A Monster’s Expedition Review – Relaxing Puzzle Adventure

From the moment I laid eyes on A Monster’s Expedition, I knew that it would be a game I would fall in love with; the colour scheme, the art style, the cute monster you control… all of it. And I was right. I loved every single part of this adventure. Let me tell you about it.

A Monster’s Expedition is a relaxing puzzle game with a twist. The twist being it’s set in an open world. I know what you’re thinking, how can a puzzle game be open world? Well, to answer that question, it’s not an open-world game in the traditional setting. You don’t have a huge world to explore at your own peril, as such. But, you are free to take whatever routes you so desire.

It’s a simple premise, you play as a cute little monster equipped with his (or her) backpack ready to explore the world. See, this little monster is on a mission to understand humans and how humans once lived (humans now do not exist, apparently). The monsters have created a sort of museum-like sanctuary to display all things human, and this little monster is on a quest to explore them all.

This world is made up of hundreds of tiny islands, and you must explore them all. To do this you must knock down trees and place them in the desired place within the water to create your very own little bridge. Simply bumping into the trees will knock them over, walking into them will push them where you want them to go. Obviously, this is a puzzle game and so it’s not going to be as easy as that.

Any tree you can see can be knocked over, but each island is designed in a way that you need to think about the way in which you knock it over and move it – hence, the puzzle aspect.

You can use the objects on each island for your adventure. For example, if there is a rock on the island, you can push the tree stump into the rock to stop it in its tracks. You see, when you push a tree stump, it will roll until it reaches the end of its path. It’s incredibly easy to get used to, but it can be awkward to figure out.

A Monster’s Expedition is a completely relaxing adventure. There are no enemies, no lives, no worries. You can explore at your own pace – and it’s bliss. Even at times when you get stuck on a particular island (which will happen), you still feel completely relaxed. Which is great, because puzzle games have a tendency to make people annoyed. Not this one.

That being said, there are usually multiple routes to take off the island, so if you can’t figure the correct route one way, you can simply choose another and come back to it later. You will come across red letterboxes that you can use to fast travel to another one so you can always find yourself around.

The way in which A Monster’s Expedition is laid out makes it feel like it’s a never-ending game. It’s easy to get lost in the ways you have traveled, and honestly, it was nice to get lost in a game like this. It was nice to just take my time and exploring at my own leisure. This is one of the stand-out things about the game.

A Monster’s Expedition doesn’t have any form of collectables, as such. But finding the little exhibitions and reading a little into the story was quite rewarding. You can come across absolutely anything from furniture to emojis… Humans are odd, aren’t we? They often come bundled with some witty descriptions which are guaranteed to make you laugh.

The artstyle and soundtrack that follows all adds to the zen atmosphere of the game. There were plenty of times that I was sat listening to the music, and I could have quite easily dropped off to sleep. It’s that relaxing.

Overall, 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.

A Monster’s Expedition Review provided by Nintendo Link
Publisher: Draknek
Developer: Draknek & Friends
Release Date: August 6th, 2021
Price: £15.09, $19.99
Game Size: 654MB