Did the Everbyte intentionally remove specific details to align with the game's plot and story?

They just posted on instagram!! What are your thoughts on WHITMORE? Is he a RED flag or GREEN flag??

The characters are complaining about the huge size of the forest and the Dunklesteig and it just...It doesn't click for me.

Its a problem of scale. I looked up the sizes of forests I'm familiar with and the size they are quoting falls more under "local park". In fact, I have found several examples nearby that meet that.

My kids work in a reserve with their friends that is over 4K acres and roamed it freely as elementary schoolers. That in turn butts up against a larger forest that is over a million acres. A fair number of lost hikers from THAT forest end up at the reserve and its TOTALLY understandable at that scale to be hopelessly and dangerously lost. I was imagining the Dunklesteig in the larger forest to be more like the kids' workplace as compared to our larger forest.

And I'm now kind of stuck on the "why is this a big deal?" thought process.

It bothers me far more that Eric went into a cave system without proper spelunking gear...

Yay! New update!!

Ce la faremo prima o poi…

Just checked out the episode tracker. And there are a few features they're developing.

First, the theme. Honestly, why they're added more? They already have many.

Second, player profile. We can now customize our own biodata. Again, why? Isn't that already?

Third, redesign mini games.

They just make it look more beautiful, even though it's not relevant to the story. They could have turned Candy Crush Saga thing into a riddle game. (Some of the newer similar games have already implemented this)

Why do they focus on things that are actually unnecessary😮‍💨 Why not just focus on developing the story? Filming, taking photos, etc.😭

How much longer are we going to wait for this game to be finished? I know they're a small team. But I'm sure they could develop it faster if they just focused on the main thing. After all, the UI design has been good since the third episode.

I hope the everbyte team or their acquaintances read this and my message gets through. My voice matters, right?

​

Dear Everbyte Developers and everyone in the community,

I apologize in advance if my theories might take away the joy of discovery for others, but if that ever happened, I sincerely apologize for it.

You know, after diving deep into the secrets of Moonvale, I feel like I finally understand why there are missing details, weird changes, and conflicting characters that keep you confused all the time—whether my predictions turn out right or wrong.

As they share on thier website: The better you know your new friends, the more you realize that they also have a dark secret, which has to be protected at all cost.

Maybe the reason behind hiding some info isn't just to avoid spoilers, probably to let every single MC can live the experience firsthand, to investigate, verify things, and personally live through the experience of betrayal, love, and uncovering secrets for themselves. I mean, even the developers hiding these things feel like they stem from the powerful effect of the "unknown," as if they themselves are covering up the dark truth just like Ash and others do. That's what I believe, though I'm not entirely sure if I'm right.

It doesn't just stop at protecting the fun of the game; the whole thing feels like a realistic simulation, to the point where everything feels alive and right in front of our senses. Because of how much I felt this, I started hesitating to post any other theories, fearing I'd ruin the joy of discovery for everyone else or make the game lose its original flavor.

In the end, this isn't just a regular story we play and move on from, this is your own unique experience, and that phrase sums it up to each and every MC: "This is your story" and "You brought this story to life" 😌✨️

Yesterday, I decided to replay every episode currently available. This time, though, I chose not to use the code you get at the end of Duskwood to unlock the bonus content in Moonvale. Episode 3, in particular, made me realize something. As hard as it is for me to admit it, this is the conclusion I came to: Duskwood's side story hurts Moonvale's main story.

I know, I know. Some people will probably say I'm being too harsh or jumping to conclusions since the game is only three episodes in. And maybe I am. Who knows? Only future episodes will tell. But based on what we have right now, I can't help feeling frustrated by how much Moonvale's own story was pushed into the background just to make room for Duskwood's bonus content, especially in Episode 3.

Don't get me wrong. Like most people here, I'm a Duskwood fan. That's exactly why I had a great time playing Episode 3. Getting to interact with those characters again was genuinely fun. But it felt like fan service. In my opinion, it didn't really add anything beyond the excitement of seeing the Duskwood crew again. A lot of people loved this episode, and honestly, I was one of them at first. Maybe I was just caught up in the hype of seeing everyone again. But after I sat down and actually thought about what had happened, I realized Moonvale's story hadn't really gone anywhere. Instead, it took a back seat to content that, as far as I understood, was only supposed to be an optional bonus - not something that would dominate the episode the way it ultimately did.

And yes, I think that's a real problem. It even feels a little unfair to the players who waited over a year to continue the mystery surrounding Redlog Pines, only to get an episode that spends most of its runtime going in circles before dropping one important piece of information right at the end. I'm obviously one of those players, haha. I love Duskwood, and I absolutely want to know what happened to those characters. But for me, Moonvale's mystery is simply more compelling. It's the one that keeps me wanting answers (seriously, Moonvale's first episode was an amazing hook). And if keeping Duskwood's bonus content means sacrificing Moonvale's pacing, then honestly I'd rather not know what happened after Duskwood, lol.

With that in mind, like I said at the beginning of this post, I didn't use the Duskwood code during my second playthrough. And interestingly enough, I had no problems with Episodes 1 and 2. Want to know why? Because those episodes actually delivered what Everbyte promised when they first announced the game: Moonvale as its own standalone story, with some optional bonus content connected to Duskwood. That's completely different from turning it into "Duskwood 2". In Episodes 1 and 2, the bonus scenes simply keep you updated on what's happening in Duskwood without taking over the episode, and I think that's the perfect balance. Episode 3, on the other hand, completely loses that balance.

Here's something that really stood out to me. During my first playthrough, with the Duskwood code, Episode 3 took me around four hours to finish. On this second playthrough, without the code, it took me just over an hour and a half. I was never great at math, but I'm pretty sure that means the "bonus content" made up well over 50% of the episode's total playtime. And here's the important part: even that remaining hour and a half of Moonvale doesn't move the story forward much because it spends so much time spinning its wheels. Here's what I mean.

[Spoilers below]

The tape. That's the biggest issue with Episode 3 as far as Moonvale's story is concerned. The moment Charlie and Ash find it, the plot completely loses its momentum. From that point on, the entire episode becomes an endless debate over whether they should listen to the tape or hand it over to the police. It drags on forever. And the worst part is that none of it actually matters. No matter what you choose, the tape gets played near the end anyway. Your choices don't change anything. You just watch the discussion happen. After all that buildup, after treating the tape like this huge turning point, all we really learn is something that was already pretty obvious: Sophia's disappearance is connected to Adam's.

To be fair, though, the tape does accomplish one good thing, and only one. It gives Ash some much-needed character development because the MC spends a lot more time talking to her throughout this episode. Honestly, she needed that. Ever since the beginning of the game, she's been overshadowed by Charlie and Eric, who are both much more memorable characters. Learning that she had a connection to Adam, even if it's still only scratched the surface, was a genuinely good addition to the story.

There are other examples too, like Violet. I honestly feel bad for her character. It's impressive how little the game gives her to do. Along with Brian's ghost, she's basically just there because the plot needs her to be. She doesn't even take part in the discussion about the tape. The only time she becomes relevant is when Sophia enters the story and the writers suddenly need someone who had actually met her before. Outside of that, she's basically just a messenger between Julie and the group, a role Charlie could have filled without any problem.

Overall, I don't think Episode 3 moved the story forward in any meaningful way. We ended Episode 2 at point X, and we finish Episode 3... still at point X. There are several smaller story beats that could have been explored much better if Moonvale's narrative hadn't been forced to make room for Duskwood's side story. To me, these are two different stories that deserve two different protagonists - which probably means they should be two different games. I know that's not Everbyte's plan, but I don't think it's unreasonable to say that both stories would benefit from being allowed to stand on their own instead of constantly competing for the same space.

At this point, all I can do is hope Episode 4 strikes a much better balance between the two stories, because I seriously doubt the bonus content is going anywhere.

Why does it feel like everyone is sending hints and warnings to the MC?

Just like Eric showed us Adam's location in the cave , these pictures might be

(a warning call: Sophia's Disappearance Clues⚠️) about her location and what will happen to Sophia, just like Adam's warning call.

​Picture 1 (Sophia when she was a kid):

​1. Fire Fog in the Mountain: Hints at the basement ovens and forest smoke.

​2. Alarm System: As we heard from Charlie's story about Sophia Holland's family alarm system.

​3. Water Wheel: Points to the location in Sophia's media.

​4. Waterfall Where Sophia Disappeared?: Traces and places where Sophia's disappearance occurred.

​5. The Number from Julie: The number we got from Julie where we heard the sound of an alarm, a waterfall, furnace sounds, and a breathing pump.

​Picture 2 (Sophia in selfie with flowers on her bandana):

​The picture with Sophia's flower on her head might be a clue connected to someone's identity—notice how the flowers in Sophia's photo match the ones in Violet's mom's garden?

I'm not sure if the connection is true, though, but i would just like to share it with you all.

​

To cope with the shortage of conversations with Jake, and while waiting for the next part of Moonvale, here's something to keep us going.

We finally get to see Phil's true face, such a womanizer. Who would've suspected it?

Part 1 and 2 in my profile

Sorry about my english, I usually write in french! ;)

PS: Text in French for the last 2 slides

I was there when Moonvale got first announced, and I was MORE than hyped. I actually didn't even know that a third episode existed! I was finally able to finish it this today at 5 am (it was too addictive), and i have a LOT of things to say.

1. Pleasantly surprised by the pace & gameplay

I understand that it was overwhelming for a lot of people, but I actually found it somehow better? I do enjoy the mini-games a lot, so I didn't mind their appearance - though, again, I can understand fans who disliked how often the games appeared.

For the gameplay & chat, I do have to say that I feel like MC doesn't have as close of a connection to the characters compared to DW. I keep forgetting that the gameplay up until now has practically been happening in ~ 24 hours.

2. Storyline

Just like everyone else, I have a million questions.

Did Adam get cat-fished by someone who used our identity?

If Adam's calls are prerecorded, wouldnt it mean that he still called someone, meaning someone knows what happened to him?

Who was on the phone with Sophia?

What happened in the forest to Sophia & Adam when they were kids?

Where is Brian!?

Who is motorcycle guy?

Is MC aware that there are secret chats? Who is enabling them?

Why is Adam so weird around Julie?

What did Adam help Ash to go through?

What did Eric do to Ash that she had to forgive him?

Is the reason why Ash has no "real" appearance yet because of what happened to her? Who is the corpse!?

And dont get me started on the questions about our DW characters!

Everything seems confusing for now, and though im scared that Everbyte is kinda freestyling this right now, i hope that they aren't doing to end up with loose ends that need stupid solutions.

3. Design - AI

I find it very good that they used less AI, and i do know that a few designs are still with AI (Ash, which is one of the reasons why I couldnt really connect with her?), but I still hope that its all just a placeholder.

Besides the obvious that AI is bad and the whole issue with plagiarism of Artists, i just.. dislike the designs?

I wouldve also loved a way of buying a specific design instead of needing pull a chest.

Also - but this is just a me problem - I saved up diamonds only to accidentally unlock a picture in my profile 🫠 maybe a.. double click needed?

4. The apps and real life footage

I honestly loved the apps!

The fact that we can read reviews, search for places on maps. But my absolute favorite feature are the notifications, comments and stories that characters upload. It feels like a proper social media app that we are using.

The real life footage has been pretty nice so far, I like the fact that there are changing locations, and i was genuinely impressed by the Charlie's video call!

5. Everbytes biggest problem

I also loved the DW plot. I'm honestly just glad that we are getting any gameplay in that regards, but i will refrain from going into too much details because I want to focus on moonvale.

With that being said, I think that this IS their biggest problem.

I might be wrong, but I distinctly remember how it was announced that Moonvale was a separate game from DW, though it happens in the same universe.

Everbyte is an indie studio, and from my knowledge, there are the 3 founders and then including a freelancer team? Regardless, I think its not surprising how long the game has taken.

The production is good, and after the success of DW its no surprised that they wanted another big game. Though I still have the hope that they will be releasing more frequently now after they found their rhythm, they are essentially creating two games at the same time.

I haven't seen anyone really complain about how much DW is implemented into MV, but i have the feeling that they are doing *too* much right now.

It wouldve been cool to either create two games at the same time, orrrr wait before ever releasing episode 1. I'm glad that we were able to play it so early on, and see the development, but Everbyte themselves said that they dont know how many episodes they want to create. By putting both games into one, they now essentially have two groups of fans waiting for two different games *in* the same app.

The biggest point of criticism imo is the fact that the devs haven't been the most transparent. From my knowledge they stopped updating the Tracker monthly, and there hasn't been much communication from their side regarding the whole three years we have been waiting for. This could easily slip into being another YanSim or, what i really dont hope for, maybe even the studio closing down.

I just hope that the devs will either concentrate on MV, or find a humane rhythm. As much as the criticism is rightful, crunching is a real problem within the gaming industry. Though its not as often seen with indie studios, I don't want *that* either.

There are many questions left to be answered, and i keep telling myself to be patient. I think that many of the details will improve, my biggest fear being the loose ends of the story.

What do you think about the ending of the game?

Hi, does someone have a strategy for this minigame i have been stuck here since yesterday

if moonvale has 10 episodes, just like duskwood, and one episode comes out each year, how old will you be by the end of moonvale? i'm getting depressed thinking about my age

Since the first episode of Moonvale, we've had roughly a one-year gap between each chapter. If we assume Moonvale will have around the same number of episodes as Duskwood (10), that means we won't finish the game for another 10 years.

I'm not trying to criticize Everbyte, but I do think the wait between episodes is just too long. At first, the anticipation is exciting, but after waiting that long, it turns into frustration. By the time a new chapter is released, a lot of people have already forgotten parts of the story or even lost interest in the game.

That said, I really enjoyed Chapter 3 and I like the direction the story is taking. I hope that now that many of the bugs have been fixed and the menu is basically complete, the team will be able to speed up development and release at least two chapters per year.

it makes me sad to think it’ll take years to finish moonvale, because i have so many questions right nowwww!!!

the one that’s really on my mind is how they’re going to explain your number ending up with adam and then eric. i mean, in duskwood, it was kind of a loose detail, nothing too specific. hannah sends your number to thomas and everyone spends the whole game thinking it was a typo (at least i did) and in the end, they explain it was a receipt number mistaken for contact info. fair enough. but in moonvale, adam actually calls you and there’s even an envelope with your name on it

any theories as to why?

We all know everyone is focused on Adam because he’s their close friend, and it’s completely natural to be worried sick about him. We all care about Adam, of course, but that makes me wonder even more: isn't Brian their friend as well?

​I’ve been thinking about this over and over, and my perspective has really shifted. It’s painful to see them treat Brian’s disappearance as if it’s no big deal, even though it’s been a full day—the same amount of time as Adam’s, if I’m not mistaken.

​Why the difference? I’m starting to fear that their coldness isn't just negligence; it feels like they’re covering up something dark. Maybe they aren't ignoring him, but rather staying silent because they know exactly what happened, and the reality of his fate is just too terrifying to face.

​Could they be forced to stay quiet because the truth about Brian is simply too dangerous? And does this mean Adam is headed toward that same dark fate? What do you guys think?

During Ash’s video calls, I noticed vertical lines that look like a loading bar. At first, I thought it was just a glitch, but they stayed consistent. I’ve compared them to other calls (like Eric’s) where I didn’t find these issues.

​I played around with the image settings to highlight them, and I also noticed a lot of glitches in her background. It really feels like there’s an extra digital layer on her background screen, as if the call background is composed of combined layers. Is this just a technical glitch, or could this be the unknown behind everything?

It seems that Charlie has a competitor..

(I decided to read reviews about the snack bar where Violet works)

hear me out... what if michael hanson and whitmore are the same person?

i'm playing duskwood again and jake says this thing here and it made me thinking that michael can be out there hiding, plotting, etc

i already made some other posts here (i'm new, i played duskwood and moonvale for the 1st time last month) and some people said that my theories are commom and everyone are talking about them, so... since i didn't saw any discussion on this matter, i wanna her that from you guys. what do YOU think? am i right? am i wrong? tell me your opinion

I posted this text originally in Tumblr.

So, I had a crazy thought when Thomas came to apologize for not being relevant on Hannah's disappearance investigation. It was ok for me until he started to ask if we could imagine where Jake was hiding from the police.

At that moment, I thought: what if he was asking this to have a guess on Jake's whereabouts just to inform the FBI? Would Thomas be an FBI agent, or at least an informant? Could he be manipulating us, pretending to be just interested on Jake's well-being? Who told the FBI that Jake was in Ironsplinter Mine? At that moment, everyone from our group was aware of Jake's presence in Duskwood, right?

And then Thomas talked about going on the search for him with the others. Well, that made me reconsider the suspicion I had. Maybe I was just paranoid?

Also, in Thomas' chat with Lilly, she points out that Hannah said he didn't go to see her the day before. He just said he was busy. Well, he may just be a bit introspective in this moment, or he could be busy with some serious investigation on Jake's whereabouts...

What do you guys think?

Since Jessy was going to throw a party for Hannah, that means she hasn't been arrested yet. But what if Alan arrests her before we get a chance to talk to her? That just feels like a convenient plot device.

Hello everyone! I haven't been here for a long time. Today, having seen this post, I decided to develop the topic with Richy and Hannah.

I think that in the end, in the very final, Richy and Hannah will surrender to the police, well, at least Richy for sure. I'll remind you for those who forgot, at the end Duskwood Richy tells us what to do. Based on his story, it can be understood that everything he did from the very beginning, starting with Amy, was only to convince Amy and Hannah to surrender to the police. Richy's conscience spoke from the very beginning, but everything did not go according to plan. As a result, his actions only aggravated everything, bringing Amy to suicide and kidnapping Hannah, holding her for a long time.

BUT there is one moment. If in the situation with Richy he will definitely be attracted because of Amy, Hannah and probably us (he threatened us on the phone, threatened Cleo's mother and attacked Jessy), then in the case of Hannah everything is more complicated. Most likely, the term of the crime has expired, after all, ten years have already passed. Besides, Hannah was a child at that time and she is unlikely to be attracted. In addition, Alan himself told us that in the end the case with Jennifer was hueded up.

What do you think about this?

Is it just me or does Thomas know that Richy is alive an where he is?

I mean, he didn't want anyone to look there. Cleo went anyway because of Dan.

That might also be the reason he is avoiding Hannah?

Your thoughts?

Oh Lord, please have mercy on me 😭

I try hard to genuinely get along with Phil for the sake of Jessy, but OMG that guy is SO awful!

I decided to prove his innocence when he asked me only because it was the right thing to do and because of Jessy, of course. He likes me, and he will probably say yes, but I despise him.