Monstrum 2
- September 6, 2022
- Team Junkfish
- 5h median play time
Get on Steam"Monstrum 2" is an asymmetric PvP survival horror game where up to 4 players work together to escape a procedurally generated sea fortress, while one player takes on the role of a terrifying monster hunting them down. The sea fortress' layout, puzzles, items, and obstacles change with each playthrough, ensuring a dynamic and challenging experience for both humans and monsters. Players must use their wits and teamwork to overcome the complex, ever-changing environment and escape the clutches of the monster.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game has a lot of potential and can be fun when played with friends, offering unique monster abilities and engaging puzzles.
- The graphics and atmosphere are praised, with some players enjoying the variety of monsters and the procedural generation of maps.
- The developers are responsive and have shown commitment to improving the game, with updates that add content and fix bugs.
- The game suffers from a very low player base, making it difficult to find matches, and lacks a single-player mode or AI support.
- Many players report numerous bugs, poor optimization, and clunky controls, leading to a frustrating gameplay experience.
- The shift from a single-player horror experience to a multiplayer format has disappointed fans of the original game, with many feeling it lacks the same tension and horror.
- stability13 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and matchmaking issues that significantly detract from the experience. While some players find the gameplay enjoyable despite these flaws, many recommend waiting for further updates and fixes before diving in, as the current state is described as a "buggy mess." Overall, the game's stability remains a major concern, overshadowing its potential fun.
“Still a buggy mess with bad matchmaking.”
“They push out small updates at a snail's pace and it still has lots of glitches.”
“The game's framerate is horrible for some players, and it can be very buggy at times with inventory glitches, not being able to drop items, clipping issues, desynced player positions, getting stuck on geometry, and lots of other issues ranging from minor inconveniences to game-breaking bugs.”
- optimization12 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with players reporting significant performance issues, crashes, and jankiness even on high-end systems. Many users describe it as unpolished and in desperate need of bug fixes and quality of life improvements, particularly affecting those with less powerful hardware. Overall, the consensus is that the game is poorly optimized, leading to a frustrating experience for many players.
“The main problem I have comes with its performance, especially on less powerful PCs or laptops. I have a laptop that isn't very powerful, but is still able to run high-quality games such as ones made with Unreal Engine.”
“Make no mistake, Monstrum 2 is clunky and isn't well optimized.”
“The optimization seems extremely crummy, especially since this kept crashing both the game itself, Discord, and then eventually my entire computer despite it being a really good computer and having every system requirement.”
“I think the game is very rough around the edges and in desperate need of polish, bug fixes, optimization, and other quality of life changes.”
“Incredibly unoptimized even on A+ tier PCs.”
- gameplay12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The gameplay is currently in an early state, with significant issues such as poor animations, bugs, and a lack of engaging mechanics, including the absence of puzzles and effective counterplay against monsters. While some players find the core gameplay enjoyable and promising, many criticize it as unbalanced and poorly thought out, leading to a frustrating experience. Overall, there is potential for improvement, but the game is seen as an unplayable mess at this stage.
“However, despite its shortcomings, the core gameplay that's presented here is straight up just fun, and I'm excited to see the project grow and patch itself up over the course of its early access period.”
“But it is also the most fun and promising gameplay I have seen in over 5 years.”
“Game has some unique mechanics and could be fun in the future once things are fixed and changed, but right now it's an unplayable mess.”
“As of now, being in this early state, it is easily visible that there are things that have to change (animations, minor bugs, maybe some mechanics) and some content to add.”
“In the end, it has no puzzles or horror that you could come to expect from the mechanics they present.”
“Animations are utter trash, gameplay makes zero sense and is horribly thought out as if they simply dove in without a plan.”
- graphics10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some users noting that they fall short of the initially teased visuals and feel outdated, reminiscent of PS2-era graphics. While a few players appreciate the good graphics and the need for a powerful graphics card to run the game smoothly, many express concerns about clunky performance, lack of environmental blending, and overall graphical quality that needs significant improvement before the game is ready for release.
“Monstrum 2 has a lot of good things about it in my opinion, including being able to see through the eyes of the monsters, multiple skins, and great graphics.”
“The only things I can see between the two are just graphical updates, but other than that, it's still the same.”
“Very good graphics.”
“The graphics aren't that good for now and nothing like the teased pictures (concepts).”
“Graphics feel like they're from the PS2 era; it seems like it's built for mobile.”
“Nowhere near ready for release yet; dreadful graphics and very clunky.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Monstrum 2 features a compelling atmosphere characterized by its chaotic and procedurally generated environments, which some players find engaging despite a lack of structural coherence. While the game excels in creating a tense and immersive experience with its terrifying mutants and challenging puzzles, the character animations and models are noted as areas needing improvement. Overall, the atmosphere is a significant draw for players, enhancing the gameplay experience even if it may favor the killer.
“Monstrum 2 is a fairly interesting and engaging game with a great atmosphere, challenging puzzles, and terrifying mutants.”
“Good bones; large procedurally generated map, top-notch atmosphere (map atmosphere that is, character animations and models leave a lot to be desired).”
“-imo, the game is balanced to letting the killer win given how fragile survivors are and the amount of work they need to do to escape in a limited time (granted I'm fine with this even if I play survivor, as I mostly play for the atmosphere and gameplay, not really to win).”
“Furthermore, the atmosphere is actually quite chaotic and doesn't have any structure to it. I realize it is procedural generation, but still, it looks like a map with random assets thrown into it.”
“- In my opinion, the game is balanced to let the killer win, given how fragile survivors are and the amount of work they need to do to escape in a limited time. Granted, I'm fine with this even if I play survivor, as I mostly play for the atmosphere and gameplay, not really to win.”
- music3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The music and sound effects in the game are largely criticized for being unengaging and poorly implemented, with some players noting that they feel almost nonexistent. Issues such as delayed audio cues and a lack of immersive sound design detract from the overall experience, leading to frustration during gameplay.
“The sound effects and music feel like they don't exist.”
“I've listened to ambient music about a dead planet that was more engaging than what's in this game.”
“I can't play with friends until March; the audio is completely busted. Sometimes you instantly die without hearing anything, or you hear the chase music at the very last second.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is largely unintentional, stemming from poor animations that detract from the intended scary atmosphere, leading players to find the experience more amusing than frightening. Many users express that the game's shortcomings in this area result in a comedic rather than a suspenseful experience.
“Many people say, 'It's horrible because we play with some players in the game where we should be scared, but now this is funny.'”
- story2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is criticized for being lackluster, with players feeling that the multiplayer focus detracts from a potentially engaging narrative. While the game features quests that can be completed with friends, the overall execution is deemed messy, leaving players unsatisfied with the storytelling experience.
“Had it been single-player, this would be a different story, but as it stands, this game is a mess.”
“Perform quests with friends; this isn't scary, but some animations, sounds, and special effects... you can forget about that!”
- replayability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Reviewers highlight that the game's replayability could be significantly enhanced by incorporating single-player and cooperative modes against AI, as the current 4v1 PvP format may become monotonous. Additionally, the use of procedural generation for maps and item placements contributes to a varied experience, further boosting replay value.
“The procedural generation of maps, including the spawning or lack thereof of certain objective and puzzle tiles, greatly enhances the game's replayability.”
“A tip to the developers: incorporating single-player and cooperative modes against AI will expand the player base and significantly improve replayability; otherwise, it's just another mundane 4v1 PvP game.”
“A tip to the developers: making single/co-op against AI will ensure the buyer base will grow and enhance replayability; otherwise, it's just another mundane 4v1 PvP game. It's that simple.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviewers express frustration over the lack of monetization strategies for Monstrum 2, suggesting that the developers could benefit from engaging content creators, utilizing YouTube ads, transitioning to a free-to-play model with microtransactions, and incorporating AI bots to enhance gameplay. The absence of these options is seen as a missed opportunity to boost the game's visibility and player engagement.
“What is stopping Junkfish from sending keys out to content creators, putting up YouTube ads, reworking Monstrum 2 into a free-to-play game with microtransactions, or even adding the highly requested AI bots so you could at least play the game?”
