Mostroscopy Review On Xbox

Mostroscopy is a fighting video game that takes up the aesthetics of the horror and Luchador films of Mexican cinema from the 1950s.

The premise is you take on the an eclectic roster of monsters and masked Luchadores who are out to resolve their own personal stories.

The game boasts a retro presentation, simple two button gameplay style, and roster of monsters and masked Luchadores and local multiplayer.

Accessibility

With regards to accessibility, there is no options available beside very basic tweaks. There is even no subtitle options or controller mapping. So should you have hearing, motor or visual issues, this may not be the game for you.

Gameplay

I have found that fighting games are getting overly complicated when in relation to combo attacks or special attacks. And it seems the developers at Oribe Ware Games agree with me as they have developed a fighting game using a simplified gameplay style. The question that immediately pops to minds, is it overly simplified and now provides no challenge due to this. Well lets find out.

From the beginning, you are into a bare bones title screen, which offers 1 vs 1, story mode, Challenge mode and the Jukebox mode. It does it job but can be a bit of a hassle trying to find out where the tutorial mode is. This is actually found under challenge mode and one I would do before anything else, in order to get a feel of the controls and the unique button combinations for each character on offer.

You see you only have two attack buttons, one for a traditional attack (X) and another for a special attack (Y) that is used in combination with direction pad. There is also a dedicated guard button (RT) and a taunt button (B). From the outset, this may seem like an overly simplistic control scheme, that lacks variety. This couldn’t be further from the truth, as you will be surprised what you can accomplish with just two buttons!

Because the special attack is only a single button press, this makes attacking with those devastating attacks more accessible. However, by holding down the special attack button, you do a charged up version upon release. There is 2 power levels of special attack with each attack more powerful the longer you hold. However the key is timing, as any hit before releasing, will cancel said attack. This also then leaves you open to some brutal combo counters, so understand the other characters move set and the time it takes for them to land a hit is crucial!

At the bottom of the screen houses the special bar of various segments, which fills up with each attack. You use can then use individual segments to counter your opponents attack, or if you let it fully fill up, you can activate the games Mostro Mode. Activating said mode allows all moves to be special moves, but once activated the bar slowly depletes till empty.

Each of the 16 characters has a wide variety of moves, that all feel unique and distinct ensuring players will soon choose a favourite. I soon found myself enjoying the more simplistic style and would often switch characters to fully appreciate their individual styles. At first I did think the characters were abit clunky in the movements, but this soon faded the more I used them and learned their particular move sets. Its very much about timing and countering your attacks, and once you get this, the game really then opens up.

The biggest issue I actually had, was with the game was its training mode, as the explanations vs the actual input tracking seem to vary or are not explained well enough, for the player to actually work out what it is the game wants you to do. Overall though I did enjoy my time with the game regardless of this issue.

Graphics

This is where the game stands out from any other fighting game. Visually this games style looks great, by drawing inspiration from horror films from the ’50s. It often randomly switches from a technicolour style that has grainy colouration, to a black and white presentation. Your first time seeing these colours can be a little off putting, but after a few matches, your eyes seem to adjust and counter any potential knock on effects.

Stages are nicely varied, and from what I can tell, each stage has two variations. The stages themselves also vary in size which in turn provides challenges depending on how you are in reacting to being pushed backed into a wall. The animation of the characters are also well done with a smoothness than some bigger titles would hope to achieve.

Story wise the games characters and their backgrounds are explored using a variation of hand drawn slides to explain each characters motives. The stories also intertwine with each and depending on the characters, can provide alternative endings.  I would like to see online multiplayer added instead of just local, as this would also provide the game a huge boost.

Overall framerate and stability was superb, with no crashes or tearing / pop-in.

Sound

When it comes to music in this game, the game embraces inspiration from Spanish music that’s suits it Luchador style. It is consistently lively and engaging, regardless of the levels setting. Be it a spooky cemetery or a Aztec ruin, the music beats are pumping away to ensure you are enjoying some great tracks.

To this end, there is also a Jukebox mode allowing you to listen to these tracks without the need to play. This nice touch is great, if you want to pause for awhile and listen to some superb music. There is no voice work, with the characters stories being told using comic book style strips instead.

My recommendation here would be a good quality soundbar to really enjoy the beats and you punch your way to the end boss!

Verdict

This leads me onto the rating of the game:-
Now I rate games in order of, avoid, on sale, great purchase and must own. My rating for Mostroscopy is a ‘’Great Purchase’’.

Simplistic and fun, with a challenge if needed is exactly what this game provides. It’s a great fighting game that allows for you to enjoy it for what it is and should you wish to be more tactical, you can.

The game is currently priced on Xbox at £9.99 or approx. $13 and depending on skill and patience would give you about 5+ hours worth of gameplay to complete the characters story, on a standard setting. There is also local multiplayer which can expand this further, and a couple of difficulty settings to increase the challenge.

Whilst it is no Mortal Kombat, the simplisity may put off the Technical purists, what is there is fun and engaging. From what I can tell from the developers, there is also more characters on the way to provide even more content for players.