticizing the unnecessary long stages and calling the solo mode a hopeless grind. ''

Game Informer ''Game Informer'' (''GI'', most often stylized ''gameinformer'' from the 2010s onward) is an American monthly video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and associated consoles. It debuted in August 1991 w ...

'' gave the title a 7.25 rating out of 10, stating that the multiplayer component was more enjoyable and polished than the single player.

Team Xbox ''TeamXbox'' was a gaming media web site dedicated to Microsoft's Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox One platforms. While the majority of content was Xbox and Xbox 360 related, the site occasionally covered general technology and other video game news. ...

gave the title an 8.5 out of 10 rating, praising the fun gameplay and graphics but criticized the repetitive soundtrack.

References

External links

''Moon Diver'' official website for North America

''Moon Diver'' official website for Japan
{{in lang, ja 2011 video games Cooperative video games Hack and slash games Video games about ninja Platform games PlayStation 3 games PlayStation Network games Side-scrolling role-playing video games Side-scrolling video games Square Enix games Video games developed in Japan Video games featuring female protagonists Video games set in Spain Video games set in the United States Video games with 2.5D graphics Xbox 360 games Xbox 360 Live Arcade games Feelplus games Video games set in the 22nd century