Asymmetric multiplayer is a genre that needs a new wave to recapture interest. With some classics like Dead by Daylight looking a bit long in the tooth now, a breath of fresh, indie, innovative air has been long overdue, and that might just be where Goonya Monster fits in!
Goonya Monster can be seen as the conceptual successor of Goonya Fighter, released back in June 2019 for the Nintendo Switch, and November 2021 on Steam for PC, which unfortunately received little attention, positive or negative. Both hail from MUTAN, a small Japanese development studio known more for its collaborative efforts with gaming and software development than its own actual releases. We’re certainly hoping that this – a casual 3v1 fighting game and its palette of vibrant, eye-catching colours – does better for the team.
Matches are split into “bite-sized” three-minute matches fought between busters (a team of three anti-monster human characters), who must sleuth and sneak around, and collaboratively defeat the player controlling the single, much more powerful monster and its undead army. That task is perhaps the longest three minutes you’ll face in casual party gaming!
Combat is defined by equipment and ability customisation, with busters having the choice between shotguns, flamethrowers, and a multitude of other weapons. Monsters on the other hand are encouraged to utilise an abundance of supernatural abilities, like super-sizing, beam attacks, and all that other good stuff that you’d expect a nasty boss monster to have access to.
Goonya Monster releases on December 4 for PS5, Switch, and PC. Could it be the party game of this year’s Christmas season? We’ll just have to wait and see.
