Montague's Mount Reviews

+ Advantages : - A game which knows how to take his time .. - A story midway between Robinson Crusoe, Dear Esther and Myst - Some thoughtful puzzles - A relaxing musical atmosphere - Drawbacks : - ... A game that takes too much time ? - The slow character - The inability to save wherever you want - Technically weakling - The lifetime (between 3 and 4 hours) - The end which will be proposed in the second part. 8/20

I think the reasons I give this game a negative review is pretty well covered by most others who rated it the same. 1. The game is incomplete. Chapter 2 will probably never come out. Thus you the player are left with only half a story. 2. The hardest part of the puzzles is finding the puzzles pieces scattered about. You will spend more hours finding things then actually solving things because: Everything is so dark, the rain takes out all the color and everything is grainy and seems to have poor resolution. Not to mention they are always located in obtuse locations. 3. There is only one movement speed, and that is painfully slow. This is terribly annoying when trying to search large areas for those hard to find puzzle pieces or when you have to backtrack across large areas of the map. In the end this is a niche game for a particular type of player. This game absolutely demands you play in a very casual and patient way. If you are not a very patient gamer who can take things painfully slow and meticulously, you will not enjoy this title.

The short version: Like [i]Dear Esther[/i] but with puzzles. The long version: While it shares a few comparisons with [i]Dear Esther[/i] in terms of plot and setting--male protagonist wandering alone on a dreary-but-hauntingly-beautiful island--I'd have to say that [i]Montague's Mount[/i] is by far the more disturbing of the two. You are likely to figure out what's going on halfway through, but uncovering the manner in which those things occurred still manages to keep the final reveal from feeling anticlimactic. The inclusion of puzzles obviously sets it apart from DE, and while some of them stumped me for a little while (the Compass Puzzle comes to mind), they didn't inspire an urge to rage quit. I have to admit, I was a little put off by how slow the character was, especially when certain puzzles required retracing my steps. Still, the game establishes the need for limited movement from the very beginning; as a storyteller myself, I do appreciate that foundation even if the gamer in me occasionally kept pressing left shift in hopes the narrator would move that walking stick just a little bit faster! By far, the best part of this entire game is the voice acting. As an American, I'm in no position to comment on the quality of the accent, but he definitely managed to put genuine emotion where it was needed. I [i]felt[/i] for him when he began to despair. I felt his frustrations with his marriage. The reading of the last letter also helped the ending from falling too flat. The music in this game was also very lovely and added to the mood of the game. (That said, I wasn't entirely keen on the occasional popping up of quotes, even if they were relevant to one of the game's main themes. It kind of interrupted the immersive atmosphere that otherwise existed.) Speaking of the ending... I was expecting to continue on to the eponymous Mount after that last narration, only to wind up at the title screen! Right now it feels too open-ended. Part of me does think it fits, considering what we learn of the character over the course of the game. Since I've only just finished it, I think I need more time to really turn it over to definitely decide whether or not I liked the ending. [b]Overall:[/b] It's worth playing through for the plot and voice acting. The music is appropriate and helps set the mood, the puzzles are an appropriate level of challenging, and if you liked [i]Dear Esther[/i]--or just point-and-click adventures in general--you'll probably like this as well.

I've already had this sensation playing the game near the 2014, but this time i'm gonna put it into words. This games feels really bad, and not in the good sense, it has too many problems. Let's do a little list: - Bad Movement: - Slow, I mean, reaaaaalllllyyyyy slow. - It feels like riding a wagon. - Imposibility to climb certain steps and objects. (got stuck 25 min in the end trying to climb a step) - Too many invisible walls. - Glitches that involves: - Getting propelled to the sky. - Go through objects and some fences. - Fall to the ocean (thats not supposed to happen). - Fall from the map. - The BGM and Sounds get stuck or repeats over themselves. - Textures with problems and doesn't load at all. - The options menú sometimes doesn't work. - For some reason the achievements popup when you exit the game and not when intended. - Some objects don't appear unless you restart the checkpoint. - It lacks atmosphere. (Not scary at all) - The history has problems and contributes little to nothing to the gameplay. And many other things, that's why I cannot recomend this game. [b]1 / 10[/b] At least you can get the achivements fairly easily.

First thing to know: the awkward, slow walking only lasts for a short time (you have to find something). Don't be put off! Really liked this game-- solid effort from PolyPusher, IMO. It looks like some of the criticism it got in some of the reviews was addressed by the patch. I never played pre-patch, so I can't compare. Overall I found the game enjoyable, introspective, psychological, and, well, fun. Love the exploration element with just enough story (and an interesting one) to keep you going. It's not a long game, but it's not ultra-short, either. I think the duration is about right. You might find a puzzle that annoys you for one reason or another, but overall the puzzles are good. And don't be put off by the clutter of items in the opening area-- the whole game isn't like that. You'll like the game if you like exploration, pretty 3D graphics, immersion, and no timed elements (technically the one mini-game is "timed" but if it really bothers you, you can disable it). It's a pastoral, not an epic. It rewards taking your time and enjoying the scenery. Some will find that boring, others will find it just what they want to relax with over a few evenings. You won't like the game if you want to be able to run fast from screen to screen, need action or cool cutscenes, bright colors, an amazing, gripping story, or super-easy or super-hard puzzles. For achievement-hunters, if you pay attention at all, you should have no problem getting 19/20 achievements with a little patience. The last one (finding the crosses) I only got 19/22 from normal gameplay and had to go back and hunt for the other three, including consulting a guide. And with one exception, the ones I missed were pretty much in front of my face. Give it a shot. 8.5/10

The reasons why i wouldnt recommend this game outweigh why i would recommend it unfortunately. Now, the game is a good concept, but there were so many problems with it i just couldnt wait to finish the game. I dont like to just stop playing something because of whatever is wrong with it, so i pushed through because i also wanted to know what the whole story was etc. and give it a chance. Pros: *decent story *atmosphere was ok, it wasn't scary but i still didn't feel "safe" *nice art but hard to enjoy with a skitzo framerate Cons: *gameplay was slow and laggy, choppy framerate. when i finished the game it seems to freeze at the main menu so it didnt register my progress or anything--had to restart my computer and try again, still freezed. *puzzles were extremely fustrating. i like a challenge but these were no fun whatsoever. However when i DID figure them out i felt like a freakin genius lol *with the bad framerate, the walking around, limping at the beginning was just as irritating. i tried fiddling with my settings but some of that didnt even work. *the music/sound affects were a bit annoying but no big deal. not as annoying as the lightning and rain *letters/notes whatever were oft times hard to read All in all, my biggest dislike is the puzzles because most of the time i had no idea how to work them, it didn't even seem to register when i did use them but i got through the game nonetheless thanks to the option to turn 1 puzzle in particular off. Anyway, i got this game during the 75% off sale if i remember correctly, so for 2 bucks, i cant complain. though if i got it for the original price -,- yeeeeaaa i'd likely bust my computer with a hammer and cry for the waste of money. So i'm in between recommending and not doing so...give it a try if you'd like but there's no proper guides for this game, and it is very long and complicated if you dont know what to do.

This is how I like my adventure games. Lots of walking and looking around for stuff. The settings of an Irish island are great, the surroundings (trees and cabins) are drawn good, but I don't know of my video card suited the game cause it all looked a bit weird. You can check my screenshots to see what I mean. At first I played without looking at gamma correction settings and missed some stuff because it was all so dark, after I set it to highest (1.5) I could find all missing stuff to unlock all my achievements. The story telling was very good, it was a lot like "Dear Esther" leading to a climax which I won't tell you. I recommend it for those long winter evenings.

Montague's Mount is a difficult game to review: It has so much potential, but falls short on certain aspects of gameplay, which makes it difficult sometimes to appreciate and has alienated many players. If there's anything to be taken away from this review, its that patience above all else, is the most important skill the player will have to possess. Like many others, I bought and played this game for two simple reasons: I absolutely enjoyed "Dear Esther", and I got given a 80% off coupon, making the game extremely cheap. To be honest, had it not been for the coupon magically landing in my steam account, I would not have heard of this game at all, which reflects rather poorly this game's advertising campaign. I find that many other reviewers have been quick to slate the game and brush it under the carpet as a failed project, but I can't shake the feeling that they have been overly harsh with their judgment: The game isn't as complete and polished as it ought to be, and to be honest, some of the points I will highlight later have proven to be extremely frustrating indeed, as they were deliberately implemented. However, you should find the patience to stick with it and try and scratch below the surface, you may find yourself to be pleasantly surprised. The Story & Setting: The story of Montague's Mount could be described as a melancholic journey where the player attempts to piece together the events that have transpired to himself, his family and the inhabitants of the small Irish community scattered across a small, wind and rain battered island in the Atlantic sea. The plot development closely follows the same mechanics of Dear Esther, by making the player interact with notes, objects and monologues from the main character. The pacing of the narrative is quite regular at the start, but feels rather rushed by the end, which slightly derails the flow of the story. Unlike Dear Esther, not much information about the island and its inhabitants is provided to the player. The same can be said in regards to the causes of the events which have unfolded prior to the protagonist’s joinery, which was slightly disappointing. I travelled around this island and was constantly under the impression that something ancient and potentially malevolent transpired there in ancient time (many "sacred stone" and pillars can be seen dotted around the island) and maybe a diary entry or two about these, would provide extra depth into the setting of the story. The translation of all objects in Gaelic is a very nice touch, and the small cultural references that can be found here and there add to the beautiful atmosphere to the game. Anyone which has lived extensively on the British Isles (particularly in small communities, highlands and moors) such as myself, will be quick to relate to how capricious the weather can get and this is very well depicted, as an unrelenting, atrocious weather system which constantly batters the island and the player. The music score is fantastic (a real credit to Andrea Baroni) and melds perfectly with the environment. The dreariness of the island and constant stress amplified by the incessant rain compounds a feeling of constant desperation. On the other hand, the extreme colour desaturation and "grainy" effect are overkill and more often than not, get in the way of gameplay (luckily, these can be easily disabled). The lighting and visuals are nowhere near as good as Dear Esther’s and many bugs and poor effects in regards to lighting and shadows become quickly apparent. These are also damaging to the player's immersion into the environment. I can only put this down to lack of experience in game design and I am sure it can be easily fixed. My only other complaint is that the story ends rather abruptly, leaving many questions unanswered. Ambiguous endings are acceptable; Dear Esther pulls it off extremely well, but here I felt like I was left hanging. Maybe they plan an expansion? It's unclear... Finally the horror aspect of the game could have easily been dropped. The atmosphere of the island gives enough of an impact without the "Ghost boy" moments, which I'm sorry to say, where rather appalling and failed completely to fit in to the environment. The Gameplay: The gameplay is divided into pacing around the island searching for clues, and puzzle solving activities. Pacing is very slow and the reasoning for this I assume, is that your character is injured/sick and can only hobble around (walking stick). This will most likely exasperate the impatient player, as walking around is pretty much all you do in this game, and I myself often grumbled at the idea of having to go backwards, because of the time and effort to get around... However, I can appreciate the reason why this has been put in place; it adds to the feeling of desperation and allowance for gentle pacing around the environment, giving you time (or possibly forcing you) to take in the sights and in this sense, I don't see it as an issue. The puzzles add an extra dimension to the game which Dear Esther lacked, but they have been the source of major complaints in many of the reviews - Many citing their difficulty and lack of logic. I fully disagree, and it once again boils down to a question of patience. I didn't find these puzzles particularly challenging, if one takes the time to think about them. On several occasions I found myself stuck, not because of the puzzle's logic but because of poor level design an visuals (such as the semaphore diagram being impossible to decipher due to VERY poor lighting and resolution). This does kill the gameplay... The Positives: - Great Atmosphere - More interactive than Dear Esther - Good Voice acting - Beautiful music - Constant sense of desperation The Negatives: - The aparenaces of "Ghost Boy" - The MANY bugs (fell into the ocean at one point) - The abrupt ending - Lack of background information about the island - Poor visual effects: Lighting and desaturation Summary: For the price I bought this game for, I feel it was definitely worth it. Anyone who enjoyed Dear Eshter will enjoy this, and the story will compel you to get to the end, despite the game's bugs and shortcomings. My recommendation is that developers should correct the bugs, increase the plot, improve upon the ending and sort out the visual. Then... This game will be a true masterpiece.

The game has a sad story, there are many letters to find and read. The feeling of loneliness is incredible strong. The graphic is fine and detailed for a non A+++ game. Its chaos on a island and you dont know what happen, you know nearly nothing so you search areas for few items and try your best. The quests are not hard but easy to oversee. I enjoy this journey even if its a bit short and sometimes frustation that the game gives nearly no tips only what are on letters written or codes you need to find but thats fine if you stuck you get one of many guides for help or walktroughs. Sometimes its hard because you think you have something but you dont get with it to next checkpoint and must repick it because game saves only on this few checkpoints, a weakpoint but only a little one, the spead of this man is not so fast, but at the end you know why he dont run. Only the game length could be better but 2-4 hours of entertainment are good, if you hunt the achievements like the 22 crux, find all 5 graves or 5 postcards are nice little gimmicks/ extras. So i give this game personal 87 % and i hope you enjoy it. I dont know the price of the game at the moment, so lock a trailer and think about what you are the game worth. I only hope the developer get further the chance to make games. Thank you for reading.

I just finished 'Montague's Mount' with 2 hours and 10 minutes of in-game time, and I am absolutely blown away. It has been years since I was this disappointed in a video game and/or felt this [b]mislead[/b] by the title's description and the feedback on the Steam store page. I paid less than $2.00 USD for 'Montague's Mount,' and it took me less than 3 hours to defeat it. Honestly, I'm so shocked and appaulled by this game that I want to ban myself from ever pursuing ANY additional PolyPusher Studios projects, and I am loathe to blacklist any developer. If you want "puzzles" that are difficult only due to horrible frame rate issues and intentionally obtuse clue placement, and the added bonus of spending 50% or more of your time back-tracking at a slow pace, by all means purchase this title. I was initially impressed with the music and the stormy seascape atmosphere, but I need a [i]little[/i] more than that from a video game to call it worthwhile. The plot was lackluster, and by the "climactic ending" I was totally disinterested; even the creepy kid failed to impress me after the first few encounters. I also question the term "psychological thriller," because this video game is barely suspenseful at best, and the completely predictable decline in the main character's mental process doesn't feel psychological, it just feels like lazy storytelling. When I made the decision to purchase this game, I ignored the awful 'Metascore' (per usual with Steam, especially with Indie games), and focused on the 100% positive reviews in the "Most Helpful" category. I cannot believe that not a single Negative review is visible on the store page, and that seems questionable in my book.