I remember playing Strider on the NES. It was a fun game that looked great but was frustratingly difficult. I also remember a lot of backtracking, heinous tubes, and an impossible jump inside a pyramid. I had high hopes for Moon Diver, the new co-op title developed by one of the creative minds behind Strider, Koichi Yotsui. With 22 years to improve on the original, I was eager to see how the gameplay had developed. As an awesome bonus, I could take three friends along for the ride.
Players are given four ninjas, or Moon Divers, to choose from. Their names are Seyfert, Hitori, Tolby, and Ourion, but you can call them Red Guy, Blue Guy, Yellow Guy, and Green Guy. One or two of them are, in fact, female, but it doesn't really matter. Each character has the same weapon swinging attack, speed, and jumping ability.
Where the Moon Divers differ from each other is how their powers progress through leveling up and their initial special abilities, called "MoonSault Combinations," or MC's. All four characters have the same three stats, Hit Points, Magic Points and Attack Power, but each character progresses through these stats at a different rate. For example, Red Guy earns HP and MP more quickly, while Green Guy earns Attack Power at a faster rate, etc. Players can choose where to spend skill points, but you get more skills for your points if you assign them to a character's strengths.
It's like Strider, only better.
The gameplay is incredibly fluid. Characters are very easy to control. Double jumps and wall crawling can be performed effortlessly. Players can flip between hanging or standing on most platforms with a simple up or down flick of the analog stick. These flip moves, as well as the double jumps, actually register as attacks, so players are constantly dealing damage with their character. Ducking, on the other hand, is performed by the left shoulder button, but if you're ducking, you're doing it wrong. The Moon Divers are whirling death dispensers. Use them appropriately.
Now someone come over here and walk into our Blue Beam of Beat Down.
Players are able to use any MoonSault Combo they find. MC's have many effects, including damaging, freezing, or blinding enemies. Others can buff or heal friends. Gold Orbs representing new MC's can be found throughout the nooks and crannies of the levels. Up to four special abilities can be equipped at the beginning of a stage. Each MC is selected by pushing a direction on the d-pad, and then executed with the circle button. Most of the MC's have multiplayer versions that you can find later in the game, and they are truly impressive to behold.