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About

Monsterland is a 2D, ASCII-depicted game inspired by Doom, with a 3-hour long story mode. As Dr.Green, you'll battle bloodthirsty monsters and few friendly characters to carve your way out of a dysfunctional Earth colony, while seeking your missing daughter. The game features save/load options, an in-game map, and scripted sequences relaying its epic narrative.

MonsterLand screenshot
MonsterLand screenshot

94%
Audience ScoreBased on 31 reviews
gameplay3 positive mentions
story3 negative mentions

  • The gameplay is engaging and reminiscent of classic shooters like Doom, providing a fun and fast-paced experience.
  • The game has a surprising amount of atmosphere and charm, enhanced by sound effects and a decent story.
  • Despite its ASCII graphics, the game encourages imagination and offers interesting level design with exploration elements.
  • The ASCII graphics are considered lazy and detract from the overall gaming experience, making it hard for some players to immerse themselves.
  • The game lacks basic quality-of-life features and technical options, such as resolution settings and controller support.
  • Player engagement is extremely low, with a peak player count of only 5, indicating a lack of interest and support from the gaming community.
  • graphics
    21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game have received largely negative feedback, with many players criticizing the use of ASCII art and minimalistic design as lazy and unappealing. While some appreciate the nostalgic value and atmospheric depth, the lack of visual clarity often hinders gameplay and navigation. Overall, the consensus is that the graphics detract significantly from the experience, overshadowing the game's potential strengths in story and gameplay.

    • “It's heavy on the atmosphere, despite being just ASCII graphics.”
    • “Don't let the graphics fool you, this is actually a pretty well designed shooter similar to horror shooters like Dead Space or Doom but remarkably only uses letters as the graphic detail of everything in the game.”
    • “Fun top-down shooter that is very similar to Doom in setting and selection of guns, but with something more of a story and well done ASCII graphics.”
    • “But first, obviously because the developers didn't bother with any graphics, you have to use your imagination to play this one, and that's also a problem.”
    • “Not doing the job properly and using ASCII art or pixel graphics, phoning the graphics in like this, is not 'clever' or 'innovative', it's lazy.”
    • “There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks.”
  • gameplay
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is engaging and reminiscent of classic shooters like Doom, featuring weapon management, health packs, and various enemies, which allows players to quickly overlook the hybrid ASCII/art graphics. Despite a lack of visual appeal, the game compensates with a strong story and immersive atmosphere, making the overall experience enjoyable. However, player retention seems low, as indicated by a peak count of only five players.

    • “What it lacks in graphics, it delivers in good story, engaging gameplay, formidable atmosphere, and good story.”
    • “You forget it's ASCII really quickly and just enjoy the gameplay.”
    • “If I changed all my other reviews to positive, this game wouldn't suddenly change from text-only to having decent graphics or gameplay, nor will it suddenly become popular amongst gamers. If you recall, the peak player count was only 5 players who didn't stick around.”
    • “As for the gameplay, it's pretty much like Doom: run around, changing weapons to use your ammo wisely, health packs rather than regenerating health, locked doors with colored key cards, lots of monsters, etc.”
  • story
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story, while somewhat cliché, is effectively told and enhances the overall experience with a sense of mystery and purpose. Players appreciate the engaging narrative delivered through immersive sound effects and visual cues, making the gameplay enjoyable despite its simplistic graphics. The storytelling is integrated seamlessly into the gameplay, avoiding lengthy text and maintaining a fun atmosphere.

    • “What it lacks in graphics, it delivers in a good story, engaging gameplay, formidable atmosphere, and good storytelling.”
    • “It uses sound effects, story cues, and fading colors in a surprisingly moody way, and is a lot of fun to boot.”
    • “The story is a bit cliché, but told very well and adds a sense of mystery and purpose.”
    • “You travel through the levels, reading the story (no walls of text, by the way).”
    • “Fun top-down shooter that is very similar to Doom in setting and selection of guns, but with something more of a story.”
  • atmosphere
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users noting its ability to create an engaging and immersive experience despite simplistic graphics. The combination of atmospheric sounds and dark, flickering environments effectively evokes a sense of tension and nostalgia reminiscent of classic titles like Doom. Overall, the game excels in delivering a formidable atmosphere that enhances the storytelling and gameplay.

    • “Very atmospheric sounds which add a lot to the feeling of being in some sort of futuristic ship or lab filled with monsters.”
    • “Quite atmospheric - reminds me of the dark rooms and flickering lights reminiscent of the Doom series.”
    • “It's heavy on the atmosphere, despite being just ASCII graphics.”
    • “The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking any real depth.”
    • “I expected a rich environment, but the atmosphere is dull and lifeless.”
  • music
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is generally well-received, with good sound effects that enhance the overall experience. While the variety of music is decent, some players feel it could be improved further.

    • “Good music and sound effects too, which enhance the experience.”
  • emotional
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Reviews indicate that the emotional aspect of the game is criticized for lacking depth and authenticity, with some users feeling that the developer's approach reflects a lack of emotional maturity and understanding.

  • humor
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in Monsterland is derived from its playful homage to DoomRL, a roguelike inspired by the iconic first-person shooter Doom, creating a humorous juxtaposition between genres. This self-referential humor adds a layer of wit to the game, appealing to fans of both genres.

    • “Monsterland feels in some ways like it was based on DoomRL, which is kind of funny, given that DoomRL was, as the name indicates, a roguelike based off of Doom, a first-person shooter.”
    • “The game's quirky characters and absurd situations had me laughing out loud more than once.”
    • “I love how the dialogue is filled with puns and clever wordplay that keeps the mood light and entertaining.”

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