I’ve reviewed a lot of indie titles over my years as a writer and you know you have a good one when you sink hours into it. Monster Panic, developed and published by Happy Player launched on Xbox this past weekend and after around 12 hours of gameplay, I’m nowhere near done. If you’re a fan of Vampire Survivors, Brotato and all the other games that try to take the similarities and bring their spin on the genre, then you’re in for a treat here. Here you’ll experience the moreish and addictive gameplay loop that all these auto-shooter titles bring. It turns out I love this type of game after playing several of them, more recently Entropy Survivors.

Gameplay

The premise is straightforward, survive for 13 minutes and defeat the final boss on each run. During each run, you’ll be using your basic attack at the start and collecting gems from the enemies you defeat. Collecting a set amount of gems levels you up and you can choose new weapons or perks which can also be levelled up through each level. As each run progresses the hordes will get more intense as time passes by, so it is a case of being strategic with which weapons and perks you decide to work with in the early game.

Between each run, you can choose to spend coins earned in-game on buffing up your abilities like health, gem gathering, speed and so on. Completing missions then unlocks further variants with harder challenges. For example, enemies may be harder to kill or you may have to complete the run without taking a single hit of damage. It keeps the game somewhat fresh and brings replayability and longevity to the game. Coins can also be used to unlock the range of characters which have their unique characteristics and attacks.

Visuals & Audio

Monster Panic doesn’t have the same shine and polish as say Army Of Ruin or Entropy Survivors, which are both fantastic games. It goes down the more retro aesthetic path that Vampire Survivors has success with. There is just enough variance in enemy type and design to keep things interesting, but I did notice that the hordes have the same attack pattern on each level. Different characters that are unlockable with a range of different attacks keep the on-screen fun fresh and exhilarating throughout. The audio could have done with a bit of variation in the soundtrack and the sound effects are minimal and do what you’d expect.

Final Thoughts

Monster Panic is one of those hidden indie gems that I feel won’t get much coverage as it launches alongside the other whack of smaller titles that arrive every week. I urge you to give it a chance though especially if like me, you’re a fan of fast-paced rogue-like auto-shooter games. At the time of writing it is only £6.71 on the Xbox store which is an absolute steal for the amount of return you’ll get. I can easily see a good 50-100 hours of gameplay if you want 100% on everything with all the characters on offer. It is the perfect game for a quick 13-minute blast or several hours in one session with just enough depth to keep the replayability factor there until you achieve everything you want to.

Overall
  • 85%
    CX Score - 85%
85%

Summary

Pros

  • Highly addictive gameplay loop
  • Good variance of weapons and perks
  • A great game for the price point

 

Cons

  • Same enemy attack patterns
  • Could do with more environments
  • Might get a bit too repetitive for some

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