Kong: Survivor Instinct

77%
Game Brain Score Based on 82 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Kong: Survivor Instinct Game Cover
Kong: Survivor Instinct is a big surprise, bringing some great level design and stunning visuals to the genre, featuring some tight gameplay.
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A sudden Titan attack prompts massive evacuation efforts-but not everyone makes it to safety before the devastation ensues. Caught in the crossfire between battling monsters, many residents become trapped in the collapsing city—your only daughter among them! Kong: Survivor Instinct is a 2.5D action-adventure game that combines realistic platforming, challenging combat, and metroidvania-style expl…

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Reviews

77%
Audience ScoreBased on 82 reviews
story10 positive mentions
replayability2 negative mentions
  • The game features impressive visuals and a well-designed environment that enhances the exploration experience.
  • The gameplay offers fun moments, especially during chase sequences with Titans, providing a thrilling sense of scale.
  • Fans of the Monsterverse may appreciate the lore and world-building elements, which add depth to the narrative.
  • The combat system is often described as janky and repetitive, leading to frustration during encounters.
  • The story and character development are considered weak, with a bland protagonist and underwhelming plot twists.
  • Many players noted a lack of significant Titan interactions, making the game feel less impactful for a Monsterverse title.
  • story36 mentions

    The story of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it underwhelming and predictable, lacking emotional depth and engaging characters. While some appreciate the potential for interesting twists and connections to the Monsterverse, the overall execution is criticized for poor dialogue, bland visuals, and a lack of focus on the titular monsters. Ultimately, the gameplay is seen as the stronger aspect, overshadowing a narrative that feels flat and disconnected.

    • “Fluid and satisfyingly responsive, it also slowly evolves over the course of the story in fairly natural ways.”
    • “I'm very mixed about the story but it does have a very small handful of major twists and turns that make it interesting, personally speaking.”
    • “The game is actually good, the story is nice and otherwise the experience pays off well; for a 2.5D game, it did a great job at delivering.”
    • “On the downside, the story is pretty underwhelming.”
    • “It feels flat, the voice acting doesn’t quite fit, and the plot is predictable, with characters that are hard to relate to.”
    • “The story feels almost nonexistent and it feels like a wasted opportunity.”
  • gameplay31 mentions

    The gameplay is generally enjoyable and polished, offering a smooth experience with engaging environments and mechanics, though it can become repetitive over its short duration of 5-8 hours. While some players appreciate the casual nature and fun elements, others criticize the combat and certain mechanics as janky or lacking depth. Overall, the game is seen as a decent experience, particularly for fans of the monsterverse, but it may not offer enough variety or replayability to satisfy all players.

    • “I would recommend this game for those who enjoy casual gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay is polished and fluid, offering a smooth experience without any bugs or crashes.”
    • “Although some gameplay mechanics could use refining, the overall experience is memorable and worth diving into!”
    • “The gameplay is somewhat repetitive, and the combat needs some work; it doesn’t have that smooth feeling and feels a bit delayed to me.”
    • “The gameplay is pretty mundane; it's playable, but that's pretty much the nicest thing I can say about it.”
    • “Survivor Instinct's main problem is that the basic gameplay loop is set in the first 30 minutes and it doesn't really change.”
  • graphics19 mentions

    The graphics of the game are generally praised for their beauty and realism, with many reviewers highlighting the impressive visuals, character designs, and animations, especially considering the small development team. While some noted that the graphics are not groundbreaking and can appear dated, the overall aesthetic is described as visually satisfying and engaging, contributing to an immersive experience. The 2.5D style and monster designs received particular acclaim, making the visuals a strong point of the game.

    • “Very realistic graphics.”
    • “An engaging adventure with impressive visuals, immersive atmosphere, and thrilling encounters with giant monsters.”
    • “I love the 2.5D view; visuals and scenery are awesome... monsters look amazing.”
    • “It's not going to win any awards; the visuals are bland and dated, and the voice acting and story are laughably bad, but together it's almost like a so bad it's good film.”
    • “I experimented a bit and turned up all of the graphical settings to max and still received a solid 60fps, although I could not discern any appreciable difference to the on-screen visuals, so it's best to leave them as they are and take the extra battery life.”
    • “The graphics, while not groundbreaking, are solid for a 2.5D title, delivering a visually satisfying experience.”
  • music6 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players praise it for enhancing immersion and complementing the apocalyptic setting, others find it generic and intrusive, preferring to play with the music turned off. Overall, the soundtrack is noted to be well-crafted by some, but its effectiveness varies significantly among players.

    • “Nearly forgot to mention, but the music is really well done, helping to immerse me into the game's apocalyptic world.”
    • “The soundtrack amplifies the experience, keeping you hooked as you explore the world.”
    • “The music is pretty generic and bad; it's intrusive to the point of detracting from the game's atmosphere.”
    • “I played most of the game with the music turned off because I found it made the game more tense and atmospheric.”
  • atmosphere6 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is generally praised for its engaging visuals and immersive environments, enhancing the adventure experience, particularly during thrilling encounters with giant monsters. However, the music received criticism for being generic and intrusive, detracting from the overall ambiance, with some players opting to play without it for a better experience. While the gameplay and puzzles are considered decent, the lack of character backstory negatively impacts the atmosphere for some players.

    • “An engaging adventure with impressive visuals, immersive atmosphere, and thrilling encounters with giant monsters.”
    • “Great atmosphere, cool plot; you can relax and not chase like in FPS.”
    • “Game was great, loved the environment and atmosphere of the game; gameplay was okay at most, puzzles and map layout were fine, the combat is interesting for a 2.5D game and is pretty balanced personally speaking.”
    • “The music is pretty generic and bad; it's intrusive to the point of detracting from the game's atmosphere.”
    • “He has absolutely no backstory or professional history, and they try to portray him as this man who can do anything and everything, which really takes away from the atmosphere.”
  • stability2 mentions

    The game is praised for its stability, with users noting that it runs smoothly without any bugs, and features responsive controls and decent visuals. This reliability stands out positively, especially in contrast to the common issues found in many other games.

    • “It's not buggy, controls are responsive, and the game actually looks decent.”
  • replayability2 mentions

    Many users feel that the game offers limited replayability, with some expressing that the price of $25 is steep for just over eight hours of gameplay. Overall, the consensus suggests that players are unlikely to return to the game after their initial playthrough.

    • “$25 is a little too much for just over eight hours of gameplay and not much replayability.”
    • “Probably not going to be very replayable either.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    The game lacks emotional depth, focusing more on gameplay than on storytelling to create an engaging experience.

  • monetization1 mentions

    Players express frustration with the game's monetization strategy, particularly regarding misleading advertising of characters like Abaddon, who was promoted as a key antagonist but ultimately played a minimal role, leading to a sense of wasted potential. This reflects a broader concern about the game's approach to monetization and character utilization.

    • “My main gripe with this game is its advertising, specifically how Abaddon was advertised; even though he was promoted as the main antagonist kaiju of the game, he didn't serve a major role other than awakening and attacking the surface along with Kong and Tiamat, ultimately becoming wasted potential, much like how a majority of MonsterVerse kaijus end up.”
    • “The monetization model feels exploitative, with essential upgrades locked behind paywalls that make it difficult to progress without spending real money.”
    • “I find the in-game purchases to be overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without constantly being bombarded with prompts to buy more content.”
  • optimization1 mentions

    The game is highly polished and well-optimized, particularly for the Steam Deck, resulting in a smooth gameplay experience.

    • “This game plays very well; it’s highly polished and well optimized for the Steam Deck.”
  • grinding1 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game repetitive and tedious, as it primarily involves solving puzzles, defeating enemies, and exploring new areas in a cycle that can become monotonous over time. While the visuals are praised, many feel that the gameplay lacks variety to keep it engaging.

    • “However, in between these events, it is repetitive - solve puzzles, kill the bad guys, discover new areas - rinse and repeat. After playing this game for a few hours, I found this part a bit tedious. The backgrounds look amazing, but I feel it's missing something to make the gameplay more interesting.”
    • “The grinding in this game feels endless and uninspired. I often find myself doing the same tasks over and over without any real sense of progress or reward.”
    • “While the game has potential, the constant grinding makes it feel like a chore rather than an enjoyable experience. I wish there were more variety in the tasks to keep me engaged.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

65% average critic score

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