Moonray is a play-to-earn blockchain game that runs on the Cardano blockchain. It is similar to other roleplaying games that uses collectible cards in the form of NFTs and if you love playing online games that revolve around futuristic characters and multiplayer combat, then you might enjoy this game as well. 

You can actually play a lot of game modes in Moonray including in 4v4 arenas and large scale battle royale environments. You can also fight against more than 50 other players in their melee battle royale map and explore the captivating world of Moonray.

This article will talk about Moonray and everything you need to know as a beginner from the development team, the storyline, its gameplay, to its monetization strategy.

What Type Of Game Is Moonray?

Moonray is a surreal action role-playing that uses blockchain technology and can be played on PCs and consoles. It runs on the Cardano blockchain and has recently raised $3.5 million for the selling of their collectible non-fungible tokens (NFTs) which will be used to build the metaverse in the game. NFTs hold the key to the functioning of the metaverse as they represent how people get to own anything. If they sound foreign to you, consider checking out our comprehensive guide on what is an NFT. This other one will teach you how to make an NFT.

The game is similar to hack and slash where most of the battles will be focused on melee fights with combat weapons such as swords and blades. Sometimes, secondary weapons such as guns will also be used. As of now, the developers have released a mini game called Journey To Moonray to showcase the game’s innovative algorithms and fluid movements before its release.

Moonray has set high expectations among the gaming community since it is built with the industry-leading game engine Unreal Engine. They are the team behind famous hit titles like Fortnite, Mass Effect 3, Gears of War 4, Batman Arkham Knight and many more.

This blockchain game is built on Bitcoin via Stacks. This means that the smart contracts with Bitcoin make it possible to build applications and at the same time benefit from the credibility and high security of the Bitcoin network. 

However, it is important to note that Moonray has recently transferred to the Ethereum blockchain. The digital security of Moonray allows for the ledger to be more transparent for its users with the help of blockchain to authenticate the transactions. More details about the game in general are still to be released by the developers and creators behind Moonray.

Development And Team

While the Moonray metaverse is taking shape before its near release, the team behind this game is led by Moonray PBC, Everything is Full of Gods LLC, and Element 115. They aim to continue developing online action games that revolve around NFTs to improve the metaverse experience of their users. 

The team is made up of 25 employees from all over the world and is expected to grow up to more than 50 people soon. They aim to provide a gaming experience where players can go on intergalactic adventures and forge their own destiny. By coupling their NFT marketplace with the game itself, they are able to create a decentralized digital economy.

Recently, the lead game developer Moonray PBC announced that they have raised $3.5 million with the help of Animoca Brands for the game development. Since Bitcoin itself doesn’t support smart contracts for crypto games, Stacks used their smart contract blockchain for the game transactions and settled them with the Bitcoin network.

Stacks is the mind behind NFTs that are powered by Bitcoin and the reason why decentralized finance (DeFi) applications are able to connect with Bitcoin. Muneeb Ali, the developer of Stacks described it as a 1.5 layer, similar to Ethereum’s 2-layer scaling solutions.

The CEO of Moonray PBC said in an interview with Decrypt that he praises Solana and Avalanche as great blockchains in the industry today, but Stacks was the one that appealed to them the most. He believes that in partnership with Bitcoin, they can provide the most decentralized and most secure experience for their users.

In recent updates, Moonray PBC has announced that they will be switching from the Bitcoin blockchain to the Ethereum blockchain, so players can expect that the in-game items can be purchased on the Ethereum marketplace.

Storyline And Gameplay

The game story is set in a sci-fi world where you can explore a beautiful but deadly landscape. Your quest is to recover the sacred element and take back the control over the planet called It-Ao. In Moonray, you can upgrade your abilities, skills, and weapons to survive in the brutal battles and fight through intricately designed maps.  

The story is written by comic artist Grim Wilkins and it will be told in the beginning of the game through comic panels. The shaders in-game can be seen from liquid surfaces to pulsating foliages to mind-bending dynamic objects. 

In the game, players have 4 different weapon types that come with unique fighting styles and move sets. Once you enhance your abilities, you will be able to melt the landscapes and use objects around you to defeat other players. Beams are released in huge amounts which will allow the characters to travel very quickly to any unlocked areas and heal themselves.

There are three different categories for the Moonray Deep Upgrade System and you can upgrade the following; characters, weapons, and the floating vailx. The floating vailx that trail alongside you are chunks of pure Miium that your character can use to provide more offensive and defensive abilities. The vailx also helps enhance your ability to attack and survive so you can continue to build your playing styles as you go through the game.

What Is Moonray Unique Selling Point (USP)?

What makes Moonray unique is that they have a unique and immersive soundtrack that most NFT games don’t have. They hired Ten Walls as the soundtrack creator who is known for his very creative music style that appeals to his listeners and is known for his creation Walking With Elephants. The players can  expect that the in-game soundtrack will blend with the visuals of the game beautifully. Moonray is filled with cutting edge VFX and shaders that are in sync with the beat. These effects are integrated into your world exploration adventure.

Within the game, you will have dynamic ‘shader’ skins that you can purchase to personalize your character as well as gain new abilities with them. What makes Moonray more engaging for gamers is that it is a fast-paced game that relies on your critical thinking and not how fast you can smash your keyboard.

Roadmap

You can checkout the roadmap on the Moonray site. 

You can also watch the videos and read the comics on their site. Additionally, there are behind the scenes where they interview their comic artists, designer, developers on how the game is developed and designed.

What Is Moonray Use-Case?

Moonray is set to be released on Steam, which is the largest platform when it comes to PC games with over 90 million active users monthly. It is also set to launch on the next-gen Xbox and PS5 consoles. If you wish to buy Moonray items, make sure that your Ethereum digital wallet is funded.

The Genesis NFT Drop for Moonray users has been launched recently where players were able to get access to the first gen avatars. You can view the Moonray OpenSea official profile for the pre-sale pass and the comics if you wish to check them out before the official game release. 

The Moonray and Moonray NFT marketplace launched their early access to players last March 2022 and the details about the tokens and how to earn in the game is still in the process of deliberation.

Moonray Tokenomics And Monetization Strategy

As of now, there are no official tokens that have been released for Moonray yet. However, Republic Crypto has announced that they will be working on the tokenomics of the game. Like other NFT and blockchain games, players can expect that there will be two tokens; one for the in-game currency and one for governance.

Republic Crypto is known for helping in NFT pre-sales and creating crypto tokenomics designs for various NFT projects. This will take some weight off of the developers’ shoulders and leave the tokenomics to Republic as they are the experts in this regard.

According to the FAQ channel in their discord, Moonray will have functionality to handle multiple tokens, including their upcoming MNRY token that is to be issued by ILTAR Corp. MNRY is supposed to bring in-game functionality and utility to the game.

Investors Behind Moonray

The partner investors behind Moonray are:

• Animoca Brands
• C2 Ventures
• Huobi Ventures
• Metavest Capital
• Unix Gaming
• Master Ventures
• SBX Capital
• Gossamer Capital and many more

Moonray Pre-sale And Release Date

The previously mentioned Republic Crypto has helped Moonray execute a fundraiser on Republic’s own website. The fundraiser has raised $209,000 for Moonray. The official release date for Moonray is set this Winter 2022. The funds will then go toward development and research in building a Moonray NFT marketplace where the players will be able to buy, sell, and trade game collectibles, skins, and weapons.

The Pre-Alpha stage is coming to an end, and they are transitioning towards their open beta release, which is one of the biggest steps they have taken so far. They have also said that the open beta is set in October of this year and their Genesis presale is also supposed to be coming soon, according to their discord announcements.

In their upcoming October open beta, they have also said that they are working to lower the barrier of entry. They are also working on an NFT marketplace where players can buy NFTs with credit or debit cards to make it much easier for casual gamers who are not into crypto. The NFT marketplace will be where players can sell avatar skins, weapon skins, characters, and much more.

Moonray has also announced their recent features for the game that includes:

• PC launch in Summer of 2022
• A successful 30-day campaign on Fig.co that proves the community’s interest in this upcoming game.
• Expect global revenue in the video game market at $179.9 billion
• Cutting edge shader technology that is especially developed for next-gen GPUs