Spider: Rite of the Shrouded Moon is charming and innovative, but too mysterious for its own good

Each week, we ask members of our App Army for their feedback on the latest and greatest releases on mobile.

One top pick this week was Tiger Style Games's mysterious bug catching sequel to Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor, Spider: Rite of the Shrouded Moon.

Let's see what our App Army had to say...

Waking Mars is the only Tiger Style game I've played before, but I liked it alot. I've always heard good things about Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor. Colour me intrigued!

Spider: Rite of the Shrouded Moon is all about placing spider webs around each level to catch as many bugs as you can for a high score.

The controls are fine, but they do take some getting used to. It's loads of fun jumping around the levels, but it would be great if you could fire a web mid-jump like Spider-Man!

I've only unlocked one other spider so far, but I'm really looking forward to trying out the other three.

I'm really enjoying Spider: Rite of the Shrouded Moon so far. Haven't achieved much yet but it seems really polished.

The controls take a bit of getting used to and it can be a bit annoying when your silk doesn't quite form a closed shape to make a web, but I can see myself playing this for quite a while.

After just 20 minutes in I'm already really enjoying this! The first thing I noticed was the unique and beautiful art style. The music is a little bland for my taste, but the sound effects are spot on.

The controls can be a bit awkward at first, but you get used to them very quickly. The awkwardness probably has to do with the fact that your spider can walk on anything vertically, horizontally, and even upside down.

The jumping is probably the most satisfying aspect of the game for me. I just like traversing the map, seeing the neat jumping animation. The web spinning is also pretty cool. Just spin closed shapes and then trap bugs in your web for a good meal.

After I finished the tutorial and first level, the game took me to the main menu which I explored briefly. There you get a map of the Blackbird Estate, a cool insect collection showing the insects you've eaten, the spider types I'm assuming you get to play as, and the weather device.

The weather device is one of the coolest features in the game. It enables the game to use your location to change the in-game weather according to your geographical location and weather forecast.

Apparently since there is precipitation in my area, the game's weather is currently "rainy." Really looking forward to exploring this game some more since it's very intriguing so far.

This seems very similar to the first game, although that is definitely not a bad thing.

The controls are tight and responsive, the animations are smooth, and I love the general look and feel of the game. As with the last one, production values are very high here.

I love the collection board idea. It's cool to see it gradually fill up with all the bugs you catch.

To be honest I didn't think I would really like the game at first, but I really do like it.

The visuals are beautiful and the gameplay is a bunch of fun. I love trapping bugs in webs and eating them. Shrouded Moon also really has a lovely soundtrack to it too - very relaxing.

I really like the fact that you have to create geometric shapes to spin a web and trap the bugs. As GGod Hand mentioned, the weather options are a fantastic idea. This game's loaded with all manner of insect eating fun!

I think this may be best played on a tablet as I'm finding it difficult to see everything on my little iPhone screen.

My main issue is that when the countdown timer starts you need to get out the room fast, but it's not always obvious where you're meant to go.

I'm also finding that the controls don't always respond quickly enough when I want my spider to move. That said, I love collecting bugs and the overall look and feel of the game is great.

When I zoom out to see more of the room, the camera zooms back in as soon as I jump or spin a web to focus on my spider. I'd much rather it just stayed zoomed out so I can see more.

It would be helpful if there was a bit more information about what you need to do. I'm really enjoying making webs to catch bugs and trying to collect all the bugs on each level.

I keep seeing mysteries being mentioned, but I have no idea what they're all about, nor how to attain the rank of scholar to open new areas.

Really, the only problem I had with Spider is that the mechanics never evolved. Yes, the bugs you catch exhibit different behaviors over the course of the game.

Some require tackling and other tactics, but I would really liked to have to seen the main gameplay mechanic of catching the bugs evolve.

The music felt a little out of place to me at first, but after playing through a significant portion of the game, I realise it fits perfectly.

On the weather front I think it's a really innovative way to reuse level designs. Not just from the aesthetic point of view either - some levels feel almost brand new with different enemy types (for example, fireflies only come out at night).

I've been playing this for a few hours now, and I'm still not sure how to get to the new areas. I've managed to clear all the rooms in the first two locations, but all I can do now is keep playing the same levels over and over again.

Still no idea what the mysteries are all about. While it was fun catching the bugs, doing the same room over and over is getting a little tedious.

Spoiler! On the second level there's a gramophone you need to hit three times to get a code, then in the guest bedroom you need to put the code in the machine by jumping on the buttons.

I like the general idea that there is something extra you have to do progress to the next level, but that seems like an obscure way to solve the clues.

I'm still plugging away at this game. I have to say that it's becoming a bit of a chore, as I prefer to at least have a rough idea of what I need to do at any given point.

Whilst it was fun spinning webs and catching bugs at first, the novelty does wear off after the 20th or 30th attempt at a level.

There's no doubt the game looks good, has good controls for the most part, and cracking audio... but I think it needs a little more polish. The progression should be a bit more intuitive and rewarding.

I know what you mean chanandler. While I'm still enjoying it, the fun has worn off to some degree.

As far as controls, there are times where I'm clearly indicating I want to go left, right, up, or down, but the game just translates your input to the complete opposite direction. That's my biggest grievance so far.

This game is really interesting. All the different creepy crawlies bring up some really strong feelings of disgust with me, but at the same time it is surprisingly fun to be a spider, make webs and gobble them all up.

It feels even better when you find a secret hiding spot and lure even more bugs into your webs. What I really like about Shrouded Moon is that it has two layers - the spider angle and the mysteries in the background that tie it all together.

There's not much of an introduction as to what you really have to do, since the game leaves it to you to explore. That adds even more to the mysterious atmosphere.

As some of you have mentioned, the controls can be difficult at times. I find it especially annoying when I'm trying to crawl, yet it somehow registers as a jump and sends me flying up to the ceiling or in a totally different direction than I intended.

I really enjoyed this to start off with, but the mechanics haven't evolved much over time.

I'm finding myself doing the same things over and over, making it a lot tougher to stay hooked. I'll keep plodding through, but I'm not going expecting much to change at this point.

One aspect I love is that certain rare bugs only appear during a certain time of the day. For instance, some rare moths only appear in the game when it's nighttime in the real world. It's a really unique idea that's brilliantly executed.

Having never played the first game I didn't really know what to expect. I was expecting a spider simulator of sorts where I'd catch bugs and call it a day. However, I can safely report that the game is a whole lot more than that.

What we have here is a pretty good puzzler with tons of extras hidden under the surface. I'm having a blast with so many mysteries to unravel and bugs to discover and devour.

The main thing that "bugs" me in the game is when the loose controls cause you to jump across the screen even though you're trying to make a web line. In turn this makes it hard to keep your multiplier going since a simple flick can send you off course.

This is the first Spider game I've played and I must say that I'm impressed by what I've seen so far. The visuals are great, and I love the way that our miniscule protagonist leaps across the screen to weave his webs.

It can be a bit of a struggle when you start to run out of silk, but that's a lesson at the same time. If you don't do well at first, learn your surroundings and the insects in the area. It's always easier and more satisfying the next time around, even if you don't get into the top score.

I love the zen feeling that I get as I play from collecting clues and listening to the soundscape. The eerie effects are wonderful, from the spider crawling down its web to eating its prey and making the bug disappear. I love this game all around.

I'm really glad that this is not a simple reskin of the first game with new levels. The puzzles are now much more at the heart of the game, and the weather feature really increases the lifespan of the game

Those who enjoyed their trip to Bryce Manor will love this, while newcomers will discover an original and innovative game loaded with passion. A must-have!

The environment in Shrouded Moon is darker than Bryce Manor's, and the areas you can explore are both bigger and more interesting. Fans of the original are not going to be disappointed by this.

Shrouded Moon is unique. I love geometry, and this game uses it in a very cool way. You have to make at least a triangle to make a web, but you have to study the movement of bugs to catch as many as you can, all while keeping your score multiplier high.

There's a lot going on here in terms of the underlying mystery, but I haven't worked out much about it. I only solved a few mysteries, the easiest of which dealt with an organ. While these are often interesting, they feel a little out of place in this game.

The graphics are gorgeous and the sound design is stellar. The puzzle nature of each level makes high score chasing really addictive. You have to lay out your webs in a way that lets you eat every bug without touching a hard surface.

Very fun, moody, and most certainly worth the time and money you need to invest.

If this game could just sail through on looks alone it would be top of my favourite list. It's just the controls and confusing nature of the mysteries that are driving me mad.

Shrouded Moon is without a doubt a fantastic game. There's an underlying charm to it, as well as plenty of content to work your way through.

Most simulation games feel rubbish and unrealistic, but as soon as I pick this up I really feel like I'm a nefarious, hungry spider. I need to kill all of those nasty bugs to keep myself from starving!

You have to gather clues in this game to solve mysteries. If you search well you'll eventually find them all, but it's not always clear how to solve each mystery.

As you need to solve mysteries to unlock new levels I'm finding it frustrating that I'm unable to progress due to unclear clues.

They did a pretty good job with the controls. Although it doesn't work perfectly, it surely feels like it's optimized for mobile, without the need for any kind of virtual pad.

I truly hope this game will do better than its prequel, and won't remain a hidden gem.

Did you pick up Spider: Rite of the Shrouded Moon? What do you think of it? Let us know in the comments below!