A Monster's Expedition

Draknek masters a genre with a game of little touches, big challenge, and giant heart.

There’s nothing in the way of making me feel like I’ve become awfully clever at it all.

The overarching feeling while playing this game is that it's wonderfully relaxing. Save for a handful of tough difficulty spikes or moments where you lose your way on the sprawling map, A Monster's Expedition provides a genuinely pleasant puzzle experience you can enjoy at your own pace. A few options for tips mean you have some help if you want it, and no loading means it's a doddle to get into. If you're after something chilled out to wind down with, it's certainly worth taking this journey.

A Monster’s Expedition was such a whole experience. For a game with no real story, narrative, or characters, it was strangely emotional. It was such a soothing experience that I only wish I could experience for the first time again.

When A Monster’s Expedition, the latest release from the highly acclaimed developer Draknek, was pitched as an “open-world puzzle adventure”, I was hesitant; replacing the linear, building up of difficulty found in most puzzle games with a self-guided approach to level progression sounded like trouble just waiting to happen. But as I uncovered the outdoor museum exhibits of “Englandland”, A Monster’s Expedition instantly charmed me in ways few games do. Find out why this Puzzling Exhibition is worth going on in this Rapid Review.

A Monster’s Expedition is a brilliant little puzzler. It gets incredible mileage out of a simple mechanic and manages to use it in unexpected ways. The game’s zen-like presentation, open-ended exploration, and sense of humor create a relaxing environment that soothes away the frustrations found in other puzzle games. I do wish I had a little assistance in the late-game portion, but maybe I’m the only one who needs it.

There needs to be a clear logic to the puzzles throughout that acts as a foundation for each sequential one to build off of. What elevates it even further is world building and music design that sews it up into a tight, cohesive experience. A Monster's Expedition's quick hits of small puzzles passes all of those criteria with flying colors, and you owe it to yourself to give it a look.

If you're looking for a chill albeit tricky puzzler with an excellent sense of humour then I highly recommend playing A Monster's Expedition. Its blend of exploration and clever puzzles makes for one stand-out tree-toppling experience.

Principally, A Monster's Expedition is a very cleverly designed game which extracts an immense amount from its basic mechanic. Furthermore, for persons seeking a head-heavy challenge, some island puzzles are a true feast. The atmosphere, whether through humorous comments on humanity or meditative music, is also very pleasant and calm. Unfortunately, the game's pacing does not work. The museum is at home on too many islands, and soon a repetition of the always identical gameplay loop sets in. Since from this phase on the main path of the game the difficulty stagnates and the puzzle design offers no great variety, much idle time and monotony are the result.

Monster's Expedition is practically perfect in everything it does. The game has challenging but not unfair puzzles, humor just right and very beautiful and varied scenarios. With the exception of choosing to hide the map most of the time, the navigation, controls and organization of stages in islands are very well done and tweaked. Those who like to rack their brains without getting angry will have fun like never before in this strange exhibition.