Game review
Crimson Moon
5.5 / 10
- Developer
- ProbablyMonsters
- Publisher
- ProbablyMonsters
- Released
- 1 September 2026
- Platforms
- Windows
- Genre
- Action, Adventure, RPG
- Monetisation
- One-time purchase, no in-game purchases listed
- Players
- Online co-op for two players
The short version
Crimson Moon, released 1 September 2026 by ProbablyMonsters, casts players as a Nephilim, a human-angel hybrid, fighting solo or with a friend through relentless melee runs against demons and brutal bosses in a fast, focused roguelite loop. It sits Mixed with a large sample of 1,845 reviews, and reading widely through it reveals a genuinely fun combat foundation, repeatedly compared to Darksiders and a Diablo-style build system dropped into an Elden Ring Nightreign structure, sitting underneath a launch controversy serious enough to have driven the game toward negative review-bomb territory before partially recovering. The single most consistent and heavily-endorsed complaint concerns a complete absence of key rebinding and mouse sensitivity options at full 1.0 release, which a large number of reviewers describe as an inexcusable, basic missing feature regardless of how enjoyable the underlying combat is. A separate, widely corroborated complaint concerns a lock-on camera system reviewers describe as wildly disorienting during boss fights, with at least one reviewer reporting genuine motion sickness. This review also found the single most heavily-upvoted review in the entire sample raising a specific, serious allegation that the game collects personal data and transfers it to jurisdictions outside GDPR protection; this review was not able to independently verify that claim and reports its existence as a documented, prominent point of community concern rather than a confirmed fact. Set against all of this, a genuine, vocal core of reviewers, many playing with a controller specifically, describe real satisfaction with the combat loop and argue the negative reaction has been disproportionate to a $20-tier indie release rather than a full-priced AAA title.
Biggest strengths
- The core melee combat loop draws consistent, genuine praise, with reviewers repeatedly comparing it favourably to Darksiders and describing a satisfying, rhythmic feel once players adjust, especially when played with a controller as the game's own recommendation suggests
- Multiple reviewers specifically praise the combination of Diablo-style build variety with a fast, focused Elden Ring Nightreign-adjacent run structure, describing genuine fun in solo and especially co-op play with a friend
- Art direction and presentation draw consistent, specific praise, with reviewers describing stunning visuals, memorable enemy and boss design, and strong overall production values relative to the game's price point
Biggest weaknesses
- The single most consistent, heavily-endorsed complaint in this entire sample concerns a complete absence of key rebinding and mouse sensitivity options at full 1.0 release, with only a small number of fixed keyboard preset layouts offered and no way to customise them
- A separate, widely corroborated complaint concerns the lock-on camera system, which reviewers describe as swinging wildly and disorientingly during boss encounters, with at least one detailed reviewer reporting genuine motion sickness severe enough to need to stop playing
- This review found the single most heavily-upvoted review in the entire sample raising a specific allegation that the game collects personal data and transfers it outside GDPR-protected jurisdictions; this review was not able to independently verify that claim and reports it as a documented, prominent community concern rather than a confirmed fact
Who it's for: Soulslite and co-op action-RPG fans who play primarily with a controller and can tolerate a rough, controversial launch state; keyboard-and-mouse players and anyone concerned about data privacy practices should wait and research further before buying.
Our recommendation: Worth it on controller for fans of fast, Darksiders-style co-op combat who can accept currently missing basic options; avoid entirely on keyboard and mouse until rebinding is added, and research the data-privacy allegations independently before purchasing.
5.5 / 10
Introduction
Crimson Moon, released 1 September 2026 by ProbablyMonsters, casts players as a Nephilim, a human-angel hybrid forged to defend humanity, fighting solo or with a friend through relentless melee runs against demons and brutal bosses in a fast, focused roguelite loop. It sits Mixed with a large sample of 1,845 reviews, and reading widely through it reveals a genuine tension this lane's research hasn't quite documented at this scale before: a combat foundation reviewers on both sides of the debate largely agree is fun, sitting underneath a launch controversy serious enough to have pushed the game toward outright negative review-bomb territory before a partial recovery.
Combat reviewers largely agree is genuinely fun
Despite the surrounding controversy, this review found real, cross-cutting agreement on one specific point: the core melee combat feels good. Reviewers repeatedly compare it favourably to Darksiders, describing a satisfying rhythm once players adjust to its timing, and multiple reviewers specifically praise the combination of Diablo-style build variety layered onto a fast, focused run structure many compare to Elden Ring Nightreign. Co-op specifically draws warm, repeated praise from reviewers who've played with friends, and art direction draws consistent, specific comment, with reviewers describing memorable enemy and boss designs and strong overall visual presentation.
A missing basic feature that dominates this sample
The single most consistent, heavily-endorsed complaint across this entire review sample concerns something remarkably basic: the complete absence of key rebinding and mouse sensitivity options at full 1.0 release. Reviewers describe being offered only a small handful of fixed keyboard preset layouts, with no way to customise bindings, separate sprint from dodge, or adjust sensitivity at all. Multiple reviewers frame this as inexcusable specifically because it's such a basic, expected feature for any 2026 release, distinct from more forgivable rough edges elsewhere. This review found the developer response cited approvingly by several reviewers: acknowledging the issue quickly and apparently working on a fix, which meaningfully shapes how some reviewers weigh this complaint even while still finding it a serious, real shortcoming.
A camera reviewers describe as genuinely disorienting
A separate, widely corroborated complaint concerns the lock-on camera system used during combat, particularly boss encounters. Multiple reviewers describe the camera swinging wildly and unpredictably as enemies move and attack, making it genuinely difficult to track what's happening on screen. At least one detailed reviewer reports experiencing real motion sickness severe enough to need to stop playing entirely, specifically noting surprise that no preview coverage had flagged this issue before release.
A specific, unverified allegation this review reports transparently
It's worth addressing directly the single most heavily-upvoted review in this entire sample, which raises a serious and specific allegation: that the game collects personal player data and transfers it to jurisdictions outside GDPR protection, allegedly circumventing European data protection law. A separate, independent reviewer raises a similar concern in their own words. This review was not able to independently verify the technical or legal substance of this allegation — assessing actual data-handling practices and their legal compliance falls outside what a Steam review sample or this review's own research can responsibly confirm. Given how prominently this claim sits at the very top of the entire review sample by vote count, however, this review judges it necessary to report its existence directly to prospective buyers, who may reasonably want to research the game's specific data practices themselves before purchasing, rather than silently omitting a concern this visible.
A gap between marketing scope and delivered content
Beyond the keybinding and camera complaints, this review found a separate, more structural criticism: multiple reviewers report the game markets itself with a broader scope than the actual content supports, describing an effectively two-weapon-type pool, fewer playable characters and synergy options than preview marketing implied, and a smaller, more corridor-like map structure across a limited number of distinct areas. Several reviewers specifically contrast this against the game's "souls-like" tagging, arguing "solid-average roguelite" is a more accurate description of what's actually delivered.
Co-op bugs and a reported progress-loss crash
This review also found specific, reproducible co-op complaints: reviewers report players being disconnected from shared runs shortly after starting, and separate reviewers report quest progress and loot items failing to share correctly between party members during a session. At least one detailed reviewer reports a crash that reset all of their saved progress, a serious stability concern distinct from the more common complaints elsewhere in this sample.
A vocal defence, and how this review weighs it
It's worth reporting directly that a genuine, substantial core of this sample pushes back specifically against the scale of the negative reaction, arguing a $20-tier indie release shouldn't be judged by the same standards as a full-priced AAA title, and specifically praising the developers' rapid, visible engagement with community feedback on Discord. This review takes that defence seriously as a legitimate perspective on value and price-adjusted expectations, while still weighing the missing keybinding options and camera complaints as genuine, serious shortcomings regardless of price, since neither is really a matter of scope or ambition so much as basic functionality.
Final Verdict
Crimson Moon delivers a genuinely satisfying core combat loop, compared favourably and repeatedly to Darksiders, wrapped in strong art direction and a fun co-op structure that a substantial share of this sample enjoys enough to defend against what they see as disproportionate backlash. What holds this score down is a specific, near-universally-endorsed absence of basic key rebinding and mouse sensitivity options, a widely corroborated disorienting camera system, a gap between marketed scope and delivered content, real co-op bugs including a reported progress-loss crash, and one serious, highly-visible data-privacy allegation this review could not verify but felt necessary to report. Worth it on controller for fans willing to accept a controversial, rough launch; avoid on keyboard and mouse for now, and research the privacy concerns independently before buying.
Pros and cons
Pros
- The core melee combat loop draws consistent, genuine praise, with reviewers repeatedly comparing it favourably to Darksiders and describing a satisfying, rhythmic feel once players adjust, especially when played with a controller as the game's own recommendation suggests
- Multiple reviewers specifically praise the combination of Diablo-style build variety with a fast, focused Elden Ring Nightreign-adjacent run structure, describing genuine fun in solo and especially co-op play with a friend
- Art direction and presentation draw consistent, specific praise, with reviewers describing stunning visuals, memorable enemy and boss design, and strong overall production values relative to the game's price point
- A vocal, genuine core of reviewers specifically argue the negative backlash has been disproportionate to a modestly-priced indie release, crediting developers with quickly acknowledging the keybinding issue and remaining actively engaged with community feedback on Discord
Cons
- The single most consistent, heavily-endorsed complaint in this entire sample concerns a complete absence of key rebinding and mouse sensitivity options at full 1.0 release, with only a small number of fixed keyboard preset layouts offered and no way to customise them
- A separate, widely corroborated complaint concerns the lock-on camera system, which reviewers describe as swinging wildly and disorientingly during boss encounters, with at least one detailed reviewer reporting genuine motion sickness severe enough to need to stop playing
- This review found the single most heavily-upvoted review in the entire sample raising a specific allegation that the game collects personal data and transfers it outside GDPR-protected jurisdictions; this review was not able to independently verify that claim and reports it as a documented, prominent community concern rather than a confirmed fact
- Multiple reviewers report the game markets itself with a broader "souls-like" framing and scope that the actual content doesn't fully support, describing a limited weapon pool of essentially two types, fewer usable characters and synergy options than shown in preview marketing, and a smaller, more corridor-like map structure than expected
- Multiple reviewers report co-op-specific bugs, including players being disconnected from party runs shortly after starting, quest progress and loot not sharing correctly between party members, and at least one detailed reviewer reporting a crash that reset all of their saved progress
Screenshots
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Crimson MoonImage: ProbablyMonsters via Steam -
Crimson MoonImage: ProbablyMonsters via Steam -
Crimson MoonImage: ProbablyMonsters via Steam -
How the review scores each part of the gameWanderer Editorial -
The essentials at a glanceWanderer Editorial -
The short versionWanderer Editorial