The Monster Within

About

The Monster Within is a single player strategy game with horror and comedy themes. It was developed by GMO Free Games and was released on October 22, 2022. It received positive reviews from players.

"The Monster Within" is a deck-building card game inspired by 1950's horror comics, where you play as a monster among monsters fighting for dominance. With over 200 cards to unlock and six monsters to choose from, each with their own unique strategy, you must craft your deck carefully to balance between staying human and unleashing your inner beast. Battle sinister creatures while trying to avoid turning into one yourself, and discover new cards and characters along the way.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

80%

Audience ScoreBased on 142 reviews

gameplay30 positive mentions

stability10 negative mentions

The game features a unique deckbuilding mechanic where your buy pile is linked to your health, allowing for dynamic gameplay and strategy.
The art style and 50's horror comic aesthetic are charming and enhance the overall experience, making it visually appealing.
There is a good variety of characters and playstyles, which keeps the gameplay fresh and engaging.

The game is plagued by numerous bugs and crashes, which can disrupt gameplay and lead to lost progress.
The user interface is clunky and unpolished, making navigation and understanding game mechanics frustrating at times.
Some gameplay mechanics are poorly explained, leading to confusion about how to effectively utilize cards and strategies.

gameplay
60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
43%
7%
The gameplay is characterized by a mix of engaging mechanics and unique card-buying systems, offering a blend of challenge and reward, particularly through its innovative transformation and resource management features. While many players find the mechanics interesting and addictive, some express confusion and frustration due to a lack of clarity and balance, as well as minimal animation and underdeveloped elements. Overall, the game presents a distinctive experience that appeals to fans of deck-building games, though it may require further refinement and playtesting.
- “The mechanics can be challenging, but it also rewards players for exploiting the mechanics to their own advantage.”
- “Great art, unique gameplay mechanics, and a ton of character-specific cards/strategies.”
- “The mechanic of having your buy pile linked to your health not only changes up the formula from other deck builders, but also makes learning challenging and rewarding while unlocking new things.”
- “The gameplay is undeveloped, the animation is minimal (even for a card battler), and it's just not that fun.”
- “And there's a bunch of stat changes & ability swaps you can do, but it's all in the service of the gameplay which is bland.”
- “Not to mention some game mechanics are poorly explained.”
graphics
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
47%
9%
The game's graphics are widely praised for their charming 1950s horror comic aesthetic, which enhances the overall experience with beautiful artwork and well-designed cards. Players appreciate the unique visual style and the integration of humor, though some have noted minor graphical issues, such as drifting visuals when interacting with certain scenes. Overall, the art and aesthetic are considered standout features, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
- “However, what makes the game transcend is its 50s horror comic aesthetic, twee barbershop crooning soundtrack, and off-beat but weirdly incisive setting.”
- “Art work is beautiful and the cards are designed really well.”
- “One of the most aesthetically pleasing deckbuilder games that exist in the market.”
- “Visually, graphics drift when you move the mouse over certain scenes.”
- “The only upside is the art and aesthetic.”
- “Now, personally, I'd have preferred TFCB with this art style and just the same music.”
music
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
53%
9%
The music in the game is widely praised for its charm and effectiveness in setting the mood, with many reviewers highlighting its retro, 50s horror comic aesthetic and catchy tunes that evoke the feel of old horror movies. The combination of the music and art style creates an atmospheric experience that captivates players, making it a standout feature despite some criticisms of the gameplay. Overall, the soundtrack is considered one of the best aspects of the game, enhancing the overall enjoyment and immersion.
- “Also, the music is some of the best mood-setting music I've seen in a game ever.”
- “The art and music are excellent and do a great job of putting you in the setting.”
- “To put it simply, it's tfcb in a wildly inappropriate engine that lags and hangs extremely frequently, plus bespoke art and jaunty music.”
- “However, what makes the game transcend is its 50s horror comic aesthetic, twee barbershop crooning soundtrack, and off-beat but weirdly incisive setting.”
- “Reminded me of how a similar musical aesthetic was applied to Stubbs the Zombie.”
humor
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its quirky, eerie comic aesthetic and simple yet amusing narrative, which resonates well with players. The engaging mechanics and varied character options contribute to the comedic experience, with moments that are intentionally and unintentionally funny, particularly in the context of class-specific interactions. Overall, the humor adds a delightful layer to the gameplay, making it entertaining and memorable.
- “Finally, the weird tales/eerie horror comic aesthetic and humor is fantastic.”
- “The narrative is simple and funny, the art is nice, the mechanics are engaging and fun, and the character options are varied with some interesting gimmicks (even if some don't get used as much as I'd like in my games).”
- “Oh, did I forget to mention the funny comic-book intro to every match?”
story
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
50%
21%
The story is described as superficial and simplistic, with a notable separation from gameplay elements, making it feel less engaging. While the premise of classic Hollywood monsters blending into suburbia offers some intriguing commentary on cultural homogeny, the overall narrative is considered "plot lite" and easily skippable, primarily conveyed through short comic strips that do not invite deep immersion.
- “The story framework for the card game—everyone's a classic Hollywood monster trying to blend in in sleepy suburbia—might also be saying something interesting about how any attempt at 50s style cultural homogeneity is really just a rug thrown over the deep weirdness of people.”
- “In terms of 'makes some free project, ask for donations, spend them on art,' this is a 100% genuine example of a success story.”
- “It's plot lite, and what plot there is is easy to skip.”
- “The story is given by short witty comic strips, which is enough for this type of game but don't go into it expecting to become engrossed by the plot.”
- “And the story framework for the card game—everyone's a classic Hollywood monster trying to blend in in sleepy suburbia—might also be saying something interesting about how any attempt at 50s style cultural homogeneity is really just a rug thrown over the deep weirdness of people.”
stability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is significantly compromised by numerous bugs and glitches, including unplayable cards that disrupt gameplay and random card removals from decks. Users report frequent crashes and freezes, with the interface described as unpolished and lacking essential features, leading to a frustrating experience overall.
- “Certain cards are unplayable because they mess up what cards are displayed (a very critical issue for a card game) and will sometimes randomly remove cards from my deck for no apparent reason, along with various other glitches. If the 'loading' yellow box screen right after 'ready' gets stuck, you can click it a few times and it usually fixes it.”
- “The interface is terrible: unpolished, slightly buggy, and lacking basic features like card tooltips.”
- “Sometimes it crashes, or just straight up freezes.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
"Monster Within" offers decent replayability, primarily due to unique character classes and unlockable content, but its current early access state limits variety in decision-making and playstyles. While ongoing development promises future improvements, players may find the replay value somewhat restricted at this time. Overall, it provides a satisfactory experience for its price, but more depth is needed for long-term engagement.
- “Monster Within seems to be under ongoing development—more features look planned that haven't been added yet, so the game is likely to lose its bugs in an update or two—and there's already decent replayability, with a handful of unlocks gated behind each of the ten or so characters.”
- “The game has a good amount of replay value for what you pay for it, and each class feels unique and makes you want to experience all of them.”
- “Monster Within seems to be under ongoing development—more features look planned that haven't been added yet, so the game is likely to lose its bugs in an update or two—and there's already decent replayability, with a handful of unlocks gated behind each of the ten or so characters.”
- “The game is still a bit rough around the edges (it's early access after all) and for me personally, replayability is a bit limited because the decision making and variety of decks/playstyles is not quite there - yet, hopefully.”
- “That being said, in the game's current state there definitely isn't a lot of replay value.”
- “Monster Within seems to be under ongoing development—more features look planned that haven't been added yet, so the game is likely to lose its bugs in an update or two—but in its current state, replayability feels somewhat lacking.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players have mixed feelings about the grinding aspect, noting that the removal of the max hand size has made gameplay less tedious for certain decks, but it has also led to some decks becoming excessively powerful, creating an imbalance.
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The atmosphere of "The Monster Within" is highly praised, with users noting that the game effectively immerses players in its thematic elements. The rich ambiance enhances the overall experience, making it a standout feature of the deckbuilding game.
- “The Monster Within is a deckbuilding game that oozes atmosphere.”