There are few things more cathartic in this life than a video game that simply lets you smash a load of stuff up. In that regard, You Are the Monster is about as pure as it gets: pick a giant monster, get dropped into a city, and rampage across it. It is a profoundly uncomplicated experience that strips away complex mechanics in favor of raw, destructive joy.
Starting my first round as the Kraken—described as a cross between a lobster, an octopus, and a minivan—I initially feared I had missed a tutorial. There isn’t one. The controls are deceptively simple; walking into anything smashes it aside, whether it’s a car, scenery, or civilian. It is hard-pressed to do anything without causing havoc.
The Chaos of Being the Kaiju
The civilians are understandably terrified by my approach, yet wonderfully terrible at getting out of the way. Everywhere I go, heaving crowds and traffic jams form, ready to maximize my trail of destruction. It feels as though they have all turned up specifically to rubberneck.
The game’s core loop is straightforward: the more you destroy, the more you level up, which unlocks even more ways to destroy stuff. Each monster boasts three special attacks that can be further upgraded.
- Ground Slams: Smashes everything in your immediate vicinity.
- Sprinting Charge: Knocks aside all intervening obstacles in a straight line.
- Vacuum Maw: Sucks people directly into your mouth like a big evil vacuum.
At first, these abilities feel like overkill. However, the dynamic shifts when the city starts fighting back, making them surprisingly vital for survival.
Escalating Conflict and Strategy
One thing giant monsters apparently have in common with GTA protagonists is a wanted level. As destruction mounts, the authority response escalates rapidly. You start with police and SWAT teams, but quickly find yourself fending off tanks, drones, snipers, and airstrikes.
Big as you may be, you are not invincible. This is where a bit of strategy cuts through the mindless smashing. Picking off dangerous opponents is key, but it is almost impossible to do so without taking damage; you are simply too large a target.
Consequently, healing regularly is essential. You can only heal by gathering health orbs, which are a rare drop from slain civilians. The gameplay boils down to picking the right moments to use special attacks and managing their fairly long cooldowns. Getting caught without a ability available can be deadly.
While these attacks are useful for taking out dense groups of enemies, it often makes more sense to save them for quickly smashing through a crowd to recover when health dips. With the right mix of aggression and caution, I managed to survive for a full 13 minutes of rampaging, completing the round.
The Nuclear Punchline
The reward for surviving the chaos? A nuclear bomb is dropped on my head. It is a unique way of ending the level and providing a bit of karmic balance for all that murdering. Clearly, there is no question that I am the bad guy in this scenario.
In the end, You Are the Monster is a pretty slight experience. Beating a run with a monster unlocks an endless mode for it, and hitting destruction milestones unlocks new monsters. Fundamentally, however, the simple core formula does not change much.
Between the licensed assets and the fairly barebones offering, it is easy to tell this is a scrappy one-man project. But good kaiju games are thin on the ground, and I appreciate the sheer directness of You Are the Monster. Even that title tells you exactly what you’re getting into: the simple joy of causing chaos with no frills or fuss.
Like an irradiated dinosaur, it may have a lot more growing to do. The game is set to launch into early access on June 18, receiving about six months of polishing, quality of life improvements, and new features based on community feedback.
My first suggestion? Let’s get some bigger monsters in there. Stepping on cars and tanks is fun, but stomping buildings would be even better.
