Fearmonium
- May 20, 2021
- Redblack Spade
- 4h median play time
Get on Steam"Fearmonium is a single-player horror platformer game with a fantastic story set in the inner world of a boy's consciousness. Explore a huge map of abstract images and memories, engage in dynamic battles, and uncover the nature of human consciousness as you battle unique enemies and form new phobias. With good visuals, a marvelous soundtrack, and a delightful atmosphere, Fearmonium offers a wholesome story with a psychedelic Metroidvania experience."
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Steam Deck
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- Great art style reminiscent of classic cartoons, enhancing the game's unique aesthetic.
- Engaging story that explores deep psychological themes, providing a compelling narrative experience.
- Variety of abilities and items that encourage exploration and experimentation within the gameplay.
- Combat mechanics can feel clunky and unresponsive, leading to frustration during battles.
- Boss fights are often too lengthy and can feel like damage sponges, detracting from the overall pacing.
- Some players may find the controls awkward, especially when using a keyboard instead of a gamepad.
- story229 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story of "Fearmonium" is a unique and engaging exploration of mental health themes, particularly focusing on fears and phobias, presented through comic-strip cutscenes. While some players found the narrative to be initially dark and heavy-handed, many appreciated its heartfelt moments and surprising twists, making it a standout aspect of the game despite mixed opinions on the writing quality. Overall, the story is described as impactful and thought-provoking, with a compelling journey that resonates with players, even if the gameplay mechanics received criticism.
“The story is really good, not just with its heartfelt and scary moments, but how it talks about and uses the themes of fear and phobia; it just does it all in quite an interesting way.”
“Fearmonium is an excellent and very interesting story-rich metroidvania game, with a really good story, very good gameplay, and really good enemies and bosses.”
“The story is an interesting look at fears and various other issues caused by mental trauma.”
“The gameplay is decent but the story is dumb in ways that are hard to even put into words (I could probably go into a ten-paragraph rant about all the ways I disliked the writing but I'll spare the details as most of that was simply my highly subjective opinion anyway).”
“A great indie metroidvania with an awful message/story.”
“Cannot recommend this game, some of the art and storytelling is just very awkward, especially in the comic-style cutscenes.”
- music134 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 51 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The music in Fearmonium has received widespread acclaim for its quality and ability to enhance the game's atmosphere, with many reviewers highlighting its diverse styles, including dark-electro-synth and eerie ambient tracks. While some noted occasional repetitiveness during backtracking, the soundtrack is often described as superb, fitting the game's themes perfectly and evoking a range of emotions. Overall, the music is considered one of the game's standout features, contributing significantly to the immersive experience.
“The dark-electro-synth and sometimes eerie ambient OST also slaps!”
“The music not only sets the tone perfectly throughout the game but often finds new meaning when you arrive around the end game as well, crazy!”
“It's hard to explain how this music makes me feel, it's like it doesn't belong in a game and could be an album on its own, but perfectly adds to the feel of each level.”
“The only flaw in this game I believe is the music, which is pretty bland and too electronic, which is detrimental for the game's atmosphere.”
“Music and graphics are a bit weak in my opinion.”
“Music could use a bit more, but is tolerable.”
- gameplay120 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Fearmonium" is a mixed bag, with many players noting its clunky mechanics and lack of responsiveness, particularly in jumping and combat. While some appreciate the game's exploration and item collection typical of metroidvania titles, others criticize its difficulty curve and awkward controls, which can detract from the overall experience. Despite these flaws, the game is praised for its unique art style, engaging story, and the impressive effort of a single developer, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of the genre who can overlook its shortcomings.
“So yeah if you feel like clowning around, and you want a solid metroidvania filled with clowns and fun gameplay, go ahead, this game is for you!”
“I'm a big metroidvania fan, this one is a gem, surprised it's not more well known, fantastic art style but the underlying game mechanics and progression system is spot on, hats off to the devs, can see lots of love has gone into this.”
“Fearmonium is a good metroidvania game overall, it has good story, good art style that resembles Cuphead, superb soundtrack and now a good gameplay after the patches.”
“Despite loving some aspects of the game, I still can't recommend it because it fails at the most important part: gameplay.”
“The game really can't handle its difficulty curve, and it makes the gameplay flaws even more visible.”
“The platforming is not tight and responsive, motion feels spongy and combat is really awkward at times, but if you can look past the clunky gameplay, the story and world are all wonderfully well developed.”
- graphics118 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their unique and appealing art style, reminiscent of classic cartoons like Cuphead, with vibrant colors and creative enemy designs. However, some reviews note that the visuals can be rough around the edges, with occasional animation issues and a lack of fluidity in gameplay. Overall, while the art style is a highlight, opinions vary on its execution and impact on the overall gaming experience.
“The graphics are really good; they have a sort of classic rubber hose/cartoon feel to them, while also being brightly colorful. Even in the darker and spookier areas, there is a nice color palette that makes you want to just look at it.”
“The art style is fantastic and really leaves me wanting more of these cartoon platformers.”
“I'm a big metroidvania fan; this one is a gem. I'm surprised it's not more well known. The fantastic art style shows that a lot of love has gone into this.”
“I had rather low expectations about that, based mainly on crappy graphics. If you saw any videos of the infamous Enchanted Portals game, you would recognize the same low-budget Cuphead wannabe cartoonish art style.”
“The visuals are pretty bad even for a one-man low-budget game. I saw one-man indie titles with way better graphics.”
“While I love the artwork, style, and theme, I can't recommend this game because the graphics just don't hold up.”
- atmosphere16 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its creepiness and immersive qualities, effectively enhanced by well-designed characters and dialogues. While some players find the music to be a weak point, describing it as bland and overly electronic, others appreciate the atmospheric tracks that complement the exploration experience. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
“The atmosphere, dialogues, characters, and music here work for amplification of that feeling.”
“Music tracks are quite atmospheric in each area while exploring through them.”
“Totally loved the atmosphere!”
“The only flaw in this game, I believe, is the music, which is pretty bland and too electronic, which is detrimental for the game's atmosphere.”
“About the story and atmosphere, I have controversial feelings.”
“Creepy world and atmosphere.”
- emotional14 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game delivers a deeply emotional narrative that evolves through the protagonist's journey, blending heartfelt moments with themes of fear and personal growth. While the comic-strip storytelling may appear amateurish, it effectively conveys a touching and sometimes cheesy experience that resonates with players, leaving them invested in the story and its characters. Overall, it is described as an emotional rollercoaster that offers meaningful messages and a unique exploration of personal struggles.
“The main storyline is told via comic strips that seem a little amateurish, but earnest as the game progresses, and the whole narrative experience ranges from somewhat cheesy to really heartfelt, which is kind of interesting.”
“Now let’s talk about the likes, the story is really good not just with its heartfelt and scary moments, but how it talks about and uses the themes of fear and phobia; it just does it all in quite an interesting way.”
“It’s been a long time since a game made me feel so invested in its story to the point of having a personal vendetta against a boss.”
- grinding10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 80 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly when it comes to acquiring health potions and other items. While some enjoy the overall experience, the excessive grinding required for progression and item acquisition detracts from the enjoyment, especially during encounters with tanky bosses.
“Grinding for health potions is a chore, so you still end up frustrated now and then.”
“Gaining balloons is relatively difficult, and buying items requires a bit too much grinding for my tastes, especially if you use a lot of items.”
“The developers have done an excellent job of making it atrociously tedious to get around.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been criticized due to the presence of multiple game-ending bugs and glitches, with players reporting around 4-5 significant issues during a 20-hour playthrough. Despite these problems, some reviewers still rated the game highly, indicating that the overall experience was enjoyable despite the stability concerns.
“I had about 4-5 game-ending bugs and 2-3 glitches during my 20-hour playthrough.”
“9.5/10 just because of glitches.”
“I encountered several game-breaking issues that severely impacted my experience.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by a fitting soundtrack, particularly a forest track that elicits laughter with its unexpected bass drop. Additionally, the over-sexualization of female characters, with exaggerated features and animations, adds a layer of comedic contrast to the otherwise mediocre animation quality.
“The soundtrack is alright, definitely fits the vibe of the game, special mention to the forest one with the bass drop that made me laugh a couple of times.”
