First of all, don’t make the mistake I did the first time I saw this game’s name. It’s “The Moon Sliver”, not “Silver”), as in a splinter of the moon, not its color. The object in question is a physical thing that features in the game’s backstory. After learning the entire tale, I am left wondering if the sliver was actually what its caretakers thought it was. Or is it really a macguffin; is it something that we can point to as the source of the island’s dark history instead of letting human nature take the blame?
David Szymanski’s The Moon Sliver is one of those narrative exploration games, like Gone Home and Dear Esther, in which the goal is to explore the setting and figure out the plot from the pieces of story that pop up while you roam. There are no real puzzles, but you can make discoveries that open up new places, which reward you with new bits of narrative.
The source of the narration is never made completely clear. You are not reading letters and journals. Text simply appears on the screen as you reach certain landmarks or interact with specific objects. I believe the narration would have been doubly effective had it been voiced. I also believe the budget just wasn’t there for it. I came to accept all of it as my own character’s own memories coming back. As you get to know each of the offscreen characters, you begin to realize who you probably are, and the idea of them being memories makes sense.
The game’s setting gives obvious nods to LOST. It’s a remote island where people lived until something went very wrong. There’s even a hatch! Like LOST, The Moon Sliver explores questions of faith, sin, and guilt, while also meditating on the classic theme of human nature vs. civilized society. There’s a touch of Lord of the Flies here, too. Add in a few biblical references for good measure (such as the names Daniel and Abel) and you’ve got a heady stew.
There are a couple of main mysteries in play: what happened in the recent past that reduced the island’s population from 4 to 1, and what happened in the more distant past to make the island’s inhabitants leave the rest of the world behind. The first mystery is the focus of the game, but its explanation is rooted in the possibly apocalyptic, possibly prosaic events that preceded life on the island.
Are you one of the island’s most recent inhabitants? Did you play a role in the events which led to your current, solitary situation? As you uncover more of the truth, you can never be sure how subjective it is.
Eventually, you learn that some sort of beast may have stalked the island—and it might still be around. But is it a literal or metaphorical monster?
Not everyone will like The Moon Sliver, of course. It’s not “survival horror” and there’s no onscreen violence. But, like his exceptional freeware chiller Fingerbones, there is no shortage of physical and psychological violence offscreen. This game will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up as you tread in places stained by dark emotions.
You can’t save your game in The Moon Sliver, which is fine; you can finish the game in a single, 45-60 minute sitting, which is how it’s meant to be experienced. However, it’s not a game to be breezed through, so be sure you’re in a contemplative frame of mind when you sit down to play.
David Szymanski is a fantastic writer, adept at character, dialogue, atmosphere, and chills. His psychological horror games are some of the best being produced right now, and we can expect even bigger things from him in the future. The Moon Sliver is an early but already brilliant work in an oeuvre-in-progress.
The Moon Sliver is only $1.99. It’s for Windows only.
BONUS: If you like The Moon Sliver, you can’t miss its spiritual companion, The Music Machine!
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