Monsters of Little Haven
- July 9, 2019
- Nikita Kaf
- 2h median play time
Get on Steam"Monsters of Little Haven" is a narrative-driven, atmospheric horror game set in a small, isolated town. The game follows the story of a local journalist investigating strange occurrences and the town's dark past. Players will uncover secrets, make choices, and confront supernatural forces as they delve deeper into the mystery.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a deep and emotional story that encourages multiple playthroughs to fully understand the lore and character motivations.
- The art style and soundtrack are praised for their quality, enhancing the overall atmosphere of the game.
- The branching narrative allows for unique endings, providing a compelling experience for fans of visual novels.
- The English translation is often criticized for being awkward and poorly executed, detracting from the overall experience.
- The game lacks significant interactivity and can feel tedious due to slow pacing and repetitive dialogue.
- Technical issues, such as slow loading of visual assets and a lack of a windowed mode, hinder the gameplay experience.
- story76 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story is a complex and dark narrative that unfolds through multiple playthroughs, allowing players to explore different perspectives and endings. While some players found the execution lacking due to poor translation and writing, many praised the emotional depth and artistic presentation, describing it as a captivating interactive experience reminiscent of a storybook. Overall, the story is seen as the game's strongest aspect, despite some criticisms regarding pacing and character development.
“The story does a great job of putting you in the perspective of a child who is trying to understand a series of very dark, messy events.”
“The story branches out into two separate paths - one where you believe in monsters as a supernatural threat, and one where you don't.”
“It's a deep and moving story about loss and the monsters we create from ourselves.”
“Bland, uninspired storyline, zero plot twists and nonsensical.”
“Due to a combination of a poor translation, bad writing, and the developer seemingly expecting you to make specific choices on your first playthrough, the story ends up feeling very broken and left me very confused at points.”
“The story is fragmented and characters don't really feel alive.”
- music16 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its beauty and ability to create a captivating atmosphere, with many reviewers highlighting the haunting themes associated with each ending. However, some players found the repetitive nature of the soundtrack and the narrator's voice detracted from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, the high production value and free soundtrack add to the game's appeal.
“The music was absolutely beautiful and the art was gorgeous.”
“Very solid writing, background music does a good job of building atmosphere.”
“Also the music was the same all the time (except for some little parts) and the only sound effects the game has are 'thunder rumbling' and 'engine sound'. I also feel like the fact that the narrator also narrates those sounds is shabby; I think you shouldn't be listening to the narrator saying 'thunder rumbling' or 'engine sound' but just noticing the sounds and guessing where the sound is coming from or maybe only a text saying it.”
“That, in conjunction with the black and white, the music, and the fairly static imagery creates a feeling of intense sleepiness.”
“90% of the good atmosphere in this game is created by the soundtrack.”
- graphics13 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 23 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Monsters of Little Haven" receive praise for their lovely art style, reminiscent of late 90s American 2D animation, and cohesive aesthetic that aligns well with the game's themes. However, some users note that while the visuals are appealing, they often overshadow a lackluster narrative and inconsistent voice acting, leading to an overall mixed reception. The production quality is highlighted as high, with effective sound design complementing the visuals, but many players feel the engaging artwork is not enough to compensate for the game's shortcomings in storytelling.
“Lovely graphic art and character designs, and the artistic direction of early cartoon animation works wonderfully and is very cohesive with the set time period and themes of the story.”
“I enjoyed the aesthetic and art direction.”
“The production value of this game is surprisingly high: the visuals, the sounds and soundtracks blend very well into the game, and the narrators (English and Russian) are doing their job rather professionally.”
“The drawings remind me of late 90s American 2D animation movies, with more care on the characters than on the backgrounds or animation, but the 'grey filter' almost covers these problems while also adding points to the 50s aesthetics.”
“The voice acting is irregular, typos galore, and the visuals don't show you anything happening.”
“I appreciated the graphical style of the game and the earnest delivery of the English lines by the voice actor, but overall I was underwhelmed.”
- emotional7 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game evokes strong emotions through its engaging narrative and character development, with players experiencing a mix of heartbreak and nostalgia. While some moments may lack emotional depth, the overall storytelling is touching and immersive, reminiscent of a storybook or audiobook experience. The exploration of complex themes, such as familial pain and anger, adds to its emotional impact.
“This game was very emotional, and each ending put the pieces together more and more.”
“It's heartbreaking to play through routes that showcase the pain and anger your father holds due to his past, and then play through routes that force him to languish in those feelings.”
“It turned out to be a dark, intriguing, and touching story.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is primarily driven by its evocative soundtrack, which effectively enhances emotional engagement despite its brevity. While the writing is solid, some players feel that the narrator's unclear dialogue allows for a less intrusive experience when skipping content. Overall, the combination of music and writing creates a compelling atmosphere.
“90% of the good atmosphere in this game is created by the soundtrack.”
“It did manage to evoke some feelings within me; despite being very atmospheric, unfortunately, it is very short.”
“Very solid writing; the background music does a good job of building atmosphere.”
“In my opinion, it contributes more to the atmosphere, and skipping over some dialogue doesn't feel as intrusive when the narrator's voice is just gibberish anyway.”
- gameplay3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The gameplay is minimal, primarily consisting of clicking through poorly written dialogue in a visual novel format, with little to no interactive elements. While some players appreciate the storyline, the lack of substantial gameplay has led to mixed reviews regarding its overall quality.
“It's by far one of the best games I ever played. For everyone wondering, there isn't any real gameplay; it's basically just a visual novel where you click from text panel to text panel.”
“The first gameplay is about 30 minutes, and the game has a nice storyline.”
“As a visual/interactive novel, this doesn't feature any notable gameplay; it's just a lot of clicking through badly written dialogue that would never have been accepted or published in print, which poses the question, 'how did something this badly written end up on Steam?'”
“It's by far one of the best games I ever played, but for everyone wondering, there isn't any real gameplay; it's basically just a visual novel where you click from text panel to text panel.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its absurd lines and the narrator's exaggerated delivery, which elicited laughter from some players. However, the overall reception is mixed, with some feeling that the humor fails to compensate for the game's shortcomings.
“It made me laugh a good bit at some of the ridiculous lines and the narrator's dramatic reading of them.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game offers high replayability, encouraging players to explore different endings and piece together lore elements that may have been missed during their initial playthrough.
“Very replayable with the incentive to piece together lore elements you might not have understood before finishing all the endings.”
“Each playthrough reveals new layers of the story, making you want to dive back in to uncover every detail.”
“The variety of choices and outcomes encourages multiple runs, ensuring that no two experiences are the same.”
“The game lacks significant changes in subsequent playthroughs, making it feel repetitive.”
“Once you've experienced all the endings, there's little motivation to replay the game.”
“The limited variety in gameplay mechanics means that replaying feels more like a chore than an adventure.”
- character development1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The character development is enhanced by lovely graphic art and cohesive character designs that reflect the early cartoon animation style, effectively complementing the story's time period and themes.
“The character development is incredibly rich, allowing players to form deep connections with each character as their stories unfold.”
“I love how the characters evolve throughout the game, making choices that impact their growth and relationships.”
“The backstories are well-crafted, providing a strong foundation for character motivations and making their journeys feel authentic.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Users find the grinding aspect of visual novels and e-books tedious, likening the experience to a frustratingly slow reading process where each sentence requires a click to advance, detracting from the enjoyment of the narrative.
“Visual novels and e-books can be tedious at best. Imagine the best novel you ever read, whether it's 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy', '2001: A Space Odyssey', or even 'Twilight' (if you have terrible taste in literature). Now, translate that into a format where the words dribble out, and you have to click your mouse every time you want to read the next sentence, instead of just turning the pages.”
“Grinding in this game feels like an endless loop of repetitive tasks that drain the enjoyment out of the experience. It becomes more of a chore than a fun activity.”
“The grind is so excessive that it overshadows the actual gameplay. Instead of feeling like I'm progressing, I feel stuck in a monotonous cycle.”
