Moonlight Fortress
A downloadable game for Windows
In this turn-based survival management game inspired by Slavic mythology, the player rules the day and demons rule the night. You are responsible for organising and overseeing a group of survivors, ensuring they make it through the terrors of the night.
Moonlight Fortress was a early prototype of a game idea created over three weeks as part of a solo assessment for an MA degree. It aimed to demonstrate a game concept that offers a relaxing take on the survival genre.
---
Moonlight Fortress has been developed into a full game called Yokai Moon! Click here to find out more.
---
This game has been archived and new downloads are disabled.
Download
This game is currently unavailable
Development log
- Sequel available now!Oct 14, 2021
Comments
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
how can i get this game? :c
Moonlight Fortress is no longer available to download but the good news is: the sequel is out! Check it out here!
Two years on and I find myself looking for a game like that little prototype, Moonlight Fortress, I played 2 years ago. ...The magic was strong in that one.
Pleased to see you're developing it into a full game now. Looking forward to playing Yokai Moon.
Thank you so much for this kind message.
If you didn't already know, the sequel to Moonlight Fortress is out now. Check it out here!
Looking forward to hearing what you think!
That's good news. ...Away from my PC... Doh! If only I could play it on android ...But that's a whole other story, no doubt. Will take a look when I get back to PC gaming.
3 Pushkins at a time!!! World record!!! (It lagged somehow).
If you keep tapping “P” on the keyboard you can spawn INFINITE PUSHKINS (not recommended XD)
Oh, I think I accidentally did that! :)
Will there ever be a full game? I love it though it takes so long to collect enough coins for the compass and sometimes it glitches, like one time I was 1000 away and my game froze and wouldn't let me send anybody out. I was on day 35 but it happened another time earlier on with a different run.
Yes! I'm currently working on a full version, check it out: https://pixelotl.itch.io/yokai-moon
All the ending lines in paragraphs in the popups are partially cut off making them very hard or sometimes impossible to read. Would like to give this a try cause it seems interesting, but no compatability settings or anything seem to fix this. Any ideas?
having the same problem here,anyone else having this? its a very relaxing and fun game but i cant trade or read any of the notes or dialog past the first few lines,a UI would solve this but great work so far. :)
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment, apologies for being absent from Itch and only just replying now. Have you tried the version with the alternative font?
Nice. Great concept giving a laid back yet immersive gaming experience. Loving the scandinavian theme also, I haven't come across that in a game before and I found it very evocative. I'd buy if it were developed into a full game.
Its a really fun and cute game. I would love to play the final version!
I love this game, I played it multiple times because there's always something new. I hope there is a full release and if so when would that be?
Go check out my video on this game!
Thank you for playing and for sharing your lets play with me! I can see that you really missed Mikhail after kicking him out (although unintentionally)! I'm fond of Mikhail too, his love for Pushkin is an inspiration to us all ;)
I know right ;(. I liked Mikhail a lot but I thought it would just send the dog away xD. Anyways thank you for sharing your game with me. Will definitely look for more games by you in the future.
I love this game!! Since this is just a prototype I expect some bugs, but for some reason, Pushkin just walked in the house and underground before I even got his owner. Is this a bug or something I missed because I have played this before and I'm not sure if this is from the last time playing or what.
Glad you enjoyed playing Moonlight Fortress! Thank you for your feedback!
I think I have an idea about what could have happened... I added a shortcut to unlock Pushkin to make it easier for my lecturer to see all the game's content without having to play for a long time. If you press "P", it will spawn Pushkin. It might be possible that you unintentionally pressed "P" so this is why he randomly turned up.
I absolutely love this game. I have not played a turned based game like this in ages. Especially one that kept me wanting to play more and more. I just wish I could figure out the next step. But I am determined. I apologize if I did not get the pronunciations of the names and locations correctly =(. I am only up to 2 episodes right now, but I going to keep going. Save the lycan
I watched both episodes! Thank you for playing and for your enthusiasm! I'm really pleased you liked the game so much :)
PS: you pretty much had the next step figured out by the end!
ahh gah, why did I have to me so smart so late!!!! I am glad you enjoyed the video, it is such a cool game. The concept is one of my favorites. I may like resource management a bit too much.
However, I must know. The talking sound effects, are they from the age of empires game? They sound way too familer. Also, how bad were my pronunciations?
Thank you again for the tip. I will get this next time!!!!!
Thank you for saying it's one of your favourite concepts! That means a lot to me!
I'm afraid they are not from Age of Empires - they're Russian phrases downloaded from a language pronunciation website. However, the idea of them speaking when you select them or give them instructions is inspired by AoE so I can definitely see why you thought they could be the same sound effects!
As for your pronunciations, I'd actually say you were fairly accurate! :)
Oh no way really? Yes I am a natural at guessing names muhhahahahahaa(as long as they are not Asian based or symbols or none English type letters, you know what I got lucky darn it).
Well I am following the game so I better see some work done!!!!!! =P
I also finished the demo finally by getting the compass. However, it took almost an hour to do it. I finally found a good rotation of farming, food, defense, merchant, and rotate which did make it much easier. But good lord, I know it is the end of the world, but can't we just get the merchant to join us and follow us to the new settlement. At least we'd get the compass for free!!!
Anyway, keep up the work on it. I look forward to playing more.
Loving the game and decided to do a video or so for it for my channel! Keep up the amazing work!
Thank you ever so much for playing and for sharing your playthrough on YouTube! It really helps me out! I'm glad you enjoyed playing Moonlight Fortress :)
The trader only shows up if you contact her on the radio - if she stopped turning up after you searched frequencies, then I'm afraid this is a bug. Sorry about that!
Yes please, I would love a link to your video! Thank you very much for playing!
Just watched your playthrough! Really enjoyed watching, I particularly liked the accent you gave Mikhail! Haha :)
Thank you ever so much for taking the time to play Moonlight Fortress and for providing some feedback! I have made a note of the points you made.
I also realised that you didn't encounter a bug with the trader. You don't have to search frequencies every day, just only when you want the trader to turn up. After Mikhail joins the team, the only purpose searching frequencies serves is to call the trader. This could definitely have been made clearer! Apologies for this!
had a go good game Im just not very good at it, thank you here is my attempt https://youtu.be/4uqFVu1xdwo
Thank you for playing and for sending me a link to your playthrough, it really helps me pinpoint what things players are struggling with and what they are finding unintuitive.
I see the work in it, I just wasnt very good at it any chance of a difficulty level like no attacks and then pick it up few days in, reminds me of sheltered its the opposite not enough attacks. I like difficult games yours is my cup of tea just drag out the action.
I have to say I was nicely surprised by how well done the game was for what it was.
It was rather short but very enjoyable. I really liked the idea and the way it looks is really nice. I wish you could make a full-er version with more characters, more 'hints' to the story and more enemies and places to stay/go to!
For what it was I thought it was pretty neat :D I expect more great games from you!
Thank you very much for playing and for your kind feedback - I'm really pleased to hear you enjoyed Moonlight Fortress and want to see more!
I've got lots of ideas for new characters, enemies and locations, which I'm really excited about! This is definitely something I want to improve!
VERY COOL GAME!
I will probably make a game play video out of it.
However, encountered one problem- on day 46, after I clicked "proceed", the game couldn't continue- I can't select character, nothing appear when I moved the mouse on them or click them, couldn't select items as well, I had to quit game and lost all the progress and I was doing very well so far! Got Pushkin, almost saving up enough money for the compass, both characters have full health and have a good routine!
So frustrating!
Oh no - that's so frustrating! I've not heard of that happening before, sorry you were so unlucky! A save feature would have been really great here - I'm really sorry about that! Thank you for letting me know this happened.
If it brings you any comfort at all, finding the base just ends the experience. You have actually already seen pretty much all there is to see and experienced all the most important mechanics. I included that last objective to illustrate to my lecturer that the hypothetical full game would allow the player to move to different locations. It was also included to encourage the player to devise a strategy to generate gold as quickly as possible, which it sounds like you already figured out!
If you do make a gameplay video, please share it with me. I'd love to see it!
Is there anything else to do after getting rid of Iskra? I can't find the camp from the letter. I had the theory that you have to search the radio frequencies on full moon and then explore in wolf form on the next full moon, but nothing. I don't understand the game.
Thank you for your comment - sorry this last puzzle was difficult to understand!
The purpose of Moonlight Fortress is just to demonstrate a concept I have for a game. For all intents and purposes, you have already experienced all Moonlight Fortress has to offer. Finding the base just ends the experience. If you still want to find the base, I have included a walkthrough in the handbook (available from this page).
Alternatively, here's a hint: if your survivor keeps getting lost whilst exploring, I wonder if there's an item that can help prevent them from getting lost again?
- Tried searching radio 'till day 50 and exploring as a wolf; still couldn't find camp from the letter.
- Still can't afford compass with 5000g. (Edit: Checked handbook; looks like I need 6000g and a compass before using the radio.)
- No graphic for 1hp door.
- Axe won't swing if underling enters but gets shot to half health.
- Dog stays when you evict the owner.
- Everyone looks weird holding the gun.
- Infinite ammo?
- Only one monster type.
Thanks for this useful feedback - there's definitely some overlap here with what other players have voiced. This will really help me create a better quality game if I ever start working on Moonlight Fortress again in the future. I hope you still liked the concept I was trying to demonstrate despite these issues!
For your points 3-5, sorry these weren't supposed to happen! Sounds like a fault with my programming! I still have a lot to learn :)
This was so good! I'm historically terrible at survival games though, so my lack of ability really shone through haha! The concept is amazing though, I love the retro style especially!
I made a boo-boo when doing my video so it looks like I'm talking to myself when I'm reading text boxes, but that was my stupidity! Loving this so far, looking forward to playing a whole lot more =)
You're not terrible at all, you picked up what you need to do really quickly actually! Who needs Iskra anyway? ;)
Thank you for playing and for your feedback - I'm so happy to hear you like the concept and the aesthetic! I loved this playthrough and your commentating style - I had a lot of fun watching!
I'v really liked the game. For a moment i thought it would take me longer to get to the final base but i think i've done it in 27 days or so :)
As one of the comments below said you should make the text bigger, even i had "problems" reading the text with FullHD resolution.
Can't wait for the full release :)
Oh gosh! Yes, the writing is tiny on your screen! Sorry about that, I'm glad it didn't put you off playing!
Really pleased to hear you enjoyed the game, 27 days is really great! I see you figured out the best strategy! And no deaths either!
Thanks for playing and sharing your let's play, I had a lot of fun watching it!
No problems feedback is important for the final game :)
Is it "safe" for YouTube ? You have mentioned that Music is not yours, and I've checked the website
from handbook. Just don't want to have any copyright issues...As the music is available for free and credit has been given, I shouldn't think there would be an issue because there won't have been any financial damage. However, I don't know for sure so I have contacted the artist to find out. I will let you know as soon as possible!
Thank you very much ! I have to say it is very impressive game, especially considering that this was only developed as a project in University ! You have very big tallent !
No problem at all! I'm still waiting to hear back from them, sorry for the delay.
And thank you very much for the huge compliment - that really means a lot to me!
Hi there, I still haven't heard back from the artist. I would perhaps leave a link in the description of your video to their Bandcamp page if you were still considering posting it on YouTube. However, I understand completely if you don't want to risk it.
It's a really fun game, I hope you will develop this in the future, but if you decide to do something else it's ok anyway! I have a 1440p monitor and reading the pop up windows was hard for me, I hope you can fix that in the future. Great work, keep it up!
Whoa! I'm very impressed you stuck it out for 50+ days! Finding the base solo is particularly challenging... I'm in awe of your determination!
I really loved this let's play, especially all the dramatic reading! Thank you so much for sharing this and I'm really pleased you enjoyed it!
Also, thanks for bringing the size of the text to my attention -- I have made a note of this :)
I'm really happy you enjoyed my video!
I thought I could make the money for the compass while waiting for another survivor that's why I didn't give up, but I was left alone...
Thanks again!
Here is my let's play. The dialog boxes could be made a little better to look prettier and implemented into the game rather that a random popup box.
Thank you for sharing this hilarious let's play - I am sorry you got bored though! I like to think things get more interesting when you start fighting the demons ;)
Completely agree with your feedback. Moonlight Fortress was created for a university project so unfortunately I had to sacrifice pretty boxes in order to meet the deadline. The game would get a full makeover if I were to get the opportunity to develop it further.
I'm having the same problem as Lmn_grt1563 Please help!
Sure, I'll give you the same hint:
"Have you tried exploring outside the dacha yet? You'll probably get notified about your survivor almost getting lost.
I wonder if there's an item you can use that helps people find their way..."
Hope that helps!
The handbook (available to download from this page) has a full walkthrough if you still get stuck.
I think I already have the item, I just need to figure out how to use stuff (like the health pack).
Ah, I see. Yes, there's a lot of trial and error involved! Probably more than I intended!
I didnt make it very clear but equipping the health pack recovers a little bit of health overnight. It allows a survivor to recover health without losing a turn by resting in the bed. So, you can gather supplies and recover health at the same time, for example.
Thanks for the advice!
Any idea when the full release will be?
There are no concrete plans to continue the development of Moonlight Fortress at the moment. :(
This prototype was developed for a university project and I uploaded it to itch.io to gauge if it was a concept people enjoyed. As the prototype has done really well and the feedback is very positive, putting a team together and finding the right support for Moonlight Fortress is a serious option for me after I complete my studies in late September.
Thank you for being interested in a full release, I have a lot of ideas for the full game and I really hope I'll have the opportunity to make them a reality!
Skeletons try to take my food! :(
Those pesky demons!! Very entertaining video, I really enjoyed watching this!
Thank you so much for filming a playthrough of my little prototype - it really helps me out and spreads the word! Good luck finding the base (sorry that the exploring dialogue box is a bit misleading, perhaps focus on that Odessa almost got lost?)! I look forward to watching the next episode!
Glad you enjoyed the journey. Thank you for making this game really is entertaining! I'm sure on the next outing we will find the base!
The only flaw for me is you don't see the dialouge box when i'm reading it to the audience. I'm sure that's not such a bad thing though!. Keep up the great work!
I love this game! Can't wait for the full release but how much money do you need to get the gas mask and the compass?
Thank you!! It means a lot to me that you love the concept and would like to see a full game.
Is the price not showing up for these items? It might be an issue with the font. You may have to download the "alternative font" version of the game to be able to see the prices. The prices change depending on certain factors I don't want to spoil for you!
Thank's for the help! I didn't consider downloading the alternative font.
No problem! Apologies for the font issues, I didn't realise that not all PCs come with the font I used until too late. Hope you find it much easier to play now!
This is an amazing game! The hardest part for me was that I had to restart after unlocking Pushkin. But anyways, If you do develop the game further, It would be great if you could save, because I was having a difficult time getting a objective done, and I went to close the game to look up help (Old PC can't run too many things) and I didn't know there wasn't a auto-save option. Even without the save, this game is awesome!
Ah, that's really frustrating! Sorry about that. I'll add a note in the description to make sure other players are aware there's no save feature.
Thanks for your feedback and for playing even after losing your progress! Very pleased to hear you enjoyed it so much!
Great game, but I'm stuck on the objective "Find the survivors' base", could you help me out?
Yes, sure! Glad you're enjoying it so far. I'll give you a hint first and if you're still stuck, I have included a walk through in the handbook (which can be downloaded from this page).
Have you tried exploring outside the dacha yet? You'll probably get notified about your survivor almost getting lost.
I wonder if there's an item you can use that helps people find their way...
This game has wonderful potential, thanks for sharing. Could I ask the process you took when producing the art assets, as well as which engine was used?
Thanks a lot. :D
Thank you for playing! I used the pencil tool in Photoshop to create the assets. As for the engine, I used Clickteam Fusion 2.5. Let me know if you have anymore questions :)
it's great, the game needs more content, it's hard, good game ;D
Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed it and found it challenging.
If I find the opportunity to develop Moonlight Fortress into a full game, there'll be plenty more content, I promise! I have lots of ideas!
I didnt pay but if its on i phone or android i will pay 10 dollars
Wow, thank you! The interface is definitely suitable for iPhone/Android. I will look into making it available for mobile devices if I get the opportunity to develop Moonlight Fortress further. Thank you for your feedback!
Really enjoyed this game! Would be awesome to see more of it. (But maybe with a save button or a fast forward button) ;)
Thank you for your feedback, I'm pleased you enjoyed it!
Oh yes, I would definitely like to include these features if I were to develop it further - a fast forward button is a really great idea!
Hiya! I loved your beautiful game moonlight fortress and thought it was a great take on survival games and I would love to see more! I can definitely see myself playing it for ages! Good luck on future projects!
Thank you so much - glad you liked it!!
I absolutely loved this game! The artwork is gorgeous, and the game was really fun! You've got yourself a fan!
Thank you for taking the time to leave this lovely feedback - I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Quirky, engaging and drop dead gorgeous to look at, this game is an absolute gem. While still in its demo form, it contains a surprising amount of depth. It also contains a few cool surprises I wasn't expecting! I'm definitely on the lookout for more stuff by this dev!