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Moncage Review—A Gorgeous Yet Perplexing Foray into a Timeless Mystery

3K View2021-11-30

Reading Time: 2 mins 29 secs

In the wake of Storm Arwen, I’ve been stuck inside to complete the endless requests for revisions.

Let’s face it—you, like myself, are busy people, be it in terms of work, family or school. However, there’s bound to be at least 5 minutes I can spare to play a game regardless of how hectic my schedule is. Plan the time well, and I’m sure everything will work out just fine!😤

That’s how I find myself squeezing in a short session (or two) of Moncage as I finish up this last-minute amendment a client has requested.

It all began with a cube placed in a dim, windowless room.

Before long, I’d find myself manipulating it around as I shuffle through an ingenious, perspective-shifting puzzle that is reminiscent of Gorogoa. As I unlock doors, pull levers, and uncover secrets, I begin to witness Moncage’s vague textless telling of a story between a father, his son and a lighthouse through a montage of photographs.

Yet, confusion continues to persist when references, such as drones and world war 2, are all jostled together within the facets of the cube.

Sure, things may have started off easy, but solving these increasingly onerous puzzles is never straightforward. That’s especially so when the intuitive controls become somewhat fiddly at times. Don’t get me started on the hint system that’s often as patronising as it’s helpful, especially when it doesn’t seem to track my game progress properly.

Nevertheless, the game hasn’t outstayed its welcome, but its confounded narrative doesn’t seem to make it any easier for me to retain it in my memory for long either.

Trouble is, certain answers are not visible to the eyes, so overlooking any minute details may leave anyone with the wish to bang their heads on the wall. For instance, I could tell the gate locks fit perfectly with the bicycle pedals in one level, but I didn’t realise that I had to adjust the angle of the metal tube before matching them up.

As I progressed through the game, what I found most baffling about Moncage is that these abstract puzzles don’t seem to play a part in the father-son relationship’s revelation or even the narrative. Apart from the gorgeous art style and the relaxing soundscape, the ingenuity of its kaleidoscopic cube may be the only thing that makes up for its underwhelming story.

Anyway, think you’re worthy of putting on that deerstalker? If you reckon you are, I challenge you to complete Moncage here without utilising any hints!

Otherwise, follow my page and stay tuned for more reviews on other games.

Mentioned games

Moncage

8.8

AbstractSandboxCartoonDungeon CrawlerStrategyFirst-PersonCasualExperimental

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Comments

gugugu

Glad to see I'm not the only one stuck at some level and just wanting to yell to a pillow. BTW, I think the best way to play this it's with a big-screen tablet, so you can enjoy both the details of the graphics and rotating the cube with fingers

2021-12-01

Author liked

Islanor Author

Ikr! It just get really frustrating at some point. I'd love to give that a try if I own a tablet (maybe i'll just grab my housemate's :3) hahaha

2021-12-01

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Moncage takes you through an ingenious, perspective-shifting puzzle game that involves the story of a father, his son, and a lighthouse. Graphics (★★★★☆) ✔️ Laidback design ✔️ Gorgeous art style Story (★★☆☆☆) ✔️ Conveyed through a montage of photographs ✔️ Allusions of topics like familial relationship, and war ❌ Confusing textless narrative ❌ Vague plots ❌ Timelessness brings confusion to the series of events

Jhandorl1K2021-11-29

Moncage Milestone Review: The Spring Chapter

How time flies! It has been almost a month since the launch of Moncage. Do you enjoy your journey in the world of Moncage? Ever since the launch of the game, many of you have been asking about the story behind the creation of Moncage. Inside the game, you can experience the change of seasons in multiple scenes. Likewise, Moncage has also undergone various stages of development before its official debut.

Tongtong_AMY981K2021-12-13