A Monsters Expedition
- September 10, 2020
- Benjamin Davis
- 10h median play time
The age of men is over. The age of monsters is now.
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store
Get on Epic Games Store"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.
iPad
iPhone
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Phone
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Steam Deck
Windows
Linux
Mobile Platform
PlayStation
Reviews
- A Monster's Expedition offers a unique blend of relaxing exploration and challenging puzzles, with a gentle difficulty curve that keeps players engaged.
- The game features clever puzzle design that gradually introduces new mechanics, allowing players to discover solutions organically.
- The charming art style, soothing music, and humorous writing create a delightful atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.
- Some players may find the open-world design confusing, as it can be difficult to determine which islands are accessible and how to reach them.
- The optional puzzles can be extremely challenging, leading to frustration for those seeking 100% completion without guidance.
- The humor in the exhibit descriptions may not resonate with everyone, as it can feel repetitive or overly simplistic at times.
- gameplay244 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "A Monster's Expedition" is centered around a simple yet versatile mechanic of pushing and rolling logs to solve puzzles across interconnected islands. Players appreciate the game's ability to introduce new mechanics organically, fostering a sense of discovery and maintaining engagement through clever level design and a well-paced difficulty curve. While some find the repetitive nature of the core mechanic limiting, many celebrate the depth and creativity that emerge from its simplicity, making for a satisfying and relaxing puzzle experience.
“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 game is so simple at its core, but as you go on and discover new mechanics and secrets, it becomes one of the most satisfying puzzle games I've ever played.”
“The mechanics are simple but surprisingly deep, and the way the game teaches them to you is exceptional.”
“Above all, though, the game is extremely repetitive as the main mechanic never changes and only barely builds on itself.”
“The game's refusal to talk to the player about mechanics was a terrible design decision.”
“If you expect the puzzle mechanics to evolve or get creative, like I mistakenly did, you are in for a bad time.”
- humor72 mentions
- 97 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding the quirky, whimsical descriptions of human exhibits charming and hilarious, while others criticize the jokes as forced or lacking depth. Many appreciate the lighthearted tone and clever observations made from a monster's perspective, which add a unique flavor to the experience. Overall, the humor contributes positively to the game's relaxing atmosphere, though its effectiveness varies among players.
“It's a great game to calmly stroll through while occasionally finding hilarious human museum displays.”
“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 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.”
“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.”
- graphics61 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful, colorful, and charming art style, which creates a soothing and engaging atmosphere. Players appreciate the variety of environments and the attention to detail in the visuals, complemented by a relaxing soundtrack and humorous elements that enhance the overall experience. The combination of captivating graphics and well-designed puzzles contributes to a delightful and immersive gameplay experience.
“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.”
“The graphics are vivid, soft, and charming.”
“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.”
“I have no complaints about the graphics, they're fine, it's basically just trees and rocks but in different visual biomes.”
“After a while, it's just a grind through a long series of puzzles, without enough mechanical/aesthetic/narrative variety to keep it interesting.”
- music57 mentions
- 51 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its relaxing and soothing qualities, enhancing the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience. Players appreciate the seamless integration of sound effects with actions, creating a dynamic and immersive environment. While some noted a desire for a more extensive soundtrack, the ambient and charming music effectively complements the game's visuals and humor, contributing to a peaceful and enjoyable puzzle-solving experience.
“The music is soothing and dynamic, the graphics are enjoyable, and the written jokes sprinkled around the map are hilarious.”
“The way the music and sound effects become intertwined with the timing of your inputs gives the game a special kind of relaxation magic that feels hard to come by.”
“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.”
“I'm really disappointed there wasn't more of a soundtrack.”
“The music is sparse.”
“But otherwise there's really no music.”
- atmosphere30 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its cozy, relaxing vibe, enhanced by beautiful art direction and a calming soundtrack. Players appreciate the blend of serene environments with quirky humor, making it an enjoyable experience even when faced with challenging puzzles. Overall, the game's atmosphere is described as a key element that elevates the puzzle-solving experience, creating a charming and thoughtful adventure.
“With its unique approach to problem-solving and serene atmosphere, it’s perfect for those looking for a thoughtful and visually appealing adventure.”
“The atmosphere is very relaxing, the exhibits are quirky and fun, the sound design is really great.”
“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 flavor text, aren't enough to sell this game.”
“The atmosphere keeps it from being too repetitive.”
- story19 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The game's story is minimal, primarily serving as a backdrop for its puzzle-focused gameplay, featuring a monster exploring a museum about humans. While some players appreciate the whimsical and humorous elements, particularly the clever puns, others find the narrative lacking depth and coherence. Overall, the story is seen as a light and charming addition rather than a central component, appealing mainly to those who enjoy casual puzzles with a sprinkle of humor.
“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.”
“Despite having no 'story' to speak of, through nothing but sheer level design and the accompanying flavor text, this game manages to have moments that are whimsical, hilarious, and profoundly beautiful in equal measure.”
“There's no real story, just some worldbuilding.”
“There's a cute art style, a minimalist story, and a simple puzzle format.”
“Very well made, but as far as story, there is none, so I never felt compelled to go above and beyond when playing.”
- grinding5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, with many expressing that it becomes stale and boring over time. The lack of new content or puzzle types contributes to a sense of monotony, making the experience feel overly grindy.
“But by the time I was grinding out the last parts with the guide, it had grown kind of stale.”
“I find them tedious and boring most of the time.”
“But it becomes grinding really quickly as there is no new puzzle type or any real content added during gameplay.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the emotional aspect of the game to be wholesome and uplifting, enhanced by its pleasing visuals and light music. The cleverly designed puzzles evoke a mix of frustration and satisfaction, leading to moments of realization that can make players feel both challenged and engaged. Additionally, the game's humor and charming world contribute to an overall heartwarming experience.
“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.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 200 % positive mentions
- -400 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
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 really limits the replayability; once you've seen it all, there's not much left to explore.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
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.
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
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.”
