Monstrum

The cargo ship is empty, the lights are low, and something is hunting whoever’s left aboard. Escaping means finding the right tools, repairing the right route out, and staying out of sight of a predator that won’t give up the chase.

Monstrum is a first-person survival horror roguelike from Team Junkfish, remixing the traditional genre with procedurally generated levels, permadeath, and AI-driven monsters. Searching a derelict ship for the items needed to repair an escape route, hiding in lockers and under furniture, and using distractions to outwit whatever’s pursuing you, you’ll try to survive a ship that rearranges itself every time you step aboard.

What Makes It Different?

• Face one of three unique monsters each run, each with its own behaviors and tactics
• Explore a procedurally generated ship whose interior shifts shape every attempt
• Find items to repair different escape routes and make it off the ship alive
• Hide in lockers or under furniture to break the line of sight
• Use distractions to lure the monster toward you, or away from where you’re headed
• Watch for traps scattered throughout the ship that punish carelessness
• Accept permadeath, where one death sends you back to a different ship and a different monster

Hunted by Something That Learns

What sets Monstrum apart from most horror games is how unpredictable its monsters are. Each run pits you against one of three different creatures, and each one behaves differently, so the same trick that saved you last time might get you killed the next. Because the AI is built to hunt rather than follow a script, a monster might ambush you around a corner, check the room you just left, or hear a noise and come straight for it. That uncertainty turns every hallway into a decision, and the tension never really lets up.

A Ship That Won’t Stay the Same

The ship’s interior reshuffles with every run, moving the locations of items, escape routes, and hazards. There’s no memorized path to success, and learning to read a new layout quickly, finding what you need to repair the ship’s escape options while avoiding the creature stalking the halls, is central to surviving. Escape routes themselves vary, and digging deeper into the ship’s depths to recover the parts needed to activate one often means pushing right into the territory the monster prefers to patrol. Hiding, distracting, and sprinting each have their place, but moving too recklessly can trigger one of the ship’s traps and give your position away.

Permadeath, Played Straight

Death in Monstrum is permanent. Getting caught sends you to a fresh ship, usually with a different monster, and none of the knowledge about a previous layout carries over. That unforgiving structure gives every run real stakes, and the game earned nominations for Best Debut Game at TIGA 2015 and Best Scottish Game at BAFTA Scotland 2015 for how well it makes its core idea work. There are 16 Steam achievements for players who want to push themselves further across different monsters and escape methods.

How Long Does a Run Take?

An average run lasts about 30 to 45 minutes according to the developers, though individual attempts can range from 10 minutes to over an hour depending on player skill, luck, and the specific monster encountered. Team Junkfish notes that a standard successful or active attempt typically takes 30 to 45 minutes, while most players report that a single life spans anywhere from 10 minutes, if you get caught early or die quickly, up to 3 hours if you’re carefully searching the ship and evading the entity. Seeing and finishing the core content across multiple attempts averages roughly 9 hours of total playtime according to community data.

Controller Support

Monstrum features Full Controller Support for Xbox Controllers. Support for other devices is not known.

Good If You Like…

If you enjoyed Darkwood, GRAIN ROT, or Welcome to the Game III, Monstrum’s mix of survival horror and roguelike permadeath should be well worth a look.