There are plenty of games about exploring strange planets and venturing into the unknown, but not all of them feature an overworked duck astronaut trying to find a place to call home. Developed and published by Starbrew Games, Duck Side of the Moon takes a rather unusual premise and turns it into a charming little adventure that combines exploration, platforming, crafting and puzzle-solving. Playing as Doug, a duck whose spaceship crash-lands in an unfamiliar corner of the galaxy, players are invited to explore their surroundings, meet the peculiar inhabitants and gradually turn an unfortunate accident into something of a fresh start. Beneath its playful exterior, however, there is a surprisingly warm story about finding a sense of belonging and learning that sometimes an unexpected change of direction can be exactly what you need.
Following the crash, Doug finds himself stranded with his spaceship’s helpful but rather overprotective AI companion, Chippy, keeping an eye on things. With the ship in need of repairs, Doug has little choice but to venture outside in search of materials. Things become considerably more interesting when he encounters Billy, a peculiar stone-like inhabitant with an ambitious plan of his own. After crafting a translator to communicate with the locals, Doug gradually becomes involved in the lives of the surrounding community, helping its inhabitants with all sorts of small problems along the way. These encounters provide most of the game’s narrative personality, with amusing conversations and a colorful collection of characters making the journey enjoyable. The writing occasionally leans heavily into cheesy humor, but it generally fits the lighthearted atmosphere. There is also a more sincere message underneath all the silliness, as Doug’s unexpected stay gradually becomes a story about finding a place where he feels appreciated. The narrative isn’t particularly complex, and some character storylines are fairly straightforward, but it provides enough personality to make the adventure worthwhile.
The actual gameplay revolves around exploration, collecting resources and completing objectives, with a mixture of three-dimensional platforming and environmental puzzles keeping things moving. Doug can jump, fly and glide through the environments, making good use of the unusual gravity and vertical spaces to reach otherwise inaccessible areas. Movement feels pleasantly fluid once players become accustomed to the physics, and flying around the different locations is one of the game’s most enjoyable activities. There is little pressure to rush through anything, allowing players to explore at their own pace and investigate anything that catches their attention. Mining provides the resources needed for crafting, while newly acquired gadgets gradually expand the possibilities. A booster makes traveling around considerably quicker, while a gravity-based device allows Doug to manipulate objects and solve environmental challenges. These additions give exploration a welcome sense of progression, although the mechanics don’t develop particularly dramatically as the adventure continues.
Puzzle-solving is another important part of the experience, with challenges generally involving switches, movable objects, environmental obstacles and figuring out how to reach particular locations. Most puzzles are relatively straightforward, making the game accessible without sacrificing the occasional satisfying moment of discovery. Some objectives require a little more thought or experimentation, particularly when mining and environmental interactions are involved, but frustration is rarely the intention. There are also occasional timed challenges and more action-oriented sequences to break up the slower exploration. These provide some welcome variety, although not every diversion feels equally developed. The side quests are particularly enjoyable, often involving helping the local inhabitants with everyday problems, whether that means preparing something to eat, recovering a lost possession or getting machinery working again. Completing these activities earns rewards and gradually turns Doug into something of a local hero. Importantly, most optional activities can be approached at the player’s discretion, making it easy to concentrate on the main objectives without feeling obliged to complete everything.
Collecting materials and completing missions also feeds into the spaceship customisation system. What initially serves as little more than a damaged vehicle gradually becomes a comfortable home, with additional rooms and interactive objects becoming available as players gather the necessary resources. There is something particularly satisfying about transforming the relatively bare spaceship into a more personal living space, adding furniture, decorations and recreational activities along the way. A jukebox allows players to enjoy music discovered during their travels, while other additions include a comfortable sofa, a basketball hoop and a trophy cabinet showcasing completed challenges. Doug can also acquire different outfits, giving players another reason to investigate hidden treasure chests and explore every corner of the environments. The crafting and upgrade systems are enjoyable, but they are also rather generous, meaning that important improvements can be unlocked fairly quickly. Consequently, there isn’t quite as much long-term progression as the collection of available activities might initially suggest.
One of the game’s strongest qualities is its presentation. The colorful, stylised environments give the different locations a distinctive personality, combining playful cartoon aesthetics with some surprisingly attractive cosmic scenery. The inhabitants are equally charming, with their unusual designs and expressive animations helping to make the small community feel welcoming. Doug himself is an appealing protagonist, and even something as simple as being able to make him quack adds to the game’s personality. There is also a nice contrast between the cheerful characters and the occasional feeling of isolation created by the vastness of space. The soundtrack complements this atmosphere with relaxed music and ambient elements that make wandering around particularly pleasant, while the exaggerated sound effects reinforce the more comedic aspects of the experience. Nothing here is especially technically ambitious, but the consistent art direction and cohesive audiovisual presentation work well together.
There are, naturally, a few shortcomings. The biggest is probably the limited depth of the gameplay. Although new gadgets and activities are introduced along the way, the underlying mechanics remain largely familiar throughout the adventure. Players looking for increasingly demanding platforming challenges, complicated puzzles or more substantial progression might find the experience a little too simplistic. There is also very little in the way of danger or meaningful failure, which makes sense given the relaxed nature of the game but occasionally leaves exploration feeling somewhat uneventful. Navigation could have been handled better as well. The absence of a proper map makes finding particular locations or remembering where certain objectives are situated more cumbersome than necessary, especially when exploring larger areas. Furthermore, players interested in completing absolutely everything should be careful about progressing through the main objectives. Certain points of no return can prevent access to previously visited areas, meaning that missed side missions and collectibles might require another playthrough to obtain. This is an unnecessarily restrictive design decision for an adventure that otherwise encourages relaxed exploration.
Another consideration is the game’s relatively short duration. The main adventure can be completed in just a handful of hours, and while optional activities, hidden treasures and additional challenges provide some extra reasons to stick around, there isn’t an enormous amount of content to discover. This isn’t necessarily a dealbreaker, as the pacing is generally good and the experience rarely overstays its welcome. Nevertheless, considering how likeable its characters and world are, it would have been nice to spend a little longer in this particular corner of the galaxy. A bit more mechanical variety and additional reasons to revisit completed areas could also have improved its replay value.
Duck Side of the Moon is a pleasant surprise that understands the appeal of a smaller, more relaxed adventure. Doug’s journey combines enjoyable exploration, accessible puzzles and a charming collection of characters with a surprisingly heartfelt message about finding a place to belong. Its limited mechanical depth, short duration and occasional design frustrations prevent it from reaching the heights of the more memorable collectathons, but there is still plenty to appreciate here. Starbrew Games has created an inviting little universe that is easy to spend time in, particularly for players who prefer discovery and personality over demanding challenges. It might not be the most ambitious space adventure around, but sometimes all a game needs is a likeable duck, a spaceship that could use some redecorating and a galaxy full of friendly strangers.
Score: 7.6/10