In Lunar Lander Beyond, you assume the role of a newly appointed captain within the Pegasus Corporation. Your core responsibility involves managing a team of pilots, advisors, and advanced landers through a challenging series of missions. These tasks encompass delivering cargo, extracting vital resources, and rescuing stranded pilots as you traverse a mysterious universe of moons and planets. This demanding role, fraught with both excitement and peril, can take a psychological toll on your crew. However, maintaining this crucial interplanetary economic lifeline falls to you. Upon the emergence of a mysterious portal leading to an uncharted planet, you’ll find yourself on a trajectory to uncover sinister truths concealed within the universe’s depths. With a diverse roster of pilots, four distinct spacecraft, and numerous upgrades to acquire, successful mission completion hinges on your ability to effectively manage these resources.
Atari is clearly focused on revitalizing its classic titles for a contemporary audience. Having reviewed several of their recent releases (Gravitar Recharged, Quantum Recharged, Caverns of Mars Recarged and more), I’ve observed a consistent level of quality in their reinterpretations. However, with Lunar Lander Beyond, the developers have elevated their approach significantly.
The original Lunar Lander, which serves as the foundation for Lunar Lander Beyond, debuted in 1979. Similar to the Recharged series, the developers have successfully captured the essence of the original gameplay while implementing a complete modernization of the game’s overall presentation.
The control scheme is remarkably straightforward: players rotate their craft along its axis and utilize booster rockets for propulsion. While seemingly simple, mastering these controls presents a significant challenge. It quickly becomes apparent that Lunar Lander Beyond demands constant attention; fuel and shield levels require vigilant monitoring, as depletion of either results in mission failure. Players also have the ability to enhance their ships and unlock advantageous upgrades before each mission. Furthermore, selecting pilots with specialized skills offers strategic benefits, such as improved fuel efficiency at the cost of reduced speed.
The game mechanics offer an engaging and demanding experience. While I occasionally found the controls to be overly sensitive, making it difficult to achieve precise equilibrium, this challenge aligns with the core gameplay loop: discovering the optimal balance between power and control to complete missions efficiently.
One aspect that I found somewhat distracting was the inclusion of extensive anime-style cutscenes and a lengthy introduction. While visually appealing, I felt this additional “fluff” was unnecessary, as the core gameplay experience is compelling enough to stand on its own merit.
In conclusion, I recommend Lunar Lander Beyond. Atari has successfully revitalized a classic title, offering a modern experience for both newcomers and returning fans. Experience the game for the first time, or rediscover it in a compelling new form.
Atari provided a review code for this evaluation. Provision of material does not influence editorial independence.
