Montague's Mount
- November 18, 2013
- PolyPusher Studios
- 4h median play time
Montague's Mount needs more than a killer atmosphere to make up for its shortcomings
Get on Steam"Montague's Mount" is a first-person exploration and adventure game set in the mysterious and eerie Irish isles. Players uncover the dark secrets of a troubled protagonist, delving into a narrative filled with suspense and intrigue. Interact with the environment to solve puzzles, unearth hidden objects, and experience a compelling psychological journey.
Reviews
- The game has a great atmosphere and effectively conveys a sense of isolation and melancholy.
- The story, while vague, has intriguing elements that keep players engaged.
- The puzzles, though sometimes frustrating, provide a decent challenge and require exploration.
- The movement is painfully slow, making backtracking tedious and frustrating.
- The game suffers from numerous technical issues, including glitches and poor graphics.
- Many players found the puzzles to be obscure and illogical, detracting from the overall experience.
- story118 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story is a blend of mystery and personal struggle, set against a dark and oppressive atmosphere that explores themes of isolation and mental illness. While some players found the narrative engaging and atmospheric, others criticized its delivery through tedious notes and a lack of depth, leading to a sense of disconnection from the protagonist. Overall, the story is seen as intriguing yet flawed, with a mix of compelling elements and predictable tropes that may not resonate with all players.
“I just genuinely felt bought into the story, the mystery, the world, and that was what kept me playing.”
“The story of Montague's Mount could be described as a melancholic journey where the player attempts to piece together the events that have transpired to himself, his family, and the inhabitants of the small Irish community scattered across a small, wind and rain battered island in the Atlantic Sea.”
“A game using storytelling, puzzles, and a beautifully rendered yet dark simulation which the player explores, all the while unfolding tragedy after tragedy.”
“Thus you, the player, are left with only half a story.”
“The plot delivery system through notes is tedious, slow, and not interesting.”
“The story is left open-ended and felt incomplete to me, especially since there was little build-up for the conclusion.”
- atmosphere45 mentions
- 64 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its bleak, melancholic tone and immersive environment, enhanced by excellent graphics, sound design, and voice acting. While many players appreciate the attention to detail and cultural references that contribute to the atmosphere, some criticize the game's darkness and lack of clarity, which can hinder navigation and puzzle-solving. Overall, the atmosphere is considered the game's strongest aspect, though it is sometimes overshadowed by gameplay frustrations and a less engaging story.
“Montague's Mount is a deeply atmospheric puzzle game that explores a remote island off the coast of Ireland and the shattering personal tragedy of the protagonist.”
“This game is primarily about atmospheric immersion, fostered by excellent graphics, sound, color, and lighting design, especially for weather.”
“The translation of all objects in Gaelic is a very nice touch, and the small cultural references that can be found here and there add to the beautiful atmosphere of the game.”
“The game does not have a menu to adjust brightness and is too dark, making item finding and navigation needlessly difficult without adding atmosphere.”
“However, the game was overall very gray and lacking in color which, while lending itself to the isolated atmosphere, made it difficult to see in darker parts of the game like the inside of sheds and buildings.”
“The atmosphere of the island gives enough of an impact without the 'ghost boy' moments, which I'm sorry to say, were rather appalling and failed completely to fit into the environment.”
- gameplay27 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a mix of exploration and puzzle-solving, set in a visually striking yet dark environment. While some players appreciate the atmospheric storytelling and artistic elements, many criticize the frustrating mechanics, slow pacing, and clunky design, which detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game may appeal to dedicated fans of the genre, but its gameplay challenges can make it a tedious endeavor for others.
“There's a good 3-4 hours worth of gameplay here, depending on how quick you are to figure out the puzzles.”
“Gameplay itself is more about having a keen eye and a sharp mind as you track down items and follow clues to figure out how to complete puzzles.”
“The gameplay is divided into pacing around the island searching for clues, and puzzle-solving activities.”
“But it’s hard to enjoy the story when annoying puzzles, busywork, and odd gameplay mechanics make this a chore to play.”
“Some of the mechanics are clunky, the lighting and color made some things hard to make out at times, and the worst part is how slow things are.”
- graphics24 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the atmospheric immersion and detailed visuals, while others criticize the dated film grain effect, poor lighting, and overall lack of polish. Many noted that the graphics, although decent for a low-budget title, are marred by bugs and inconsistencies that detract from the experience. Overall, while there are moments of beauty, the visuals often fall short of expectations, especially in comparison to higher-quality titles.
“This game is primarily about atmospheric immersion, fostered by excellent graphics, sound, color, and lighting design, especially for weather.”
“For the visual junkies, the graphics are rather lovely, but I had to turn it way down in order to run the game without serious lag...so I couldn't enjoy that aspect.”
“I has a wonderful atmosphere, great visuals and brilliant voice acting.”
“The film grain effect gave the visuals a cheap, dated look.”
“The graphics are very plain and the lighting terrible.”
“It's a cheap trick to put a simple film grain over everything to cover up a lack of graphical design.”
- music21 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received high praise for its atmospheric quality, with many reviewers noting that it beautifully complements the game's environment and enhances the overall mood. While some found the soundtrack to be limited or bland, others described it as lovely and evocative, contributing significantly to the game's emotional impact. Overall, the musical score is considered a standout feature, though a few users expressed disappointment over the lack of a soundtrack release.
“However, with all these abrasive trolling mechanics placed aside, the game still managed to wow me with its stylish artistic rendering of an island. On top of that, the audio narration is nearly worthy of an Academy Award nomination, and the musical score and sound effects would have Hans Zimmer toasting to it with a glass of chardonnay.”
“The music score is fantastic (a real credit to Andrea Baroni) and melds perfectly with the environment.”
“Very atmospheric, loved the soundtrack, storyline, and Celtic influence.”
“The game itself is short, linear and the music is limited yet pleasing to the ears.”
“I was initially impressed with the music and the stormy seascape atmosphere, but I need a little more than that from a video game to call it worthwhile.”
“Above all this, the ending (I assume it was the ending - I didn't bother sitting through the montage of scenes of the island with heavy-handed sad piano music in the background to find out if there was any more) is disappointing and confusing.”
- grinding8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, with many citing slow pacing, poorly designed puzzles, and a lack of engaging plot delivery. While some appreciate the atmosphere and story focus, the execution is often marred by glitches and unclear objectives, leading to a generally negative perception of the grinding experience.
“Slow, glitchy, tedious to play, and the plinth puzzle is one of the most badly designed things I've ever seen.”
“What could have been a gripping, atmospheric, puzzle game instead felt tedious and frustrating.”
“Horribly bad writing, tedious gameplay, unconvincing voice acting.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, users report mixed experiences with stability, noting some physics-related glitches and issues on Linux. While some players experienced no glitches initially, others mentioned that a recent patch may have addressed certain problems, though verification of improvements remains uncertain.
“My only real complaint is that the physics are a bit buggy.”
“Linux support is very buggy.”
“Glitches that involve various aspects of gameplay.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as inconsistent and often lacking in effectiveness, with some players finding it drab and drawn out. While there are moments of unintentional comedy, such as a humorous bug that allows players to be flung into the sky, other attempts at humor, like a poorly executed laughing track, fall flat and feel out of place. Overall, the humor seems to rely too heavily on pointless Easter eggs and lacks cohesion.
“You see the game contains a funny bug where if you scrape yourself at the side of an electrical pylon you will be flung up into the sky, giving you enough time and distance to either land in the ocean and swim around or get flung on top of the mount to explore all those areas you’re not supposed to go since the game is only half finished.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features emotionally charged scenes that deepen as the narrative progresses, pushing boundaries that many other titles do not explore. While some players may find the initial emotional impact fleeting, the overall experience is described as a dark, intense psychological thriller with powerful and disturbing themes that resonate deeply.
“They get deeper and more powerful the further the game goes, and as far as video games go in general, there are such emotional and psychological barriers this game goes past that other games simply haven't gone near.”
“But if you can live with that, and want a dark, intense, psychological thriller with emotionally powerful overtones and disturbing themes, this is unique and hard-hitting.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game's monetization strategy appears to be lacking, as it relies heavily on coupons and discounts rather than effective advertising, which may hinder its visibility and reach among potential players.
“To be honest, had it not been for the coupon magically landing in my Steam account, I would not have heard of this game at all, which reflects rather poorly on this game's advertising campaign.”
“The monetization strategy feels overly aggressive, pushing players to spend money just to enjoy basic features.”
“It's frustrating that essential content is locked behind paywalls, making it hard to fully experience the game without shelling out extra cash.”
