Monstrum

There isn't a ton of content but the game premise is exciting and enjoyable to play. Read the description, that's the whole game. I played through every monster with every ending and got my money's worth. If the premise of this game sounds fun you will definitely get a few hours of fun from it. Its not a technical masterpiece or anything but if you want a creepy game experience this sets a great atmosphere.

This title is about escaping a ship with a monster on the loose. So, one man, one monster and the immense empty container ship. The ship is 9 decks high and quite long. While the overall structure of the ship stays the same, the floor plans are generated randomly every time, making some places more dangerous than the others. The goal is simple: find a mean of escape, locate the parts you need to make it functional, use it while you're still alive. Pros: — The monster is alone, just as you; slower than you and dumber than you. So, your main enemy is fear itself. This makes the game a "true" representative of the horror genre. No disgusting pieces, dementia and intentional jumpscares—only your fears (+mistakes); — Monster scripting works well on the overall atmosphere: the monster always feels where you are, but never knows for sure. So, the pressure on the player persists, but does not make the thing impossible; — Lack of any save game features makes your decisions feel like real decisions. Cons: — While there are three different monster types, they all play "by the same rules". Once you know the rules, the monsters no longer seem really unique; — Random item distribution affects the game a lot: some runs might take 7 minutes or so, while others may last for hours: "aw, look, here's that monster once again"; — The potential of some items (welding kits, smashables, fuses) and locations (the main vent at Deck 0) feels lower than it should be; — What we call 'The Bug'. It seems, the programmers used a floating-point variable to store the player position. As such, it accumulates error over time (even when paused). After 5 hours the player is usually floating half a metre above the floor. Rating justification: — Met expectations; — Memorable; — Well-designed; — Pros outweigh cons. Recommended to: those, who read the description and felt interested; Not recommended to: those who find the idea of stumbling face to face with the monster behind a corner to be "too much".

This game is basically a scavenger hunt on a partially procedurally generated map (the layout of some areas and the locations of items change, but the "big picture" remains the same), except there's a monster coming after you. This monster will kill you very much if it finds you and it can't be killed. So, you move from room to room looking for the items you need to escape, hide in closets when you feel danger is close and occasionally bump into the monster and run like hell in the opposite direction. The monster is constantly seeking you, and will eventually converge on your location (yes, it "cheats") so you have to keep moving, but you can use some trickery to get the monster off your trail temporarily. There are 3 different monsters (but you only face one per game), each with unique mechanics. Once you find the needed items, you head to one of the escape vehicles, install the parts and then trigger the escape sequence and fend off the monster until it completes. Once that sequence completes, you escape and win. This is a horror game, but the horror element is pretty "light" in my opinion. It's not absolutely terrifying, but it's still good for a bit of an adrenaline shot. Each run normally lasts around 15-30 minutes. Though, depending on random, you may find yourself wasting an hour trying to locate key items or find everything and escape in like 5 minutes. That's random for you. As for replayability, I see this as the sort of game you occasionally pick up, play, and then put back on the "shelf". I don't play this every day, but come back to it once in a while when I'm in the mood. All that said, this game still feels more like a demo of what "could be" than a full game. The overall concept is pretty solid, and the game is fun (assuming you like this sort of thing), but it is definitely begging for more monsters, more maps, more items and a bit more polish in some areas. On sale, it's an instant buy in my opinion. But at full price I'm not so sure.

I have seen YouTubers play this game many times, and have longed to play it. I had to wait years until I got a computer that can handle it, and it has been worth the wait. I love the challenge it offers. I love the stealth of trying to avoid them, and outsmart them. I try to take a logical approach with the natural obstructions the game has in it, and handle the unexpected randomness of item placement. Currently, I have gotten away with each escape once, but only outsmarted two of the three monsters. I look forward to enjoying this game many more times.