Lunar Mission

I'm sure most of you played, or at least heard of Lunar Lander. Since the 1979 original, this game has seen countless clones, from simple wireframe reproductions to somewhat complex gameplay and enhanced graphics. I remember playing such a game in the early 2000's. It seems that the fascination of landing a box with lateral thrusters and a big jet engine underneath is directly proportional with the improbability of such a device having ever landed on our Moon, but I digress.

Lunar Mission retains the same LL gameplay, but it features a very nice artistic style. Instead of simple wireframe or fancy colors, the ground here consists of spongy-looking rocks, colored in pleasing tones of gray. It looks good, especially with the subtle details like guide-lights, electric wiring, steel beams and platforms.

There are three 'landers' to chose from. Each one feels and behaves differently, although you only ever use two control buttons. There's an auto leveling mini-lander that can hold itself even in the most dire of circumstances, a heavy cargo lander that only uses two jets for orientation and propulsion, and finally the one and only original cardboard box with tinfoil, which looks just like the original prop and is also a hell to control.

The game starts with simple takeoffs and landings over a relatively leveled ground. However the terrain quickly turns from surface landscapes to treacherous caverns. One might think that the difficulty scales up because of the low ceilings and narrow passages, and he will be right, but there are also other surprises to be found in those places. I won't spoil it, they're interesting.

Lunar Mission manages to create a quasi-claustrophobic vibe, coupled with a feeling of helplessness, especially in the later levels, yet I didn't find it frustrating. Unlike the original, here you can generally recover from a bad collision, and unless the lander blows up, you have a decent chance of finishing a level. What's best, is that Lunar Mission is free, which kind of surprised me, considering how much fun I had with it. Go get it!