A Monstrously Unique Fighter or a Flimsy Fisticuff?
You’d never guess it from the bizarre name, but Oribe Ware Games and Seashell Studio’s Mostroscopy is a fighter. Doesn’t exactly shout fisticuffs, does it?
But not only is this a fighting game, it is also a fighting game with a unique aesthetic, that of Mexican Luchadore and horror films from the 1950s. And no, that is not a sentence I anticipated writing any time soon!
So, being a bit of a noob when it comes to Mexican cinema in general, I dived in to see what was what. Come with me to a weird world, won’t you?
Thin Narrative, Bold Style
We’ll start with the story, and being a fighting game the narrative found in Mostroscopy is a little thin. Every one of the characters that we can choose from has their own reason for fighting it seems, from saving the world to defeating heroes to make way for a race of cat people taking over the world: I told you it was weird! The story is presented in the form of graphic novel panels, and while there is no voice acting as such (various utterances in the fighting bouts excepted) the story is nice and clear. Not much else to report though, as is usual for these types of games.
The presentation is a different kettle of fish. Here, the designers have been allowed full reign of their imaginations, and it is not unusual for one bout to be in colour, the next in black and white, and the next to be shown through a weird colour filter; Mostroscopy really does look like no other. The characters that we fight as and against are also a well designed bunch, from the aforementioned cats to masked Luchadores right over to giant robots.
Missing Frames and Funky Beats
Every character has a unique look, and they all move in different ways too. That said, they all have one thing in common: some of their animation frames seem to be missing. They will go from facing left, as an example, to facing right without seeming to move; and this does seem a little bit jarring. Sometimes the special move animation can be a little flaky too, and while this doesn’t detract from the game as a whole, it is noticeable.
Sound is limited to the usual fighting game thumps and bangs, but a special mention has to be given to the music. Not only is it the loudest music I have ever heard on any game ever, the tunes are also pretty funky, capable of matching the on-screen action pretty well. Once you’ve dived into the menu and turned it down a notch or two, it is the perfect accompaniment to the fighting action.
Simplified Strikes
But let us take a look at the actual fighting mechanics on offer, and, to put it nicely, I don’t think Tekken 8 or Mortal Kombat 1 is going to be having any sleepless nights.
The action can best be described with the word “simplified”, and even this doesn’t really cut it. With only three buttons in use, and only two of those being attacks, Mostroscopy doesn’t have the deepest fighting system to be unleashed on an unsuspecting world.
Getting a combo going is easy though, as simply tapping the X button will chain some attacks together. When you get clever and press Y at the end of the chain, you can get more hits. Y is the “special attack” button, and these are the same for all the characters: simply press a direction and the Y button to perform a special move. For a bit of spice, you can hold the Y button down, powering up the attack until it reaches its maximum level, when it will be unleashed whether you want it to be or not. And that is it, really: keep attacking until your foe falls over, then move on to the next bout and do it again.
No Online Fights, Limited Longevity
Most fighting games these days wouldn’t be caught dead without a multiplayer function, and Mostroscopy is a little different in that regard. You can have a ruck with someone sat next to you on the couch, and this local multiplayer aspect works pretty well. However, if you want to take your skills to the waiting world and shows off how good you are, tough luck, I’m afraid: there is no online mode included. This severely hamstrings the longevity of Mostroscopy, as even with the CPU difficulty turned up, the game is a breeze to beat. And once you’ve beaten it with every character, there really isn’t much to keep you coming back. Yes, there is a challenge mode, but this is no replacement for fighting real people.
A Visually Unique Fighter with Shallow Combat
All in, Mostroscopy brings something different to the table in regards to its presentation, but then the wheels fall off. The fighting action is so simplistic that there is rarely a challenge, and unless you have a regular buddy who can come round to challenge you to some sofa-based battling, it’s not much fun once you’ve clocked it.
All things considered, there are better fighting games out there then Mostroscopy – unless you are a massive Luchadore fan.
Important Links
Mostroscopy Grapples onto Xbox: A Luchador-Fueled Fighting Fiesta – https://www.thexboxhub.com/mostroscopy-grapples-onto-xbox-a-luchador-fueled-fighting-fiesta/
Buy Mostroscopy on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/mostroscopy/9NGJL4RCWNQ7
