Mongrel

I had such high hopes for Mongrel. It definitely looks like my sort of game. It is a run and gun metroidvania with dark (sometimes toilet-style) humor. That being said, I just could not get past the control scheme. For me, metroidvanias are best played with a controller, and Mongrel (at least not at the time of this writing) does not offer good controller support. There are vital controls missing from the controller layout, and what is there, doesn't feel good. It controls alright with a mouse and keyboard, but at times, the mouse and keyboard controls feel just okay at best and clunky at worst. If Mongrel got some good controller support, I believe that it could be an amazing game, especially at its price point; however, in its current state, I cannot recommend it.

many stability issues, frequently crashes in random "load zones" (theres nothing telling you the game is loading just a black screen, and pray it doesnt crash!).

30 second load screens between each area.

Mongrel is an unapologetically strange 2D action roguelite that turns a deliberately ridiculous premise into a surprisingly involved adventure. Developed and published by Fischmell, it takes place in the warped land of Yonder, where common sense has largely disappeared and society operates according to bizarre customs. Criminals can literally be flushed down toilets, social status can be manipulated through dishonest compliments, and the inhabitants accept absurd circumstances as normal. This unusual setting immediately separates the game from more traditional fantasy roguelites. Exploration is one of the main attractions because Yonder is designed around discovering what lies beneath its strange exterior. The journey gradually leads into increasingly dangerous areas of the underworld, mixing side-scrolling action with dungeon crawling and adventure elements. The environments are filled with enemies, secrets, characters, and opportunities to improve the protagonist. There is a genuine mystery surrounding the world's declining intelligence and peculiar social structure, giving players something to pursue beyond simply becoming stronger. Character progression revolves heavily aroun…

If you like Postal, you'll like Mongrel. Stick around the town and talk to folks. It's absolutely worth it.

I’m writing this 7/31/23 The game is in early access, and the big update hasn’t arrived yet, but I would still 100% recommended anyone to buy it (even without full controller support, which is one of my biggest pet peeve’s) because it’s fun, and hilarious! If the big update turns out to be half as good as I think it will, this is for sure gonna be on hidden gem lists in the decades to come!