I was a big fan of Evolve, one of the first games to take a crack at the ‘4-vs-1’ asymmetrical playstyle, but that gameplay just never really caught on with a wide audience. Since then, however, we’ve seen that audiences are ready for a non-traditional multiplayer experience and games like Among Us, Dead by Daylight, and Friday the 13th have proven asymmetrical play can catch on.

Enter Monstrum 2, which is set to enter Steam’s Early Access program at the end of the month. Following up on the 2015 original, which was a single player game with roguelike elements, the developers at Junkfish have veered off into asymmetrical multiplayer this time around.

Up to five players can take part in the game’s tense ‘prisoners vs monster’ scenario, where the prisoners seek to escape a research facility in the middle of the ocean while the monster tries to…well, do what monsters do.

Scaling difficulty and procedurally generated facility layouts should help keep gamers coming back, the tough part is getting them to try it in the first place. The battle for hearts and minds beings with an open beta that will run January 23-24th, with the game hitting Steam’s Early Access program on January 28th.

Here’s the press release:

Monstrum 2 arises from the watery depths to enter Steam Early Access on January 28th 2021

Brand-new trailer reveals the Malacosm. Open Beta weekend January 23-24

13th January 2021– BAFTA-nominated and Dundee-based developer Junkfish is excited to announce that Monstrum 2, the asymmetric survival-horror game, will enter Steam Early Access on January 28th 2021. 

The multiplayer sequel to the cult-favourite original, Monstrum 2 features new monsters, new puzzles, and new procedurally-generated environments, as up to four prisoners attempt to escape Sparrow Lock, a sea-stranded research facility, from one of its monstrous experiments.

Will you escape Sparrow Lock?

As a prisoner, explore Sparrow Lock to clear obstacles, unlock new areas, and find useful items which can help you outwit the monster. But remember: stay hidden and out of sight. If spotted, you’ll enter an intense game of cat-and-mouse, vaulting and sliding your way to safety if you hope to survive the chase. 

Combining first-person stealth gameplay with a puzzle-first focus on survival horror, players will need to strategise a means of escape together, rather than confronting the monster head-on. With scalable difficulty adjusting to the number of players and procedurally generated layouts, traps, rooms, and puzzles, no playthrough will be the same! 

Or relish the thrill of the hunt?

Master three distinct monsters when Monstrum 2 launches on Steam Early Access, each with their own unique unique abilities and playstyle. Smash through walls, climb on ceilings, leap across distances, or teleport to your prey. Each monster leverages the environment in unique ways to ambush unsuspecting players.

Revealed in the brand-new trailer today, players will be able to terrify their competition with the Malacosm; a molluscan, Lovecraftian nightmare. Place locator traps to damage prisoners and teleport across the map, phase through walls, and take a glimpse through your prey’s eyes with the clairvoyance skill for a hint to where they’re hiding. 

Open Beta Weekend
In anticipation of launch, Monstrum 2 will also receive an Open Beta weekend on January 23-24. Join on Steam to be among the first to scavenge the depths of Sparrow Lock and all the horror contained within…