Indie Impressions: Mostrocopy

[00:00:10] Welcome, welcome, one and all. It's another Indie Impressions episode. It's me, Jake, from the Pre-Order Bonus podcast. If this is your first time listening to an Indie Impressions, thanks for tuning in. Thanks for listening. This is made possible from Pre-Order Bonus patrons. So, quick plug there for our Patreon. If you subscribe to the IndiePass, you get three Indie Impressions episodes plus a newsletter monthly.

[00:00:34] And, yeah, we are going to be talking about Monstrocopy, which I have decided is the correct way to pronounce this game's title. It is kind of like Monster, Monstro in Spanish and copy. Yeah, it's a tough one. We'll just leave it at that. Very cool game. And we'll get into that in a moment. But the title there is kind of sticky for me. This was developed by, I'm assuming this is pronounced Oribe Huayre Game.

[00:01:04] And this is self-published. This is a fighting game. So, if you are a long-time listener to the Pre-Order Bonus podcast or Indie Impressions, you know that this genre is a little bit outside of my wheelhouse. Yeah, I was really excited to do a review of this game.

[00:01:23] Monstrocopy came out initially on October 30th, 2023, which, let me tell you, is a really perfect release date. The day before Halloween, because this game very much has Halloween vibes in a way. We'll get to that in a second.

[00:01:39] Now, I play this one on Xbox Series S. So, this is, as my kids affectionately call it, the Xbox Junior. And I was gifted a copy of this game. I was gifted a key specifically for Xbox to sort of mark that it is now on all major platforms. It's released recently on Xbox earlier this year.

[00:02:05] Folks, this game, you know, I think it really, what I really want to say is that it just took me by surprise. This was a game that I looked at because the art direction initially just is, it's gorgeous. And I wanted to know more about this game. I saw that it was a fighting game and I was like, oh, I don't know. But you know what? It's been a long time since I've given a fighting game a fair shake.

[00:02:29] And the closest thing that I played to a fighting game was Thunder Ray, which is more like the, you know, old school boxing, like arcade boxing style of game, which isn't the same, right? It's not side to side. It's you with different directional inputs to sort of dodge and then land specific punches, but it's kind of like background to foreground. So, it's different. While a lot of the ethos or I think like game design might translate well between the two, they are quite different genres.

[00:02:59] But I wanted to give this one a go because I liked Thunder Ray so much and because I haven't seriously played a fighting game in a very, very long time. I haven't purchased one in an exceptionally long time, which is part of the reason why on the main show, we're not covering things like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. It's me. I'm the problem. It's my fault. But here we are. We decided, you know, or I decided to play this game. I was offered this key and I decided to give it a go.

[00:03:27] And so, we will be talking about Monstro Copy in four different categories. And the first one is the art direction. Second one is the narrative. The third is the game design. And then finally, this is sort of more of a mini category, if you will, who I recommend this game for. So, let's get into it. At the very tippy top, the first thing we got to talk about is just freaking how, like how amazing this game looks.

[00:03:56] I love, love the art direction of this game. It is very layered. And I think at first blush, it might come across as a little complex. But honestly, there's actually quite a lot of clarity in this game for a game that is so stylistic. However, so if you've listened to indie impressions quite a lot, one of my biggest things when talking about art direction is visual clarity. I have to be able to see what is going on, not just see something beautiful that's happening on screen.

[00:04:27] This is a really delicate balance. And I think Oribe Wada Games does a fairly good job with this one. There's comic book textures, you know, it's 2D. And the camera is relatively, you know, focused on... I mean, there's some zoom-ins when some cool things happen, sure. But it's relatively focused on being able to see everything that's happening on screen. So, I think it's fine.

[00:04:52] Where I think it gets tricky is you have these, like, different color filters or gradients across, like, depending on what map you're on. Sometimes black and white is crystal clear. And sometimes it just isn't because of the different textures and filters that are put on top of that color scheme. Sometimes you might have, like, a lime green or, like, a pale moss green, you know, sort of filter on top. And sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn't.

[00:05:18] It really comes down to just, like, how the characters are shaded and how they're outlined and what's bold and not when they're doing their attack animations. And so, I don't know. Like, I feel like if you were to take this game just, like, without all the filters and the cool backdrops, you know, behind them. And just have them on their animations and just, like, their basic color schemes. I think maybe visual clarity would have improved. But you do lose quite a lot of style.

[00:05:46] A lot of what makes this game so cool is just this comic book style. It very much feels that way. My favorite character was El Charro Negro. And this is who I beat the main campaign. There's a story mode. We'll get to this in a second. But I beat the campaign with them. And I experimented with the other players but didn't put as much into them. And El Charro Negro is amazing. But sometimes it's just kind of hard to see what the heck I was doing.

[00:06:15] I think specifically with, like, the block animation, it looked cool. But it was hard to see exactly my timing with it as it was happening on screen. Because the screen can feel a little cluttered with these textures and filters. So, like, as you're playing it, I think Art Direction suffers. But as you're looking at different, like, stills from this game or just, like, the character design. Oh, my goodness. This game is a dream.

[00:06:44] It is beautiful. It is got... I mean, it's oozing with style. It is just soaking wet. It is so cool. It is dripping, right, with all sorts of, as we would say way back in the day, dripping with steez. Like, this is a really beautiful, wonderful, cool, cool game to look at. And I think actually cool is the best adjective here. There's swagger. There's flair. It's big. And it's loud in what it's doing.

[00:07:11] And it's based off of classic monsters and luchadores from Mexico. And so, as it says in the description here on Steam, it says, Mostrocopy is a fighting video game that takes up the aesthetics of the horror and luchador films of Mexican cinema from the 1950s. And, folks, this is actually... This is a beautiful and rich, like, cinematic tradition from Mexico. Highly recommend that you check out, like, any of the movies about El Santo.

[00:07:41] There's a million of those. And that, you know, super famous and popular Mexican luchador. And what I loved here is, like, it's perfect for release right before Halloween because it kind of has those Halloween vibes. Like, there are vampires, you know. El Charro Negro is a skeleton, you know. A dual pistol-wielding skeleton. You got, like, a nun who was one of my favorite characters, actually. You got, like, this bat girl.

[00:08:07] Like, you have all these characters that you would associate with, like, Halloween in one way or another. But it... So, I think very loosely for, like, a North American audience, if you're from the United States or Canada, you're like, yeah, Halloween. But, man, it just invites you to kind of learn more about how cool the luchador tradition is in Mexico. And that there's this whole, you know, there's a bunch of movies kind of based on luchadores.

[00:08:34] And it just invites you to kind of experience this really cool cultural phenomenon because the character design, just like the art design, is so awesome. It is big. It is loud. It is in your face. You see a screenshot of any aspect of this game and you're going to be able to identify it immediately. It's unique. It's fresh. Like, it's all these really wonderful things. But, again, circling back to my earlier critique, but sometimes it's just kind of hard to see what the heck it is that you're doing. So, very cool.

[00:09:04] Last thing I want to say about Art Direction is that it's got this awesome, like, it's like... Sometimes it feels like Mexican ska punk, like, vibe to it. I highly recommend that you guys... This is going to be kind of a random thing here. But, like, it makes me think a lot of the band Surdok. That's Z-U-R-D-O-K.

[00:09:32] Just a really awesome band. And it just reminds me a lot of that kind of music. And so, big fan of what is happening in the background. Like, fights aren't super long. But let me tell you, you just do not get sick of what's going on in this game musically. It is super inviting. It feels very DIY sort of punk ethos, but it has this wonderful rock sound to it. Listen to Surdok.

[00:09:59] I recommend the album Maquillaje in particular to kind of get a sense of what it is that I... What you're hearing as you're kind of working your way through the song. Okay. The narrative of this game. It's silly. It's over the top. It's different depending on... Like, in story mode, you can pick the full roster of characters. And they each have their own story. I focused on El Charro Negro. And basically, it's like a conversation between three nuns. They're like, oh my gosh.

[00:10:25] Do you believe in all, like, the wicked beasts kind of prowling outside the convent? Are you worried? Are you afraid? And one of them is like, no, it's totally fake. And then the mother comes in. Reverend Mother is like, no, it's all real. But we're protected because a holy woman is, you know, buried in the cemetery out there. But watch out for El Charro Negro who stalks these grounds. But he can't get in because of the holy woman. And then it casts El Charro Negro. And he's like, they don't understand.

[00:10:54] Isabella, mi amor. Like, you are here and I will protect you from all the ghouls and demons in your final resting place. And then that's like the premise for you fighting off a bunch of enemies. And basically, it's like randomized. I think it's five different characters from the roster that you have to beat. And then you complete the campaign or the story for that one character. So there's actually, if you want to get through this game, there's a lot of content.

[00:11:22] Because I want to say there's like 16 characters, maybe 20. And you could just go through them all and do their different stories. I think if you're really good at fighting games, you would appreciate that. If you're really good into like over-the-top, melodramatic, just like horror stories. I mean, this is based off of 1950s horror cinema in Luchadores. So it's going to feel over the top. It's going to feel a little hokey. If you enjoy that, then I could see you working your way through all the campaigns.

[00:11:51] Otherwise, you're going to get totally exhausted. Like, it's just way too much to do. And I think you kind of get the gist of things because you're fighting the same, you know, roster over and over again. So I think narratively, like, nah, this isn't the strong point of the game. But also, it's kind of like, who cares? Like, I feel like the point of this game is to invite you into a very specific aesthetic. And to reside in there and kind of live the power fantasy of all these different characters. And it does that beautifully.

[00:12:19] It does exactly what it needs to do in that regard. And so I think in terms of narrative, like, don't read into it. Have fun with this one. You know, this is like, I don't know. It's a popcorn flick. It's pure, you know, cotton candy in terms of a narrative. But those things are fun and enjoyable. But it's the dosage that might get to you, which is what makes me think that it would be really tough to, like, get all achievements or all trophies in this game working through every single story campaign.

[00:12:46] That would be pretty taxing, I believe. All right. Let's move on. So game design. It's a fighting game. There are very few inputs, really. It's just light attack, heavy attack, directional input, and block. And then you can unlock, like, different heavy attacks based on a meter that you build up at the bottom of the screen.

[00:13:13] And I thought this was a really fantastic introduction to fighting games. Because, like I said, I'm not a huge fan of these. And part of that is because I just get totally overwhelmed with all the information and inputs that are happening. And I'm not good at executing, like, super long and drawn-out combos. And so I feel like this was a good introduction in that as I was kind of doing some training mode, doing some versus mode, arcade mode, and story mode. I was just kind of allowed to experiment.

[00:13:43] And I felt like in story mode that there was a pretty good difficulty pacing in terms of some characters. I don't know. The first few rounds of the characters felt relatively straightforward and, like, I can learn what was going on. I could time things pretty dang well. And it was just a good old time. It was a good old time in that way. Now, as I was getting further into story mode, I kept hitting more and more roadblocks. And that's when I started. I went to training mode. I was like, all right, let's figure out some of these combos. Let's figure out some of the things I need to do.

[00:14:13] And I was paying a lot more attention to what the just computer AI was doing. And I was like, oh, man, I'm not ducking enough. Or, ooh, if I execute, like, this combo, I can actually jump and fly through the air. Or, oh, this is what I need to do to land. Like a guard or, like, a perfect escape. I think they call them, like, what was it called? Like a great scape. Basically a way to just dodge and get out of the way and reposition yourself.

[00:14:36] Because these characters, as opposed to other fighting games, I feel like if you're just moving left or right, they go really slowly. They walk pretty, pretty dang slowly. And so a lot of your movement comes from your attacks. And attacks mean positioning. And interrupting, I found, to be just super crucial to be able to make a lot of progress in this game. Now, if you're a longtime fighting game fan, you're probably like, Jacob, this is stuff we already know.

[00:15:04] But this is stuff that I learned while playing the game. Despite the game's, like, really minimal tutorialization. Which is why I'm like, oh, this game might be just designed for babies like me. Or it's finally a fighting game that makes sense or just has enough readability in terms of, or just, like, in-game feel. That I could figure out some of these mechanics. I think part of it, too, is like, yeah, there were plenty of times where I would get locked into a combo and I just got absolutely wasted.

[00:15:33] But I also felt like I had enough time to react and adapt to different scenarios that I could keep toe-to-toe in most fights. Rarely was there, like, a total blowout one way or the other. So I really liked it. I thought the game was balanced really well for a player like me. Like I mentioned, there are a whole lot of modes. Honestly, and this is where my personal bias towards fighting games kind of comes into play. All of the modes just kind of feel the same.

[00:16:02] Because, I don't know, arcade or versus or story, you're just in a small 2D arena and trading blows. That's kind of what it feels like. And so I know that's really reductive to say, but that's how I interpret this type of experience. And so the different modes are there, and I think they're fun. But if you're just, like, kind of or lightly or remotely or not all that much super into fighting games, I think you are just going to find that, okay, this was super cool.

[00:16:31] But it's going to be really hard to be motivated to complete a huge portion of what's in the game. Obviously, I didn't complete, like, every story mode. I didn't get all achievements or anything, but I put in several hours into this game. And I think the hours I got out of it were really enjoyable. Now, here's the crazy thing, and I'm contradicting myself here, in that I am compelled to go back and do some story mode. Like, just kind of want to kick back and, like, just check out all these cool characters. And I think that's the biggest draw for somebody like me.

[00:16:59] It's like these character designs are amazing. The characters look super cool. I want to see how they play. I want to see what they're like. I want to see what their animations are, you know, kind of beyond what the computer is doing. I kind of want to control and see what happens. Like, get that, chase that feeling of landing some of these big charged attacks, for example. By the end of the story campaign with El Charro Negro, I pretty much played him for a few hours, and then I dabbled with a bunch of the others.

[00:17:27] Like, I felt like I really had learned mastery over him because I just wanted to really live in and experience the aesthetic that is predominant in this game, which is just freaking cool. It looks good. It sounds good. It plays good. And so I think that is, like, the biggest draw for somebody like me. Other things with game design, I know that in fighting game communities, like hitboxes and landing attacks and positioning and, like, distance from player and all that stuff really matters.

[00:17:59] Now, I don't know if I'm super qualified to say this, but I do feel like there were some hitboxes that I didn't quite understand. And ironically enough, in my favor. So I don't know if you're just, like, playing as a character that you, there's a chance, like, that your hitboxes are slightly larger. There are a few attacks, and maybe it could have been something specific to El Charro Negro, where it's just like, huh, I'm surprised that hit.

[00:18:27] And then, you know, an enemy would do something to me, and I'm like, oh, I'm surprised that missed. And so am I really complaining? No, because it was pretty much in my favor every time I felt like there may have been a hitbox issue. So I don't know. I kind of say that as a warning. If you're, like, interested in fighting games and you're looking for an indie fighting game, that's what my experience was with Mostrocopy. Mostroscopy.

[00:18:54] I think it's Mostroscopy is how you pronounce it. It's only said once at the very beginning of the game. And, yeah, that's kind of how it is. But, yeah, I think in terms of game design, like, if you want the straightforward, like, what a fighting game offers, you're going to get it here. It has all the nuts and bolts. It has all the things that you would expect. But just, like, a super cool coat of paint over top of it. Yeah. So who do I recommend this game for?

[00:19:22] You know it's coming, but I'd say fighting game babies like me. If you want to just, I don't know, for whatever reason, it was just so much easier for me to get into this game. And a huge part of that is the other thing that you know I'm going to say here. It's if you want cool comic book luchador horror film aesthetics. Like, this game just is very, very, very cool. It looks amazing, you know.

[00:19:48] And I played this game on Xbox Series S, and it performed beautifully. And so I imagine that this game, you know, I only have experience on the one console, but it's highly optimized for it. And so if you're playing on a lesser powered or a less powerful machine, my guess here would be like Series S and then maybe Switch or something. Or just like a lower end PC. This game is going to play well. Like, it played super well.

[00:20:17] I encountered zero issues related to performance while playing on Series S, which is always super welcome. Especially something like a fighting game, you know, and I kind of allude to this. Like, especially in fighting games, there's this like, oh, is it a skill issue or is it a hitbox issue? Or what kind of issue is happening here that explains why I'm losing? I mean, let's be real, folks. Nine times out of ten, it's the player. It's not the game. But I felt like here, yeah, you can't really blame performance.

[00:20:45] I had zero stuttering during really important combo chains or anything like that. So it played incredibly well on Series S. I really enjoyed my time there. What I really look forward to now with the game is having my kids check it out. I feel like, you know, I mean, first person or first group I kind of recommended this for was, you know, fighting games babies, if you will. And I just feel like my kids could get really into this.

[00:21:12] And again, the really big draw is just how cool the aesthetic is. And it starts a conversation. You're like, oh, dad, what is this based on? And then we can talk about like, oh, this is based on luchadores. And, you know, the first question is, aren't luchadores just Mexican WWE? And it's not, you know, it's different than that, right? So I think this is a great game. If you're interested in Mexican culture, this game is not like an encyclopedia. It's not just going to educate you or give you a bunch of answers to questions.

[00:21:41] But it is a really wonderful insight that will prompt questions about luchadores and the culture kind of surrounding them. So all in all, I think Mostro Copi is a very cool game. I've said the word cool. You could probably count it up over 30 times at this point. I just love the art direction. I just love how that makes it super inviting.

[00:22:03] And I think that this is, you know, one of those games where it's like the art direction is so compelling that it's going to draw a lot of people into this game. And it will also probably have players forgive some of the things about the game that aren't as well developed or polished or kind of meeting player expectations. Folks, that's what I have for this episode on Mostro Copi.

[00:22:30] If you have enjoyed this episode, please check out the Patreon to support. Folks, I am super grateful for you all, the patrons on the Patreon, because you make stuff like this possible. I'm really grateful to Oribe Wada Games that allowed me with the key to kind of play this on Xbox and just let you know how it was on that console, what the experience was like. So, folks, thanks a ton for your support. Thanks for listening. And until the next episode, take care.