A Monsters Expedition

The age of men is over. The age of monsters is now.

92%Game Brain Score

gameplay, humor

grinding, replayability

95% User Score Based on 757 reviews

Critic Score 85%Based on 4 reviews

Platforms

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About

"A Monsters Expedition" is a peaceful and relaxing golf-like game where you launch a tiny boat to explore numerous islands. Each island is filled with quirky and charming monsters who share their knowledge about human history. The goal is to collect scraps of paper scattered across the islands to uncover a whimsical story, all while enjoying the calming atmosphere and beautiful low-poly graphics.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

95%

Audience ScoreBased on 761 reviews

gameplay51 positive mentions

grinding9 negative mentions

The game features a cleverly designed open-world structure that allows for exploration and multiple paths, making it easy to switch to different puzzles if you get stuck.
The puzzle mechanics are simple yet surprisingly deep, with a gradual learning curve that introduces new concepts in a natural and intuitive way.
The charming art style, relaxing soundtrack, and humorous exhibit descriptions create a delightful atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.

Some players may find the optional puzzles excessively challenging, leading to frustration when trying to achieve 100% completion.
The open-world design can sometimes make it difficult to determine which islands are accessible or which puzzles are solvable, resulting in potential confusion.
The humor in the exhibit descriptions may not resonate with everyone, as some find it repetitive or lacking in depth.

gameplay
280 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
79%
3%
The gameplay of "A Monster's Expedition" is centered around a simple yet versatile mechanic of pushing and rolling logs to solve intricate puzzles across various islands. Players appreciate the game's ability to introduce new mechanics organically, leading to satisfying "aha" moments without overwhelming them. While the core mechanics remain consistent, the clever level design and gradual complexity keep the experience engaging, though some players note a tendency towards repetition over extended play.
- “The game is just so smart with simple mechanics that are explored to depth beyond anything I've seen in a long time!”
- “Every puzzle-solving mechanic is available from the very start, but you aren't told about any of them; instead, you organically stumble on the 'hidden' mechanics as you go, which leads to an incredible sense of discovery.”
- “The mechanics are simple at first glance, but the more you play, the more you realize how creative the mechanics are, and everything blends perfectly together.”
- “Above all, though, the game is extremely repetitive as the main mechanic never changes and only barely builds on itself.”
- “The mechanic of rolling logs can only be explored so much; the game does an excellent job of getting as much mileage as it can out of this mechanic, but for how many different biomes you can visit, the lack of other types of puzzles is disappointing.”
- “If you expect the puzzle mechanics to evolve or get creative, like I mistakenly did, you are in for a bad time.”
humor
86 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
98%
2%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding the quirky, monster-centric interpretations of human artifacts genuinely funny and charming, while others criticize it as repetitive and lacking depth. Many appreciate the whimsical and clever writing that adds a lighthearted touch to the gameplay, though some feel the humor falls flat or is overly simplistic. Overall, the game's humorous elements contribute to a relaxing and enjoyable experience, even if not all jokes resonate with every player.
- “The humor in the exhibits you encounter along the way is quirky and charming, and the scenery is serene, with plenty of opportunities to stop and just soak it all in.”
- “The artifacts have been labeled by monster archaeologists; the labels are funny-smart.”
- “The writing is consistently hilarious, and the whole game pushes the sokoban-like genre further in a unique way, opening the door to all sorts of different skilled players to a single experience.”
- “These texts are dreadfully unfunny and boring though.”
- “I came to see monsters and do fun puzzles, but it's just unfunny jokes after a puzzle.”
graphics
73 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
45%
4%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming and colorful art style, which creates a soothing and inviting atmosphere. Players appreciate the attention to detail in the visuals and sound design, noting that they enhance the overall experience and complement the engaging puzzles. The aesthetic is described as both delightful and relaxing, making it a standout feature of the game.
- “The graphics and music are absolutely delightful, and they create a warm and inviting atmosphere that is hard not to love.”
- “The colorful graphics, the soothing music, and the funny twists of human stuff described by monsters are what make an already great game a true masterpiece.”
- “A monster's expedition is a puzzle game that is full of surprises, and presented with beautiful graphics, an amazing dynamic soundtrack, and witty and fun writing.”
- “After a while it's just a grind through a long series of puzzles, without enough mechanical/aesthetic/narrative variety to keep it interesting.”
- “I have no complaints about the graphics, they're fine, it's basically just trees and rocks but in different visual biomes.”
- “Unfortunately my computer crashed several times when trying to play (likely due to a somewhat busted graphics card), but setting the resolution to 800x600 fixed that.”
music
66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
47%
5%
The music in the game is widely praised for its soothing and relaxing qualities, enhancing the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience. Players appreciate the dynamic integration of sound effects with actions, creating a harmonious blend that adds to the charm without being distracting. The combination of lovely visuals and a calming soundtrack contributes to a cozy and inviting environment, making the game enjoyable even during challenging moments.
- “The relaxing music made frustrating moments still feel nice to push through, the quality of life features were about as good as you could hope for, and it really was magical seeing all the different interactions possible in the ruleset crafted.”
- “The music ambiance is charming, the puzzles have a great learning curve, if you want challenges, you can try to get the snowmen, this game is amazing!”
- “The cute art style and relaxing music create a peaceful environment within the game.”
- “I'm really disappointed there wasn't more of a soundtrack.”
- “The music is sparse.”
- “But otherwise there's really no music.”
atmosphere
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
43%
8%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its cozy, relaxing vibe, enhanced by beautiful art direction, soothing music, and quirky sound design. Players appreciate the serene environment that complements the puzzle-solving experience, making it enjoyable and casual-friendly, despite some challenges. Overall, the game's charming atmosphere, combined with thoughtful humor, creates a delightful backdrop for players to unwind and engage with the puzzles.
- “With its unique approach to problem-solving and serene atmosphere, it’s perfect for those looking for a thoughtful and visually appealing adventure.”
- “The graphics and music are absolutely delightful, and they create a warm and inviting atmosphere that is hard not to love.”
- “A great puzzle game wrapped in a charming atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere did immediately grab me, but for an atmosphere alone to sell a game it needs to be shorter.”
- “Again, the atmosphere, even combined with some flavour text, aren't enough to sell this game.”
- “The same relaxing atmosphere is enhanced by the addition of all the goofy writing that makes up the exhibitions.”
story
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
63%
14%
The game's story is minimal and often described as lacking depth, with some players noting it feels more like worldbuilding than a cohesive narrative. While the main premise involves a monster exploring a museum, the humor and context are hit-or-miss, appealing mainly to fans of light-hearted, pun-based comedy. Overall, the focus is primarily on puzzles, with the story serving as a light, whimsical backdrop rather than a driving force.
- “The main story - a monster visiting a museum about humans who needs to roll logs to proceed through different islands - is full of challenges and humor; some puns are absolutely brilliant.”
- “The story is simply about a monster visiting an open-air museum to learn more about human culture through countless exhibitions available on many of these islands.”
- “The musical score is gorgeous, and the story is quietly humorous without being overpowering.”
- “There's no story, or character dialogue.”
- “There's an attempt but I wish they did something else with it story-wise or just had a different writer.”
- “Only 'meh' for me: the 'story' / context / attempts at humor sprinkled on museum plaques fell flat for me; they quickly felt repetitive and uninspired.”
grinding
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often feeling that it lacks meaningful progression or variety. While some puzzles can be enjoyable, the overall experience tends to grow stale, especially when attempting to achieve 100% completion, which is described as particularly grindy and lacking in new content.
- “Usually in games, you grind in order to level up or get a special item or something that gives you progress... not in this game, tedious brain teasers all the way through with an abrupt unsatisfying end.”
- “But it becomes grinding really quick as there is no new puzzle type or any real content added during gameplay.”
- “I find them tedious and boring most of the time.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game emotionally engaging due to its wholesome interactions, pleasing visuals, and light background music, which create a warm atmosphere. The cleverly designed puzzles evoke a mix of frustration and satisfaction, leading to moments of realization that enhance the overall emotional experience. Additionally, the humor and charm of the game contribute to a delightful and heartwarming journey.
- “While these interactions really serve no point, they make the game feel wholesome, which is helped by the pleasing visuals and the light background music.”
- “On top of the wonderful mechanics, the world is lovely and the added humor is heartwarming.”
- “The puzzles in this game never look daunting or overly complex, yet the solution can be so cleverly hidden it often left me scratching my head, swearing it's impossible—until that epiphany moment hit me and left me either in awe of how clever the logic design is, or feeling stupid how such a simple setup could stump me for so long.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
200%
300%
The game offers moderate replayability, as players can engage with additional puzzles after completing the main story, providing an incentive to revisit the experience.
- “The game offers multiple endings, encouraging players to explore different choices and outcomes.”
- “With various character builds and strategies, each playthrough feels unique and engaging.”
- “There's some replayability when you finish, as there are more puzzles to complete once the main story ends.”
- “After completing the game, I found little incentive to replay it since the story doesn't change much.”
- “The lack of diverse endings makes it hard to justify multiple playthroughs.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some users praising the customizable settings that allow for improved performance on various systems, while others report issues such as frame rate drops and long loading times. Overall, the game's optimization appears to be a work in progress, with potential for enhancement in future updates.
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users report significant stability issues, including glitches such as overlapping logs and floating objects, which detract from the overall gameplay experience.
- “I experienced several kinds of obvious glitches, with logs stuck in overlap, logs floating over water, and even monsters floating over water.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly impossible to progress without losing progress.”
- “There are constant frame rate drops and stuttering, which severely impacts the gameplay experience.”

85%Critics’ scoreBased on 4 critic reviews

Buy A Monsters Expedition

9h Median play time

10h Average play time

9h Main story

33h Completionist

5-20h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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