Within the narrow halls and rooms of an ancient structure, a ship delves ever deeper in search of treasure and secrets. Monolith eschews the screenfuls of bullets or open arenas of more traditional shmups and shooters for tight claustrophobic dungeons. The action however is no less frenetic.
Descending into the ruined randomly-generated depths, you face all manner of relentless foes – hordes of fireball-throwing skulls, scatter-mages, teleporting vessels, rapid-fire turrets – using your trusty blaster and dodge to stay alive. The rooms are small dank spaces, just enough space to maneuver while being tight enough that danger and bullets seem almost suffocating in their closeness.
Special rooms on each floor tempt you with upgrades and perks. New weapons that can transform your basic bullets into stunning lasers or charge shots or shotgun spreads that can wrap around the screen. More bombs, more ammo, more damage, at the cost of health. Abilities that refill health upon finding new weapons, or leaving explosives in your wake. You’ll need those improved weapons and enhancements to survive Monolith‘s fierce bosses. Succeed and gradually you’ll add new NPCs to your pre-dungeon hub, persistent unlocks that last between playthroughs.
Monolith is available for $ 7.99 on Steam. You can also find a demo on Itch.io, and learn more about the game and developer Team D-13 on their site.
