Being considered as a bright mix of retro pulp sci-fi, parlour game Werewolf and XCOM-style tactics, I'm Not A Monster has never received enough admiration as its fans expected. There are many reasons behind this, but one of them could be that players can only get through a simple solo mode against bots if they want to have battles with another player in multiplayer.
Fortunately, developers Cheerdealers didn't decide to give up on their game. In a recent announcement, they have introduced First Contact to the game as a story-rich solo campaign mode. It's scheduled to come out some time at the end of this year. A beta test will begin next month, and you can register right now.
Let's enjoy its teaser trailer below:
I am not a Monster: First Contact Teaser
If you've never heard of I’m Not A Monster, here is some information for you to catch up: In this game, you will find yourself in a multiplayer strategy battlefield similar to XCOM. Each player will have control over one character in strictly timed turns. Your mission is helping space-tourists getting out a space-cruise liner. It sounds simple. But there will be some obstacles in your way, you will face some alien lizards who have the ability to turn into another being, in this case - the member of your rescue team. They can even infect those passengers and make them their own host bodies if you die. Matches are fast-paced, intense and have lots of accidental backstabbing. How can you be sure the player who sneaks into a side-room (out of sight) is an outer world creature, or just lost?
Although their Kickstarter campaign failed, it seems that Cheerdealers are trying to create something new for their game by introducing First Contact. With this addition, we can expect less crazy things, but perhaps more interesting goofy old movie tropes, or some bizarre twists that can make players feel relaxed. There will be a collection of eight characters for players to choose from (including the terribly named character Captain Laser) throughout a numerous number of small missions.
According to Cheerdealers, they are thinking about introducing First Contact for approximately ten hours to give the audience a clear view of the world of retro-future beauty and danger in the game. Maybe that would be enough to bring a breath of fresh air to the game's multiplayer. Of course, we should always give games another chance when it's possible, especially those which have a multiplayer mode. Let's take Rocket League as an example: the game debuted with no fame, was overwhelmed by other PS3 titles, but now it has become one of the most popular games in the world.
Good news for I'm Not A Monster owners, the First Contact campaign seems to be released as a free upgrade. You can access its early campaign beta by signing up on its official page. The original game was published by Alawar Premium, which is currently accessible on Steam and Humble Store with the price of £10.29/€10.79/$12.99.