Rise of the Half Moon (2024)

Rise of the Half Moon is an interactive Google Doodle game that launched on October 24th, 2024. It is a card game where players compete with the Half Moon, trying to win levels to reach the moon.

Overview

Types of Cards

Normal Cards

These are the standard cards which are played onto the board. Both the player and the Half Moon can use them.

• New Moon
• Waxing Crescent
• First Quarter
• Waxing Gibbous
• Full Moon
• Waning Gibbous
• Final Quarter
• Waning Crescent

  New Moon

  Waxing Crescent

  First Quarter

  Waxing Gibbous

  Full Moon

  See Also

  The Phase of the Moon You Were Born Under Says a Lot About You—An Astrologer ExplainsWaxing Crescent Moon Spiritual Meaning: Unlocking Hope and New Beginnings in Your Life

  Waning Gibbous

  Final Quarter

  Waning Crescent

Wild Cards

These are the special cards that players can earn by winning three levels in a row. Each time they do so ("reaching the moon"), they are awarded one out of the four types of Wild Cards. Only the player can use Wild Cards. Each Wild Card can only be used once in a single playthrough.

• October
  • Hunter Moon: This card destroys all of the Half Moon's cards on the board and returns them to the deck.
  • Super Moon: This card makes all Full Moon Pairs worth double for the player on the current level.
  • Scorpio: This card makes it so that the Half Moon gets no end game bonus points on the current level.
  • Leonid Meteor Shower: This card destroys two random cards on the board. [Are the cards returned to the deck?] <- No
• November
  • Beaver Moon: "Play this card, and choose a moon card on the board to flip horizontally."
  • Winter Solstice: "Play this card, and your claimed cards cannot be stolen for the current level."
  • Sagittarius: "Play this card, and the next match you make will be worth triple points."
  • Geminid Meteor Shower: "Play this card to claim half of the Moon's claimed card on the board."

    Winter Solstice Wildcard

    Sagittarius Wildcard

    Geminid Meteor Shower Wildcard

    Beaver Moon Wildcard

Gameplay

The game is played by placing cards with moon phases on them on a board. Players compete against the Half Moon, trying to win three games in a row. Players must match cards with each other to make Phase Pairs, Full Moon Pairs, or Lunar Cycles to earn points. After winning three levels in a row, players can unlock one of four Wild Cards that have special effects.

When a card is played, it goes onto the board and its outline remains gray if no match is made. If either the player or the Half Moon makes a card match, the involved cards' outlines turn either white for the player, or black for the Half Moon. At the end of the game, every card controlled by the player or Half Moon on the board earns them one bonus point. These are called the end game bonus points.

Phase Pairs

A Phase Pair is a match in which two cards with the same moon phase are placed next to each other on the board. Each Phase Pair earns the person who made it one point. For example, if you played a Waxing Crescent card next to another Waxing Crescent card, you would earn one point. These pairs are called Phase Pairs because the two cards in the pair have the same phase.

Full Moon Pairs

A Full Moon Pair is a match in which two cards with the opposite moon phase are placed next to each other on the board. Each Full Moon Pair earns the person who made it two points. For example, if you played a Waxing Crescent card next to a Waning Gibbous card, you would earn two points. These pairs are called Full Moon pairs because if you took the two cards in the pair and placed the lit parts of the moon next to each other, they would combine to make a full moon.

Lunar Cycles

A Lunar Cycle is a match in which three or more cards with consecutive moon phases are placed next to each other in order on the board. Each Lunar Cycle earns the person who made it points equal to the number of cards in the Lunar Cycle. For example, if you played a Waxing Gibbous card next to a First Quarter card, which in turn was next to a Waxing Crescent card, you would earn three points.

A Lunar Cycle may be stolen from an opponent by adding the correct moon phase card onto either end of the card chain. The same rules for scoring apply. For example, if you had just made the Lunar Cycle mentioned above, the Half Moon could add either a New Moon card connected to the Waxing Crescent card or a Full Moon card next to the Waxing Gibbous card. The Half Moon would earn four points, and all cards in the cycle would turn the Half Moon's color, black. Note that once you earn points from a Lunar Cycle, you cannot lose them, even if the Lunar Cycle is eventually stolen.

The same cards on the board can be part of multiple Lunar Cycles, which can add up to massive amounts of points. In the previous example, if the Half Moon adds a Full Moon card next to the Waxing Gibbous card, then the player adds another Full Moon card on another slot also next to the Waxing Gibbous card, the player can win back the Lunar Cycle (minus the Full Moon card placed by the Half Moon). If either player then places the New Moon card connected to the Waxing Crescent card, they will gain control and full points for both Lunar Cycles, earning them 10 points (5 for each 5-card Lunar Cycle).

Lunar Cycles can continue for more than the full length of a real month's lunar cycle (which corresponds to 8 cards).

Gallery