Game Review: Monument

By Al

Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC

Old school FPS games have seen a bit of an uptick recently, and that makes sense since Doom gels perfectly in the current wave of '90s nostalgia. Enter Monument, a throwback to '90s games like the aforementioned Doom and Quake. It's out now for the Nintendo Switch and PC, we're going to be taking a look at the Switch version today. Seeing as this game promises to take us to the gates of Hell itself, we might as well get right to it!

Normally I start my reviews with a look at the game's story, but I'm not exactly sure Monument has one. There seems to be a lot of references to Hell going on throughout, and maybe there are aliens involved, but there seems to be very little in the way of plot to drive the action forward. Unless I somehow missed it, there's not even throwaway references in-game or in the eShop description. I guess this really is a story-less game. That's not necessarily a bad thing of course, as it lets players get right to the shooting in a quick and efficient manner. Let's just say you're a dude wandering what might very well be Hell itself, and it's your job to shoot everything that comes at you. It doesn't get much simpler than that.

While the word "simple" could also be used to describe the gameplay, I think there's a beauty in the way the game handles that simplicity. This is a no-frills first-person shooter, and it's sure to remind old school gamers of classic Quake. There's no surprised as far as controls go. You move with the left analog stick, aim with the right, fire and change weapon with the shoulder buttons, and you can even strafe and jump with the face buttons. You don't have an "unarmed" state, but you do always have a gun or two at your disposal. These guns include all the standards like a pistol, a rifle, a machine gun, a shotgun, a plasma gun, and even a teleport gun. The latter makes things a bit more like Portal, but we'll focus our discussion on the others. There are pros and cons to each weapon, but most players will gravitate to a weapon that suits their play style best. Like to run and gun and get out fast? Then the machine gun or plasma gun are the way to go. Prefer to take things slower with calm, deadly precision? Then the rifle and shotgun will suit you best. Whichever you end up choosing, you will eventually run out of ammo thanks to the enemy count being pretty high. Thankfully ammo drops are generously scattered throughout each of the levels, and there's even a mechanic where you can "purchase" more ammo at the cost of your health. Speaking of which, your health is in even shorter supply than your ammo, but regenerative items and armor pickups are common too. Losing all your health means a game over, but you instantly restart from your last save. That save could be one created automatically, or one created yourself through the pause menu. Since you're able to save at any time, you can technically save scum your way through the game. Though possible, I assure you that it will still take a lot of skill and luck to see the journey to its end.

Enemies in Monument are quite the varied lot, and I'd be lying if I said I could identify what they were exactly. Some look like deformed humans, others like alien creatures, and others still look downright demonic. Most run at you relentlessly, but others will hold back and fire projectiles. Stealth isn't really a thing here, so you'll pretty much always have to face threats head on. There are some tactics that can be used, like using cover to your advantage, but combat can get really hectic really quickly. Also, enemies tend to spawn in large groups once you hit a certain threshold, or when you unlock a door or pick up an item. This means you can easily find yourself in the middle of an ambush if you're not always on your toes. You'll quickly learn to watch for potential spots where enemies may spawn in, and to keep an ear open for any noises that might give away the sudden arrival of nearby enemies. While killing all enemies isn't required to complete any of the game's levels, it makes sense to do so anyway since most in-game areas require lots of backtracking. Don't expect much in the way of puzzle solving or maze exploration, but do expect to encounter a lot of locked doors that require color-coded keys to open. Each level will have of these doors, with one of them leading to the heavily guarded exit. And that's pretty much it, survive long enough to find and get through the exit, and do the same thing in the next level.

Just like the old school shooters of yesteryear, Monument is as tough as they come. There are no difficulty options, and the enemy placement and spawn rates are the epitome of unforgiving. Rather than balance out the game, the developers saw fit to litter each level with health and weapon pickups that you'll need to conserve so they last the entire level. While I can easily see some taking this gameplay quirk as a shortcoming in game design, I appreciated the straight-forward approach. There's no emphasis on stealth here, there's no puzzle solving or wonky platforming, there's not even a lot of thought required in clearing a room full of enemies. It's a simple run and gun type of game, and the players who have the most skill or luck will be the ones who survive the encounter. This is the very definition of a "boomer shooter", and I mean that in the best way possible. I didn't mention it earlier in the review, but I found out during my research that this game began life as a mobile title. Once I learned this I soured on the game a bit, and went in wanting to hate it. I assumed it was going to be shovelware, and was completely biased before even booting it up. Obviously I was wrong, and I feel bad that I was so hard on the game initially. Don't get me wrong, this isn't Game of the Year material, but if you're looking for a fun retro-inspired, action-heavy FPS, then you can't really go wrong with Monument.

Before I wrap up this review, I want to talk a bit about the game's visuals and music. The graphics in Monument are very similar to what you'd find in the original Quake or Unreal, but with a Doom aesthetic slapped on top of everything. It's all very low-poly, with lots of Hell-like visuals, and that's a look that I'm not ashamed to admit that I enjoy. Said graphic style might be something of an acquired taste, but Monument really nails the '90s PC vibes perfectly. This game looks amazing when placed in context, and I'm pleased to report that it consistently runs smooth on the Switch. I can easily give just as much praise to the game's soundtrack too. Guitar-heavy metal gets the blood flowing in just about every level, and the soundtrack sounds like it's made up of music from a lost Doom title. Whenever I review a budget title and rave about the music, I can't help but wonder if the music was created specifically for this project, or if it was simply taken from a music library. Though I have no clear answer in this case, I guess I'm willing to overlook it since the music is just that good. My only slight complaint would be that most tracks seem to loop in an odd way, but that's hardly noticeable when the action in full swing. This is no AAA release by any stretch of that definition, but the presentation in Monument really punches above its weight.

After giving Monument several hours of gameplay, I can easily say that picking it up is a no-brainer if you're a fan of the genre. It's by no means a perfect game, but it's fun for what it is, and it comes in at a very affordable $7.00. At that price it's worth picking up just for a quick level or two, and it's even on sale now (at the time of writing at least) for an even lower $1.99. Get it, boot it up, and get to blasting. Hell isn't going to clean itself up after all!

Check Out Monument on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/monument-switch/

---

Story: N/A
Gameplay: B+
Graphics: B
Music/Sound: B
Value: A

Overall: B+

Pros:
+ A fun retro-inspired FPS in the style of the original Quake.
+ The '90s vibe and aesthetic permeate everything, down to the graphics and music.
+ Though not perfectly balanced, the many health and ammo drops take away some of the sting caused by the game's difficulty
+ An example of simple run-and-gun action done right.
+ Its price makes picking it up almost a no-brainer.

Cons:
- There's no story or plot to speak of.
- Can be very unforgiving at times, even in the first levels.
- Enemy placement can feel very random at times, and some enemies are cheap as hell.
- The graphic style might not be for everyone, and the looping of the music can sometimes take players out of the otherwise enjoyable experience.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

---

#MonumentFPS