Monster Outbreak

Genre: Tower Defense / Action-RPG

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local)

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Review:

Monster Outbreak, released in 2022 on PC and ported to Nintendo Switch in 2024, is a game that combines Tower Defense and Action-RPG elements in gameplay where players must defend against waves of enemies by gathering resources and building defensive fences, traps, and automated machines to attack.

I should note that this game doesn’t follow the standard formula for Tower Defense games, in that there’s no set path for enemies to follow, nor a predetermined starting point – in each wave, enemy spawn points will sprout up in seemingly random positions and work their way through your defenses in whatever way best suits them. What’s more, you’re not really building towers so much as preparing the entire area with the best defenses you can before the fight, which is done via resource gathering and crafting that seems somewhat similar to Stardew Valley, of all things.

Once you do fight, your character will attack with either a sword or a bow and arrow, and this is one of the game’s weaker parts as the controls in this game aren’t great – I have unintentionally fired the bow in the wrong direction countless times because the game doesn’t seem to properly read my inputs. In addition, hit detection here is a bit iffy, with the game seeming to frequently whiff what should have been hits. What’s more, the game’s perspective is far too close, and you’re not given indicators where enemies are spawning, often meaning you won’t see them until you’re right on top of them about to take damage. In short, combat here just doesn’t really feel right, for multiple reasons.

Another issue here ties into the game’s presentation, with the game’s colorful pixel art visuals tearing a lot when the screen scrolls, something that’s an issue both in the cutscenes and in the gameplay itself. At the very least, this game’s soundtrack is surprisingly good, with the game’s peaceful town theme being particularly nice (sorry, I don’t have an example to link you).

In the end, despite Monster Outbreak’s issues, it’s hard not to like it. This game is doing something fairly unique with the Tower Defense genre by opening it up and mixing it with an Action-RPG, and I respect that inspired approach. However, the graphical issues and the multiple problems with combat hold this game back from being something much better. As-is, it’s enjoyable, but these flaws keep it from being a game you’re likely to list among favorites in either genre.

tl;dr – Monster Outbreak is a game that combines Tower Defense and Action-RPG elements with players defending against waves of enemies by gathering resources and building defensive installations. There are some really clever and unique ideas here, but this game ultimately fails to reach its potential due to multiple issues with its combat and presentation.

Grade: C+

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