6180 the moon seems an incredibly simplistic platformer at its surface, but unique mechanics and a distinct narrative prove that even the simplest of games can be great.
The story is one of the best features and is divided into two parts. You play as our fellow natural satellite, the Moon, who finds out that the Sun has disappeared and sets off to go looking for it. On its way, the Moon encounters Earth, Venus, and Mercury, until finally reaching the Sun itself.
Planets are almost like characters, each personified in its own unique way. Each time you reach a new planet there are a few lines of dialogues between it and the Moon. It’s in these encounters that you begin to see the planets’ different personas. All dialogue is in the form of text only, and it can sometimes be a bit hard to read everything on screen before the text disappears. The only way to distinguish who is speaking is by looking at the characters that are on screen and seeing which illuminates when text appears, implying that that character is talking. From there you play individual levels in order to progress. As I mentioned before, the story is divided into two parts, and you can only unlock the second by beating the first. In total, there are 100 levels to be played, 50 in the first part of the story and 50 in the second.
Before getting into level details, it’s important to understand the basic gameplay mechanics. You control the Moon (represented by a white circle) by moving left or right and jumping. Besides the jumping ability, you also have the option to pause in midair by catching small orbs of light. Similar to old school arcade games, you are not limited by the top and bottom edges of the screen, as you are in most other platform games. In fact, they are linked together, which means that when you jump you won’t hit a top rim and fall back down again. Instead, you will disappear and instantly reappear at the bottom edge of the screen.
This unique mechanic makes 6180 the moon stand out from the generic platform genre. Not only do you have to watch and avoid obstacles in front of you, but you also have to check the surrounding areas below and above and behind you in order to find a safe place to land. There only two kinds of obstacles. One is a triangular object that occasionally changes in size. The other is like a flying shuriken. Although there aren’t any other obstacles in the game, the lack of variety isn’t a negative point at all since multiple configurations of the same two obstacles create a complex challenge from simplicity. Multiple surfaces with varying designs also function differently. Some areas are safe to move on and others disappear at a moment’s notice, sometimes opening up pathways to unforeseen traps below.
I mentioned before that the game is divided into two parts. I’ve decided to call the first 50 levels “normal”and the second 50 “reverse”. This is because the “reverse levels” are exactly that, they are pretty much the same levels from the first part but played backwards. Even the gravity of the game is different in these levels. There are a few differences between the “normal levels” and the “reverse levels” but they are so small and so few that they simply pass unnoticed, and tend to be present so that the level can be played backwards.
As for the graphics they are quite simple. A solid black sheet with little white dots flying around is the main background for most of the game. As you approach the Sun itself the background begins to morph into a more orange tone. The soundtrack couldn’t be more perfect. Calm and relaxing background music will disconnect you from anything else but the game. The soundtrack is without a doubt what I love the most.
Summary
To sum up, if you like accessible platform games with basic controls and simple, although unique mechanics, I absolutely recommend 6180 the moon. It’s only a few dollars. Although the levels could be a bit longer and some a bit more challenging, 6180 proves that games don’t need realistic graphics, emotionally deep characters, or intricate stories with hours of gameplay to be fun and enjoyable.
João is a games journalist, Senior Editor at XDA Developers. They contributed 156 articles to ICXM between 2015–2017, focused on game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news: previously reported for Neowin before joining XDA Developers in 2021, where he leads coverage of Windows, Microsoft, and hardware.