Fear the Moon is a Survival Horror game created by Jonny's Games (also known for Slide in the Woods and Night Stop). The first chapter, "Reunion", was released as a demo in April 2024, with a full release in May.
The player controls Jane, a young woman who goes camping deep in the woods of Ohio with her old friends, Melissa, Jack and James. According to a local legend, the camping ground is the territory of a sinister Wolfman, who is responsible for several mysterious disappearances. While most of the friends dismiss the legend as nothing but superstition, as the night goes on Jane can’t shake the feeling they’re being watched, among other strange occurrences. And tonight is a full moon, after all…
The itch.io and Steam pages can be viewed here
and here, respectively.
Tropes found here include:
- Action Survivor: Jane, an ordinary young woman who doesn't appear to be especially athletic, spends much of the game running and hiding from the Wolfman, and near the end she can obtain a silver sword to kill the creature, taking it down single-handedly.
- Air-Vent Passageway: Once you obtain a screwdriver, you can use it to unscrew the bolts holding air-vent coverings to the walls and crawl inside the vents, which can be used as shortcuts where the Wolfman can't reach you.
- Bittersweet Ending: Both endings end on a bittersweet note. Jane succeeds in killing the Wolfman and cures herself of the curse, but in both outcomes her best friends Jack and Melissa are dead; in one ending James is also killed, leaving Jane the only survivor, while in the other James survives but it's unclear if his and Jane's friendship will ever recover given his role in getting their friends killed.
- Childhood Friend: James, Jack, Melissa and Jane have all been friends for a long time, as it's mentioned they all used to go camping together when they were teens. Melissa and Jane, at the very least, have been friends since they were children, as Melissa brings up how they used to talk about Jane attending Melissa's future wedding as kids.
- Cliffhanger: The first chapter, doubling as a demo, ends on a cliffhanger: Jane has been captured by the Wolfman, Melissa and Jack have been attacked and possibly killed, and James is missing.
- Didn't Think This Through: James' plan to intentionally lure Jack into the Wolfman's territory to mess with him proved to be incredibly short-sighted, which James himself acknowledges. Despite knowing there was indeed some kind of dangerous creature in the woods, James tells Jane he didn't realise Jack would be in genuine danger, thinking the creature would just scare him or deal minor injuries. James also didn't consider that the Wolfman might also go after him and the others.
- Distressed Dude:
- For all his bravado about protecting the others from any danger, Jack is the first to be attacked and dragged off by the Wolfman, getting seriously injured in the process. Melissa and Jane both desperately want to rescue him, but they realise they'd be better off getting help first as Jack probably needs medical attention and their only weapon is a baseball bat.
- James spends most of the second chapter stuck in a locked room after being kidnapped by the Wolfman, with Jane having to find a way to free him. During the final confrontation with the Wolfman, he tries to attack it with a baseball bat but is quickly overpowered and has to be saved by Jane.
- Don't Go in the Woods: The heavily wooded area where the friends set up their camp is rumoured to be the territory of a monster called the Wolfman. While this is dismissed as a just a spooky story, the woods are undoubtedly eerie, with lots of fog, a dilapidated shack with creepy messages graffitied on the walls and a dead bird in the shed, an abandoned house with a dark past and several missing person cases associated with the area. As the night goes on, the friends also start to realise there may be some truth to the Wolfman legend.
- Entitled to Have You: James displays some entitlement regarding Melissa's affections, ranting to Jane that Melissa "should've" been with him, not Jack.
- Foreshadowing: In "Reunion", James seems quite taken aback and awkward when Jack and Melissa announce their engagement, while Jane comparatively is more genuinely congratulatory. When Jane goes to investigate the screaming she heard at the shack, she also notes that James isn't in the van, where he said he'd be sleeping. Later in "Alone", when Jane encounters James again and informs him she found Melissa's body, James is horrified and states it "wasn't supposed to be like this", then avoids elaborating when Jane asks him what he means. It's revealed in "Acceptance" that James has romantic feelings for Melissa and resents Jack for being with her, so he intentionally lured them to the Wolfman's territory to ruin their relationship.
- From Bad to Worse: When Jack mentions that the man who used to live in the abandoned house vanished without a trace (with some believing he turned into a werewolf), James adds that the real story gets even worse. The man used his house as a sanctuary for stray or abandoned animals and because he was a loner who lived in the woods, no one realised he was missing for a long time; when someone finally came to check on him, they found all the animals had starved to death, with there also being evidence some of the animals had started to eat each other from desperation.
- Gamer Chick: Implied with Jane; she has a PS1 set up in her room with video games scattered around and is particularly a fan of older games, remarking "They don't make them like they used to" if you inspect the console.
- Gender-Equal Ensemble: The four main characters consist of two women (Jane and Melissa) and two men (Jack and James).
- Glowing Eyes of Doom: As Jane is walking back to the campsite with firewood, you can spot a large animal with glowing eyes watching her from the trees.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Chapter 3 reveals James to be this, as he was jealous of Jack and Melissa's relationship and lured the party to the campsite with the intention of letting Jack get harmed by the Wolfman. Although by the end of the ordeal James regrets his actions.
- Gutted Like a Fish: Notes found in the Wolfman's house describe how the Werewolf did this to a little boy who was exploring it's lair before eating him alive. This is also how the Wolfman kills Jane if it catches her and how Melissa's corpse is found in a closet.
- Haunted House: It's indicated that the abandoned house is haunted by the Wolfman's victims, as there are some strange occurrences that have no rational explanation, such as the puzzle with Max the dog's skeleton and Jane having visions of corpses.
- Hidden Disdain Reveal: James reveals he's secretly hated his best friend Jack for years; he's bitterly jealous of Jack's so-called "perfect" life and the way he flaunted it (according to James), and he's especially jealous of Jack's relationship with Melissa. Jane, Melissa and Jack himself were all clueless that James felt this way.
- Hope Spot: Chapter 1 ends on a Hope Spot: after Jack and Melissa are attacked by the Wolfman, Jane is able to make it to the van with the car keys, and prepares to drive out of the woods to get help. Just as she's starting to reverse out of the campsite, the Wolfman jumps on the van's roof, smashes through the windshield and yanks Jane out.
- Jump Scare: There are a handful of jump scares; some of them are mild Cat Scares involving birds flying out of trees or James popping up behind you, but near the end of the first chapter there are two big ones involving the Wolfman pulling Melissa through the shack's back window and the Wolfman smashing the van's windshield to grab Jane. Throughout the second chapter, there are several jumpscares involving the Wolfman bursting through doors or hiding around corners to ambush you.
- Light and Mirrors Puzzle: Chapter 3 begins with a puzzle to illuminate a Moon symbol by reflecting a light through a room full of mirrors. Completing the puzzle will give you access to the silver sword.
- Monster Delay: Although you can hear it howling and moving around in the woods, you don’t get to properly see the Wolfman until the end of the first chapter (which is roughly 25 minutes long). At most, you can briefly see the Wolfman standing in the trees from a distance (mostly its glowing eyes) about ten minutes in; you get a much closer look when it smashes through the shack’s window to grab Melissa, though it happens so quickly it’s hard to see much. It's only at the very end of the chapter that you get a clear, detailed look at the Wolfman.
- Multiple Endings: There are two possible outcomes which are dependent on if you forgive James for his role in getting your friends killed. If you refuse his apology then James will be mauled to death by the Wolfman in the final battle, whereas he will survive if you forgive him.
- My God, What Have I Done?: James hoped that Jack would run into the Wolfman and be injured and/or frightened, but when the Wolfman viciously attacked Jack, it hit James just how terrible the situation was and how much danger Jack was in. James attempted to rescue Jack, but he discovered he was already too late. He feels even worse when he learns Melissa, who he was infatuated with, was also killed.
- Oblivious to Love: Melissa is completely clueless that James has romantic feelings for her, to the point it's even hinted she was hoping to set him up with Jane, as when she invites Jane on the camping trip she makes a point of stating James will be there too.
- Old, Dark House: Following the first chapter, most of the game takes place inside a large, abandoned house in the woods where the Wolfman has made its lair, with Jane having to find her friends and a way out.
- Ominous Fog: The woods are shrouded in fog that adds to the eeriness of the location; it gets thicker after dark, making it even harder to see what might be lurking out there.
- Our Werewolves Are Different: The Wolfman is a bipedal werewolf with a humanoid body and wolfish head, with incredible speed and strength; it also comes out when there's a full moon and can apparently transform during the day as long as the moon is full (as it's depicted watching the friends arrive at the campground, before the sun sets). It has highly sensitive hearing and is drawn to loud noises, and can infect people with the curse by biting them. It's also vulnerable to silver.
- P.O.V. Cam: During gameplay and a few cutscenes, the camera is fixed from the POV of Jane, the Player Character. However, in some cutscenes the camera is positioned so that you can see Jane as well.
- Run or Die: If the Wolfman spots Jane, you must run to the nearest hiding spot as you have no way of fighting the Wolfman off.
- Seeking the Missing, Finding the Dead: At the beginning of the second chapter, Jane sets out to find Melissa after finding her backpack in the house. She unfortunately finds Melissa's mutilated corpse in a locked closet.
- Sex Signals Death: After the others have gone to bed, Jack and Melissa sneak off to a nearby shack for some private fun. Jane is later woken by Melissa's screams. Upon investigating, she discovers a creature attacked Jack, dragging him off. And then the Wolfman smashes through the window and snatches up Melissa, too. The second chapter confirms Jack and Melissa were both killed.
- So Happy Together: Melissa and Jack reveal one of the reasons they invited their best friends on a camping trip is so they can announce their engagement. They're both clearly excited to be getting married and are canoodling in each others arms when the others head off to bed; Jane and James also express that they're happy for the couple and glad they can all catch up. Jack and Melissa end up being the first to be attacked by the Wolfman, with everything quickly going to hell afterwards.
- Spooky Animal Sounds: Jane is unsettled when she hears something howling in the woods, telling her friends it sounded like a wolf. James tries to reassure her that wolves haven't been common to the area for around 200 years and that it was probably a bobcat, adding that they sometimes sound like a screaming person. Then Jack chips in that it could've been the Wolfman.
- Urban Legends: While gathered around the campfire, Jack and James bring up the local urban legend of the Wolfman; the man who used to own the property the campground sits on – including a nearby house used as an animal sanctuary – mysteriously vanished many years back. According to the legend, he turned into a Wolfman and still lurks in the woods, preying on animals and occasionally people unfortunate enough to cross his path. There have been a few sightings of a large furry creature with glowing eyes and some missing person cases attributed to the Wolfman, though Jack is the only one who takes the legend seriously. The friends soon learn the hard way there's some truth in the story.
- Video Game Caring Potential: You're given the option of feeding a friendly raccoon a hot dog.
- Virus-Victim Symptoms: After being bitten by the Wolfman, Jane starts to feel strange, stating it feels as though there's something crawling under her skin and wanting to burst out. When she meets up with James, he also notes there's something odd-looking about her eyes, though he dismisses it as a trick of the light. It's all but stated that Jane is slowly turning into a werewolf, though she's able to cure herself by killing the Wolfman.
- Where the Hell Is Springfield?: Downplayed; it’s clearly stated that the game is set in "Somewhere, Ohio", without being more specific.
- With Friends Like These...: It's revealed in the final chapter that James is the cause of his friends' predicament; he was aware there was some truth to the Wolfman legends and persuaded Jack to go camping in the Wolfman's territory during a full moon in the hopes Jack would get hurt or scared, out of jealousy of Jack (especially regarding his relationship with Melissa). This leads to Jack and Melissa both being killed by the Wolfman and puts Jane (and James himself) in mortal danger, too. James admits he didn't intend for things to go this far, nor was he targeting Melissa and Jane; the player can choose whether or not Jane shows James any sympathy for his betrayal.
- You Look Like You've Seen a Ghost: James remarks "You look like you've seen a ghost" to Jane when she returns from getting firewood. Jane admits she heard something howling nearby that creeped her out, though she doesn't mention potentially seeing a large creature watching her from a distance.
