PixelJunk™ Monsters Ultimate
- August 26, 2013
- Q-Games Ltd.
- 163h median play time
Get on SteamPixelJunk™ Monsters Ultimate is a tower defense game where players protect Tikiman and his tribe from enemy hordes. This ultimate edition includes all content from the original game, as well as extra levels, tower types, and enemies. The goal is to strategically place and upgrade towers to stop the waves of colorful critters.
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Reviews
- Charming graphics and relaxing music create an enjoyable atmosphere.
- Engaging gameplay that combines tower defense with character movement and strategy.
- Great co-op mode that enhances the fun and allows for teamwork.
- Controls can feel clunky and unintuitive, especially with mouse and keyboard.
- Difficulty spikes can lead to frustration, particularly with unpredictable enemy paths.
- Lack of quality of life features, such as a speed-up function, can make gameplay feel slow and tedious.
- music100 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The music in the game, composed by otograph, is widely praised for its soothing and atmospheric qualities, perfectly complementing the gameplay and enhancing the overall experience. Players appreciate the relaxing yet engaging soundtrack, which remains memorable long after playing, contributing to the game's nostalgic charm. While some find the music occasionally forgettable, the majority agree that it significantly elevates the game's appeal, making it a standout feature in the tower defense genre.
“The music in the game is relaxing and atmospheric, originally composed by otograph.”
“Amazing soundtrack by otograph.”
“The music is fantastic, extremely chill which fits the theme perfectly.”
“Really disappointing given it's 2018, so thumbs down from me, because I don't think it's acceptable to crash my PC when I want to quickly switch the music in the background.”
“The music is okay, but kind of forgettable.”
“It could have been so much better with more impressive sounds and music, but it's not a bad game by any means.”
- gameplay84 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a mix of innovative yet often poorly explained mechanics, leading to a steep learning curve and a challenging experience. While some players appreciate the depth and addictive nature of the gameplay, others find it tedious and frustrating due to slow pacing and clunky controls. Overall, the game offers a blend of enjoyable elements and significant drawbacks, making it a polarizing experience among players.
“I love the beautiful art style, relaxing music, and intense gameplay.”
“The gameplay is very easy to understand and provides hours of enjoyment.”
“I've sunk around 60 hours in already (though technically, most of that was spent replaying levels over and over again trying to get perfect clears), but still, the fact that I put that much time into it speaks to how good the core gameplay is.”
“The game frequently introduces mechanics without explaining them, such as the aforementioned balloons and effects like the 'green shield' (which is vulnerable to the tesla tower) that can completely throw you for a loop on your first time playing a level—needless to say, you need to prepare for these effects well ahead of time.”
“Everything about this game -- from the towers, to the enemies, to even the basic game mechanics -- is irredeemably dull and tedious, and the glacially slow pace of each stage only exacerbates the monotony.”
“After playing for about 10 minutes, I realized that there was no reason to continue... boring, played-out mechanics, a clunky interface (you use a character to walk around and service towers, rather than just clicking on them), and just nothing enjoyable about it whatsoever.”
- graphics78 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 49 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their charming and cute art style, which many players find visually appealing and fitting for the tower defense genre. While some reviews note that the graphics can be simplistic or not particularly mesmerizing, the overall aesthetic, including the hand-drawn elements and vibrant colors, contributes to a relaxing and enjoyable gameplay experience. However, a few critiques mention that the graphics may not meet everyone's expectations, with some describing them as poor or lacking depth.
“This is a challenging but fair tower defense game with an awesome aesthetic.”
“The art style is charming and the whole game combined with the music and atmosphere has a relaxing quality to it.”
“The visuals are amazing and a lot of fun to play.”
“The graphics and art style are terrible, the attackers don't follow a fixed path, and I found it to be overly hard, very quickly, but without obvious strategy, and a complete absence of fun.”
“The graphics are really poor, however they are colourful.”
“Graphics are meh but that's to be expected with pixel in the title.”
- story20 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The game lacks a narrative, with players noting that there is no story to engage with throughout the gameplay. Instead, the focus is on mechanics and strategy, as players unlock new towers and face waves of enemies, which can feel repetitive without a compelling storyline. The tutorial provides minimal context, and any lore or details about the towers are only revealed after significant playtime, making the experience feel disconnected from traditional storytelling.
“The tutorial gives a brief overview of the base gameplay, but it wasn't until I beat a certain number of missions to unlock some challenge maps, which then allowed me to unlock a gallery in the extras that showed artwork detailing each tower's strengths, weaknesses, and enemy variants, all after some odd 30-40 hours into my game!”
“Purchasing new special towers each mission that do not carry over to the next creates choices that players must make in order to protect the tiki-men from waves of monsters with various attributes.”
“Another plus is the RNG area, which generates random stages based on an algorithm outside the quests by inputting a 5-digit code.”
“No story what so ever.”
“The tutorial gives a brief overview on the base gameplay but it wasn't until I beat a certain amount of missions to unlock some challenge maps which then I beat some of those to unlock a gallery in the extras which showed artwork that detailed each tower's strengths, weaknesses, enemy variants, and all that some odd 30-40 hours into my game!???”
“It took me 3 minutes to realize that, but I forced myself to play at least 3 missions to make my opinion reliable.”
- atmosphere18 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its relaxing and nostalgic qualities, enhanced by an original soundtrack composed by otograph. Players appreciate the charming art style and the balance between calming moments and tense gameplay, making it an enjoyable experience for fans of tower defense games. Overall, the combination of music, visuals, and thematic elements creates a captivating and immersive environment.
“Such a beautiful game with an amazing atmosphere and fitting soundtrack that I still listen to all the time.”
“The atmosphere of the game is great, with addictive music accompanying a theme of a tiki man running around constructing towers on trees.”
“The art style is charming and the whole game combined with the music and atmosphere has a relaxing quality to it.”
“It's a great tower defense game with a solid mix of relaxation (overall atmosphere, music, etc), and tense moments (when you suddenly realize monsters can come from an unnoticed direction).”
“+ calm atmosphere helps me chill out while playing this game.”
- replayability18 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The game offers high replayability, particularly praised for its challenging tower defense mechanics and potential for extended playtime, often exceeding 20 hours. However, some players noted a lack of variety in stages, which could limit the experience over time. Overall, it remains a fun and engaging option for both solo and multiplayer sessions.
“Great tower defense with a lot of challenge and replay value.”
“Replay value is very high and playing this game will give you fun for more than 20+ hours, whether alone or with friends.”
“High replayability, great value.”
“Would like to see more playable maps/DLCs.”
“Monsters has high potential for replay value thanks to Tum Tum Island, but out of the dozen or so words I've tried, I ended up with the same stages too often, most of them very easy.”
“That's where the real replayability is, but also where you'll spend a lot of time pulling your hair when that single spider inevitably makes it through somehow.”
- grinding8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Players express that grinding in the game can feel excessively tedious and slow, with some describing it as requiring a "second life" to endure. While certain mechanics, like collecting coins, are integrated more smoothly than in other tower defense games, the overall experience is marred by a lack of excitement and engaging gameplay.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Everything about this game -- from the towers, to the enemies, to even the basic game mechanics -- is irredeemably dull and tedious, and the glacially slow pace of each stage only exacerbates the monotony.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- emotional8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express frustration with the game's mechanics, particularly the punitive system that penalizes them for interacting with enemies without providing any meaningful engagement or emotional payoff. This design choice detracts from the overall experience, leaving players feeling confused and annoyed rather than emotionally invested in the gameplay.
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in Pixeljunk Monsters is well-received, with players noting its balance between challenge and comedy, particularly in multiplayer mode, which enhances the fun. The game is described as a funny and addictive take on the classic tower defense genre, providing a delightful experience that keeps players engaged.
“Well balanced, challenging, and a good sense of humor.”
“Pixeljunk Monsters can be hilarious yet still challenging (double the laughter in 2 player mode).”
“Funny classic tower defense, simply addictive.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has been criticized for lacking essential quality-of-life features, such as indicators for mob spawn points, performance statistics for towers, and a speed-up function, which detracts from the overall experience in the tower defense genre.
