It's tough to expect a Japan only Wonderswan exclusive of a puzzle platformer series with an already small player base to get a ton of love, but wow - this game feels so unsung for what I expected on a 8-bit (color) platform.
I do agree with some of the other reviews I've seen that Moonlight Museum is definitely leaning toward the "easier" side of things. I would treat it (as I'm sure it was developed as such) as a predecessor to the GBA titles in both gameplay style and difficulty, as it tends to use much less mechanics in its levels comparatively as well. That said, its puzzles still feel incredibly rewarding to navigate through, and the last world still has a couple of moments that will give some pause to think.
Where Moonlight Museum shines however is the pixel art. I'm sure there's plenty of titles on the Game Boy as well that leave shock and awe, but never has a single color pixel art title leave me sitting on multiple screens, amazed at how someone was able to draw something so gorgeous. It absolutely looks stellar during the cutscenes, with the in-level graphics and music being just as great. The only miss the game has is the story - it's a bit all over and provides more fluff than not (tough to discern how much of that is the game vs. the available English fantranslation), even if it still provides plenty of charm.
The WonderSwan definitely tends to be a platform that's left to forgotten handheld lists or "weird game library" videos, but this is absolutely a gem of the platform more people need to experience.
I do agree with some of the other reviews I've seen that Moonlight Museum is definitely leaning toward the "easier" side of things. I would treat it (as I'm sure it was developed as such) as a predecessor to the GBA titles in both gameplay style and difficulty, as it tends to use much less mechanics in its levels comparatively as well. That said, its puzzles still feel incredibly rewarding to navigate through, and the last world still has a couple of moments that will give some pause to think.
Where Moonlight Museum shines however is the pixel art. I'm sure there's plenty of titles on the Game Boy as well that leave shock and awe, but never has a single color pixel art title leave me sitting on multiple screens, amazed at how someone was able to draw something so gorgeous. It absolutely looks stellar during the cutscenes, with the in-level graphics and music being just as great. The only miss the game has is the story - it's a bit all over and provides more fluff than not (tough to discern how much of that is the game vs. the available English fantranslation), even if it still provides plenty of charm.
The WonderSwan definitely tends to be a platform that's left to forgotten handheld lists or "weird game library" videos, but this is absolutely a gem of the platform more people need to experience.