Genre: Action
Publisher: TBA
Developer: Artificial Studios
Release Date: Q1 2006

Monster Madness is somewhat of an oddity for a PC game. It's a top-down shooter, set in a town that is overrun with zombies, rabid dogs, and vampiric she-devils all hell-bent on ruining your day. Controlling one of four stereotypical horror movie main character types, you'll hack and shoot your way through several different levels of monster-infested landscapes. It's an interesting theme for a game, and all the different horror clichés make appearances.

At the start of Monster Madness, you can choose one of four characters to use as you progress through the game. There is the nerdy-type guy, the gothic chick, the stoner dude, and the cheerleader, each with his/her own voice and hand-drawn character art. There doesn't seem to be a real difference in the way that each of the characters controls, so the appearance of the characters is what will make you want to choose one. From here, you are thrust into the first level, Suburbia. The premise of the game is that the town is overrun with all sorts of horrible creatures of the scary kind, from zombies, to skeletons, demons, and rabid dogs. Each enemy has its own type of attacks and strategies with which they can be killed.

As you go through the levels, you'll find that Monster Madness is pretty difficult to control with the mouse and keyboard, almost requiring a dual analog controller to enjoy. Being stuck with a mouse and keyboard myself, I found it difficult to proceed through certain areas without being forced to turn on "God mode." However, once you become used to the mouse and keyboard, you can make your way through the levels without too much difficulty, but to get the full enjoyment out of this game, it seems that a controller of some type will almost be a necessity.

Your character can handle one melee weapon and carry as many of the ranged weapons as you can manage to pick up and build. You'll have to come across parts as you progress through each level, and meet up with Larry the weapon salesman, who can build and upgrade your weapons, as well as sell you ammo, thrown weapons, and other items. You pay for these items with crystals that the monsters leave behind when they die. Meeting up with Larry is definitely a must, as you'll find yourself running out of ammo a lot and needing to upgrade your weapons to get through some of the tougher monsters in the game.

At certain points, "Monster Fest" will flash on the screen, and you'll have to kill a predetermined amount of monsters before you can advance through the area. As you proceed through the levels, the amount of monsters you need to kill during the Monster Fest will increase, making things very challenging indeed.

The sound in the game fits the whole "Halloween" theme, with plenty of scary organ music going in the background to get you in the mood for some monster-slaying action. Each of the four playable characters has their own voices, and all the monsters have their own appropriate sounds as well. Each of the weapons sounds unique but when I hear them, I don't get the impression that they're particularly powerful weapons them. The auditory experience is overall a humorous, interesting, and scary one.

Graphically, the game makes use of the latest shaders and visual technology, allowing for an impressive environment that oozes style. High Dynamic Range lighting is also available for those who have systems beefy enough to handle it, and it certainly boosts up the eye candy factor a few notches. The environments are large and detailed, with wrecked vehicles, houses, and other materials all dotting the landscape. Police squad cars with their blue and red lights flashing, trucks smoking on their sides, and houses darkened in the midst of the horror are just some of the things that you'll come across, and most of them can be damaged, moved around, or completely destroyed, altering the landscape completely. There are some humorous graphics like chalk outlines of dead squirrels on the pavement as well, which helps add some subtle atmosphere to the game.

One of the most promising aspects of the game is the multiplayer. Teaming up with a companion or two will really make this game far more enjoyable than it is as a single-player game. Since Monster Madness can be very difficult at times, having a friend to back you up might mean the difference between life and death. It will certainly be a welcome addition to the final game, and I can definitely see gamers who like to play cooperatively getting excited about Monster Madness.

Despite all of the things that Monster Madness appears to be doing right, there are quite a number of things that really need to be improved before the game releases. The first thing that comes to mind is, of course, the control scheme. Monster Madness was clearly made with a controller in mind, and if someone purchases this game without knowing that a controller is advised to make playing the game enjoyable, they will be sorely disappointed. There's only so much that can be done with the mouse and keyboard in a game like this, but hopefully, the developers can tweak the controls to get it just right for both methods. Another aspect of the game that needs to be cleaned up is the motivation for the player. I just didn't feel like I had a reason to go through the levels slaughtering the monsters, but if more of a storyline were integrated, it would go a long way towards making me want to play the game.

Monster Madness is still in the early stages of development, and I have no doubt that some of the minor issues will be cleaned up as things move closer to release. As it stands, Monster Madness is a fun little diversion, a mindless, action-filled shooter that will give some enjoyment to fans of the genre and to fans of horror in general. The graphics are impressive, the sound is immersive, and the gameplay can be fun and exciting. With a few changes to the controls, it can certainly be a winner when it releases.