When you think of winning combinations in videogames, the partnership of meaty, satisfying combat and a heavy metal soundtrack is right up there as one of the best. The likes of Brutal Legend and Metal Hellsinger have proved that over the years, and now Munch is here to try and be the latest member of the band. With some hellish aesthetics and crunchy top-down combat, it looks the part – but intriguingly, it weaves in elements of Hades and even Pokémon into the mix too.
The latest newcomer in the ever-growing list of new roguelike games in 2024, Munch sees you embark on a journey as Chaozborne, a headless bat (Ozzy Osbourne reference absolutely intended) who aims to navigate a fantasy hellscape in order to free the Gods of Metal. This involves slaying all the demonic creatures that inhabit this world, and as a tiny bat with no head, you aren’t going to get very far. As a result you’ll need to grow in strength, allowing Chaozborne to evolve, Pokémon-style into a more powerful (and more metal) creature.
There are 13 monsters in total that you’ll be able to control in Munch, and as you’d expect, these aren’t adorable little critters. Instead of Pikachu and Squirtle, you’ll be slaying out as the likes of Gutpuncher, Krakenstein, Whipflesh, and Motorsaurus. Fuck yeah. Each monster has really striking designs that represent a different genre of metal music – I can’t lie, I’ve been ogling the character art for these for some time now. They look awesome.
Combat involves patrolling fairly open levels from an isometric perspective, dishing out attacks and dodging, and absorbing the elements dropped by eliminated enemies to become stronger. Consuming certain types of elements is how you decide which beast you want Chaozborne to evolve into. There will be new skills known as Mutations to unlock once you reach new levels to further modify your creature and increase their power. However, the roguelike twist to things is that you will never know which enemies and Mutations will be present before you head into battle.
Of course, a game like Munch would be nothing if not for an original metal soundtrack. Metal musician Bryant Clifford Meyer has composed the OST, which features unique tracks for each of the 13 monsters that draw inspiration from the subgenres each beast represents.
Munch is out right now on Steam and the game is currently enjoying a 10% discount, bringing it down to $14.99 / £12.61 for a limited time up until Monday November 18. It’s got a free demo that you can try out too. To add it to your library, play the demo, or just learn more about the game, head over to its Steam page here.
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