Monstrum

"Monstrum" is a small indie First-person Horror escape survival Rogue-like on a partially procedurally generated ship map. We are alone. On a Container ship. On the open Sea. It's Night. No human Being can be found. One of the Containers has broken open, the Sidewall is simply bent open. What is that? A Being, a Monster was in the Container, has freed himself and is now roaming the decks of the Ship. It must not find us. We have to survive and escape from this floating Grave. "Monster" background story is told on Paper to be found, nice Dreinabe is, but no further necessary to Experience the Horror. What Is important is our Situation and it is pure Immersion. We sneak through the dark Corridors, try to hear the Monster early, because if it is discovered to Us we have nothing but to race and somewhere to find an empty Cupboard or a Bed under which we can crawl. And then wait. With a throbbing Heart and hardly suppressive Breath, which, even if we try to suppress it, seems droning loud to us. At some Point, the Monster loses interest in us and we can slowly, cautiously sneakily venture out, pointing around the Corner and continuing as silently as we can our Way. This Way is to search Spaces, to find Things, especially the ones we need to escape. We have Three Escape Options, all of which require an excellent Number of Items and Preparations. The Darkness is both Friend and Opponent, in it we can hide better, but also notice many things difficult. In the lower Decks we also disturb broken Pipes, which release rhythmically hot Steam, which can even kill us. Further up, in the Cabin Corridors, the Alarm System is active. Swiveling Cameras trigger the Alarm when they keep an eye on us for longer. Which of the three possible Monsters is chasing us, we don't know at the Starting Point. Each is particularly sensitive in an Area. It is possible to argue About the Design of the Monsters themselves, the Animations are certainly not among the most sophisticated. However, we should also avoid any contact with the Monster as far as possible and if we see it, we can only take it out of a tearing way and feel its hot Breath in our Destination. If we get it we are dead and can only start a new Attempt from the Beginning. The Basic Framework of the Level Design always remains the same, we always start on a Container ship, the principled Structure of which does not change. Within this Structure, however, the individual Rooms are newly placed procedurally at each Pass and, of course, all Items are placed randomly, so that each Reboot presents a new Challenge. Technically, "Monster" is certainly not perfect, Animations sometimes seem sticky. The Graphics are certainly not the Most Beautiful, but it does exactly what it is supposed to do is highly atmospheric, as are the Spartan sounds and Scraps of Music. When the Ship is working audibly on the Sea Waves, you can listen to every Crack. Comparisons are always difficult, but I dare to do one: "Outlast," certainly an elaborate and strong and clean horror game, has entertained me at times, but also again and again whether the bristling Corpse mountains and Blood Lakes are bored, real Fear has never been able to cause me. Little happens in "Monstrous," the Pace of Play is damn slow and cautious, there's only one Opponent we might not see twenty Minutes at all (and we're glad). But that's exactly what pulled me in, made me feel multry in the Stomach Area, made me aware how rare and then, when something happened, massively terrified me. Fear does not arise from an acute Attack, but from the Possibility of an Attack. Not by concrete danger, but by potential Danger. Fear doesn't arise on the Screen, but in the Player's Head, then when he paints out what might happen. "Monstrum" is one of the best Catalysts for this Feeling. "Monstrum" is reminiscent, at its core, of a small indie version of an "Alien: Isolation" without, of course, getting close to the equally grandiose AAA title in Terms of scope or Equipment. In Terms Of Immersion, however, it can easily keep up. Rating: 10/10 Atmosphere 9/10 Story 8/10 Graphic 10/10 Sound 9/10 Game Mechanics 9/10 Balancing 10/10 Game Pass Conclusion: "Monstrum" is terrifyingly chilling survival horror. 10/10 Overall Rating