In Game Adventure: Legend of Monsters

In Game Adventure: Legend of Monsters is a high-difficulty top-down shooter set in a fantasy underworld within a video game, where players control Alex on a mission to rescue his sister Ana from the evil Dark Bit. Battling through procedurally generated levels featuring caves, forests, castles, and dungeons filled with monsters and traps, Alex arms himself with 11 diverse weapons purchased from a mysterious gun smuggler, emphasizing frantic arcade-style action, retro pixel art, Steam achievements, leaderboards, and controller support.

In Game Adventure: Legend of Monsters: Review

Introduction

Imagine plunging into the pixelated bowels of a cursed video game world, shotgun in hand, as hordes of zombies, ninjas, and eldritch eyes swarm from every shadowy corner—welcome to In Game Adventure: Legend of Monsters, a 2017 indie gem that distills the raw, unfiltered adrenaline of classic arcade shooters into a roguelite frenzy. Released during the explosive rise of top-down bullet hells and procedural death traps like Nuclear Throne and Enter the Gungeon (games explicitly cited as inspirations), this title from Brazilian solo developer Alysson Moraes (under Rising Moon Games or Moraes Studio) has quietly carved a niche as a free-to-play bastion of high-difficulty masochism. Its legacy lies not in blockbuster sales or Metacritic glory—no critic reviews exist on major aggregators—but in its “Mostly Positive” Steam reception (75% from 135 reviews) and enduring appeal to score-chasers and controller fiends. Thesis: Legend of Monsters is a masterclass in concise, replayable chaos, blending retro pixel art with roguelite randomness to deliver bite-sized brutality that punches above its weight, cementing its place as an overlooked pillar of the late-2010s indie arena shooter revival.

Development History & Context

Developed and published by Rising Moon Games (with early credits to Moraes Tecnologia Ltda.), In Game Adventure: Legend of Monsters emerged from the bedroom-coding ethos of Brazil’s burgeoning indie scene in 2017. Solo creator Alysson Moraes, operating under aliases like Moraes Studio, harnessed Unity—a go-to engine for cash-strapped devs—to craft this top-down shooter amid a gaming landscape dominated by procedural innovation. The mid-2010s saw roguelites explode: Vlambeer’s Nuclear Throne (2015) popularized mutation-driven runs through irradiated arenas, while Dodge Roll’s Enter the Gungeon (2016) layered bullet-hell dodgeball atop gun worship. Moraes tapped this zeitgeist, explicitly nodding to these titles on IndieDB, but dialed back on RPG depth for pure arcade purity—random arenas, weapon shops, and endless enemy waves tailored for “quick and challenging fun without taking too much out of pocket.”

Technological constraints were minimal thanks to Unity’s cross-platform magic (Windows launch June 29, 2017; Linux soon after), but the era’s Steam Greenlight hangover meant indies like this fought for visibility. Initially commercial before going free, it launched at a bargain price (now $0.00), aligning with Steam’s free-to-play surge (Warframe, Path of Exile). No blockbuster budget here—just Moraes’ vision of a “beautiful and challenging” pixel retro fest, complete with controller support (Xbox, PlayStation, generic) and Steam integrations (30 achievements, leaderboards, cloud saves). In Brazil’s dev scene, amid economic hurdles, this was a scrappy triumph: low-spec requirements (2.6GHz CPU, 2GB RAM) ensured broad access, reflecting the democratizing force of indie tools against AAA behemoths like Destiny 2.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

At its core, Legend of Monsters weaves a minimalist meta-tale straight out of gaming’s fever dreams: you embody Alex, a plucky hero thrust into “the underworld of a video game” to rescue his sister Ana from the clutches of Dark Bit, a nebulous digital overlord. This setup unfolds across procedurally generated biomes—caves dripping with slime, zombie-infested forests, trap-laden dungeons, gothic castles, misty jungles, fiery mountains—each a self-contained arena demanding total monster extermination before progression. Dialogue is sparse, delivered via shopkeeper banter from a “mysterious gun smuggler” who’s “participated in other zombie games,” gifting an initial shotgun and hawking wares with cryptic flair: “Prepare to face the Dark Bit.”

Thematically, it’s a love letter to arcade heroism laced with existential dread. Alex’s quest mirrors the player’s futile grind against RNG hell—saving Ana symbolizes reclaiming agency in a glitchy simulation, where traps (activating 25, 50, or 100 for achievements) evoke the cruelty of bad luck. Enemies embody gaming tropes: zombie hordes for survival waves, ninjas and witches for agile dodges, creepers and “Darkness Soldiers” for bullet-hell terror, culminating in boss-like climaxes (though players lament their underwhelm). Recurring motifs of “hunting” (zombie hunter: 300 kills; mummy hunter: 100) underscore a predatory cycle, while the gun smuggler’s zombie vet status adds ironic levity—heroes as mercenaries in an endless loop. No deep lore dumps; instead, themes emerge organically through repetition: resilience amid randomness, the thrill of fragility. It’s The Binding of Isaac meets Smash TV, where narrative serves gameplay’s punishing rhythm, critiquing gaming’s addictive “one more run” siren call.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

Legend of Monsters thrives on a razor-sharp core loop: spawn in a random arena, survive enemy onslaughts, rack up coins from kills and destructibles, shop for upgrades, clear the wave, repeat—until death resets the run. As a diagonal-down perspective shooter with direct control, movement is fluid top-down strafing, emphasizing positioning amid “insane battles.” The high-difficulty mandate shines: arenas procedurally generate layouts, enemy spawns, and traps, ensuring “it will never be the same” experience. Arcade Mode amplifies this for pure score attack, leaderboards fueling competition.

Combat is bullet-hell savagery—hordes of “intelligent and prepared” foes (zombies shambling en masse, bats flitting overhead, eyes firing homing shots) demand twitch reflexes. Weapons define strategy: 11 variants, each with trade-offs:
– Shotgun/Automatic Shotgun: Close-range crowd-clearers, high ammo hunger.
– Rifle/UZI/Portable Machine Gun/Machine Gun .50: Sustained fire for mid-range.
– Laser Weapon: Piercing beams for lines of foes.
– Rocket/Grenade Launchers: Explosive AoE, risky self-damage.

Coins buy these mid-run, fostering roguelite progression—die undergeared, learn and adapt. Achievements gate content (unlock jungle/mountain/dungeon/castle/random mode; kill tallies like 75 snipers or 50 vulcanoes), but UI simplicity (assumed pause menus, coin counters, weapon wheels) keeps focus on action. Flaws emerge: player reviews decry “frustrating controls” (clunky on keyboard?), bugs/glitches disrupting flow, and short runs (avg. 2-5 hours completion). Controller support mitigates, but no co-op or deep customization limits depth. Innovative? Randomness + score chase = infinite replay, ideal for 10-30 minute blasts.

World-Building, Art & Sound

The game’s fantasy setting—a glitchy video game underworld—pulses with lived-in peril, from trap-riddled caves to sniper-perched castles, all procedurally remixed for freshness. Atmosphere builds through escalation: early forests teem with insects/bats, late-game mountains spew vulcanoes and witches, evoking a descent into Dark Bit’s madness. Pixel art nails “retro” perfection—crisp 2D sprites in frantic palettes (neon greens for slime, fiery reds for hellscapes)—pairing nostalgic charm with modern bullet density. No overworld hub; arenas standalone, heightening claustrophobic tension.

Sound design elevates: praised “good soundtrack” loops chiptune bangers syncing to chaos, punchy SFX (shotgun booms, enemy gurgles) amplifying immersion. No voice acting, but shopkeeper quips add personality. Together, they forge a “perfect combination of retro art pixel with a frantic and challenging environment,” where visuals telegraph threats (creeper swells, eye charges) and audio cues demand split-second reads—contributing a cohesive, addictive sensory assault.

Reception & Legacy

Launch reception was muted—no MobyGames/Metacritic critic scores (added to MobyGames in 2024, still description-less)—but Steam’s 75% positive (102/135 reviews, 70/100 player score) paints a devoted cult. Positives dominate: “fun gameplay” (29%), challenge/replay (randomness shines), value (free gem), soundtrack. Negatives: bugs, controls, brevity (“lack of content”), weak bosses. Curators (6 on Steam) and tags (roguelite, bullet hell, zombies) affirm niche appeal; 3,108 owners, 80% achievement completion rate signals quick wins for grinders.

Commercially, free model yielded steady plays (Steam Deck playable), with DLC soundtrack (2017) for fans. Legacy evolves as an indie footnote: influenced no blockbusters, but echoes in arena survivors (Vampire Survivors, 2021) via its “clear-to-proceed” waves. In roguelite history, it’s a pure strain—unpretentious ancestor to 2020s score-attack indies. Reputation grows via word-of-mouth, preserved on Steam/IndieDB as a 2017 time capsule.

Conclusion

In Game Adventure: Legend of Monsters distills indie ambition into pixelated perfection: a narrative whisper underpins roguelite rigor, where 11 weapons and random arenas fuel endless, punishing joy. Development grit, retro aesthetics, and arcade soul overcome bugs and brevity, earning “Mostly Positive” staying power. In video game history, it claims a definitive spot as an underrated 2017 freeware warrior—essential for bullet-hell masochists, a 8/10 testament to solo dev magic. Grab it free, prime your shotgun, and join Alex’s eternal hunt.