Developer: Team Junkfish
Publisher: Independent
Platform: PC
Tested on: PC
Monstrum – Review
A lot of horror titles think horror is all about gruesome monsters and being attacked at a regular pace by all kinds of creatures who’d rather see you perish. Often though, the more subtle horror aspect is lost in translation somewhere. Some cheap jumpscares or some creaking sounds are enough to fulfill that part, or so a lot of developers seem to think nowadays. Monstrum is one of the titles that really tries to bring a horror experience. Not the kind of horror where you’re shooting hordes of monsters all the time but the kind where you’re afraid to peak behind a corner or breath too loud as who knows what’s creeping around.
Story
The player wakes up in a state of absolute confusion. Where are you and how did you get wherever ‘this’ is? The game promptly gives you the task to find out where exactly it is you’re stranded and soon enough, you’ll notice that you’re on a boat in the middle of deep water. Okay, great but that doesn’t explain what your character is doing here. Through various journals, you’ll be able to get a better grasp at what’s going on. Essentially, everybody on the ship was killed and you are the sole survivor, hurray! Indeed, this narrative is far from being very original and innovative but eventually, Monstrum doesn’t really need a strong narrative as the horror experience is obviously the priority. Still, for those of us who like a decent story, this plot might be a bit too simple and unoriginal to really impress.
Graphics
Monstrum is not particularly the most beautiful game but it certainly tries to be. On the highest settings, the game looks very realistic and what’s more horrifying in a horror game than realism? In the beginning of each playthrough, a flashlight is up for grabs and the lighting effects it creates are very good. In a lot of horror games, those same effects look incredibly artificial as it feels like you’re holding a spotlight in your hand instead of a compact flashlight. Here, the lighting stays true to its real life counterpart which, of course, only enhances the realistic vibes you get from this game.
The only real negative comment one could have in this department is that the environments look pretty similar and rough in terms of colouring. As the game takes place on a ship, that’s naturally quite understandable but still, some more variation in colour and area layouts would’ve made it a bit more enjoyable to explore, but this can’t be counted as a major letdown.
Sound
The ambient sounds in Monstrum are magnificent. Walking around while hearing the thrum thrum thrum of your own footsteps is already quite nerve racking in such an environment but wait when you’re standing still to look at an object and still hear footsteps. That feeling you get when you notice someone, or rather something is creeping around in the neighborhood is just what you want to experience in a horror game that takes itself seriously.
As you walk around, you’ll sometimes hear screeches of monsters if they are close to you and a huge tip I’m going to give you guys: watch out for the cameras. Once a camera has you in its vision, it’ll start to make a very loud noise which will draw monsters your way. Nothing will keep you more on your toes than watching out for those peeping toms and when the alarm goes off; it’s hard not to suffer a mini heart attack. Overall, the sound in Monstrum is really good and it succeeds perfectly in getting even die-hard horror fans to turn on a little light next to them.
Gameplay
The main goal in this game is to escape to premises alive. Easy enough you might say but that’s just an illusion. There are multiple ways to plan your escape and mainly, you’ll have to look around on the ship to find items of use.
Monstrum is a game where you’ll rather hide than fight the monsters you encounter. Don’t even think about smashing a flashlight in the adversary’s face as the game won’t even let you. Yes, it is one of those games where the main character is a helpless victim but this time, it doesn’t feel like a missed opportunity. Once you spot the creatures which are wandered around in the ship, it’s hard to imagine your confused personage fighting (and above all: winning from) those gruesome looking monsters. So you run and run and hide. You can open lockers and cupboards and if needed, hide in them. Be aware though, the mean creatures that hunt you are not the stupidest beings in the world and will actively search through the hiding spots. Like this, the player is always in danger and in fear of exposure. Monstrum really knows how to make one feel utterly helpless and hunted and that’s what makes the game a very good one for fans of the genre.
Although Monstrum makes itself stand out from the competition by offering a randomly generated ship interior each time you restart, you’ll always find yourself in the same beginning area. A flashlight will be waiting for you and that’s immediately quite the blessing as wandering around in the darkness isn’t that comfortable to do. Unfortunately, the flashlight won’t last forever so you better start looking for other light sources as fast as you can.
On a technical level, I didn’t really encounter any problems while playing Monstrum. Other than some stiff animations, the game felt quite solid and smoothed out which is a great thing as you don’t want to get stuck in the environment when a killer beast is chasing you.
Conclusion
Monstrum is the perfect game for fans of the horror genre and knows how to keep the player on his/her toes. Every little creak and crack will get you running for your life and that’s what you want to experience in a decent horror title. The only real complaints I can think of are the somewhat stiff animations when your character is walking around and taking stuff and the lack of diversity in the colour department. Still, if you are into the genre, Monstrum is certainly worth a go.
Monstrum - Review,
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