...might make up for the atrocious combat if you're of the set.
The game is perfectly functional, looks good, is very funny at times, has charm out the yinny... why don't I like it more? I've given it a good few hours, and I gotta say the gameplay gets repetive as all heck. Complexity and difficulty does not progress at all beyond the first level hub. Neither does level design. It seems like the developers found some good ideas (VERY good ideas, mind), stuck them all in the first couple of hours of the game, and then rested on their laurels for three or four more level hubs. The result is that the game is FAR too easy and predictable. I mean NO challenge, NO surprises. It's a little baby game for babies. I'd say the only reason to play past the first level hub is to see all the bosses and hear all the jokes because everything after that is exactly the same with different color schemes. EXACTLY the same. Little to no variation in gameplay or level design at all. If you play games to breeze through and feel like a badass, have at. If you're looking for any kind of challenge, skip it; you. Will. Get. Bored. Fast.
In the vein of BOI and EtG, Monolith is a twinstick bullethell roguelike with 16-bit graphics, a post-apocalyptic sci-fi aesthetic, and a terrific chiptune OST. The gameplay is what you would expect: enter an ever-changing dungeon, defeat baddies, find random upgrades, die, find or buy something new in the lobby, try again, die, get advice and... furniture?... from a smartalec cat, and did I mention "die"? What really sold me on this one was the atmosphere. I'm an old 16-bit gamer, so the graphics and soundtrack hit me right in the sweet spot. I also love the feeling of exploring the ruins of an old building in a city long past destroyed. But don't think for a second that the game is gloomy; a sense of humor pervades the experience, especially concerning the aforementioned cat. The controls are smooth and precise as can be, the gameplay loop is difficult but not punishing, and there is a real sense of progression: every few plays there is a new upgrade purchase in the lobby. What I really like is that while you spend money (or in this case "debris") to buy ammo, life, and other things in the maze, this does not detract from your score (total debris collected)... and your score is what allows you to buy things in the lobby. (What can I say? I enjoy that feature.) Not to mention the price is truly right; $8 American is not a lot to ask for this. This game is a lot of shooty-collecty-upgradey-explodey fun, and I cannot recommend it enough.
Great! Exactly one week after I cave and buy the game from Steam GOG finally decides to sell it. I HATE buying things twice!!
