Fearmonium: Nothing to fear, except the lack of polish.

It’s funny how memories work, especially when it comes to gaming. Some of our favorite games stay with us for a lifetime. Other times, it’s a little more complicated. In early October, I went with my girlfriend to get her US visa, and this just happened to be the game I was playing at the time. For that reason alone, it’ll probably stay in my memory long after it otherwise would have.

Psychology has always fascinated me. I took a few courses in high school and university, and also studied sociology, its close cousin. So, upon hearing about Fearmonium, I was instantly intrigued.

First and foremost (the game announces this immediately after launch), this explores some heavy psychological themes. Although the story is enticing, it is not for the faint of heart. You play as an unpleasant memory inside the head of a teenager, Max. Starting as a minor phobia, your goal is to uncover the most hidden corners of Max’s mind and fend off more prominent phobias to become the dominant one.

The story is told with traditional in-game scenes in comic book style, the second of which is beautifully drawn. You can find these scenes whenever you see Max sitting in front of a TV or after most major boss battles. Some of the themes include friendship, loss, and bullying, the last of which hit especially hard as I was bullied between the middle of Year 7 and the end of Year 10, though not as harshly as Max, and the strips’ late-game is intense. I haven’t played Cuphead, but I’ve seen others play it, and the enemy and boss sprite work immediately made me think of the game.

Before moving forward, I want to say that I sincerely enjoyed my time with the game. Any critiques I offer should be understood within the context that it was created by a single developer, which is incredibly impressive. It’s clear a lot of heart went into making this, and that deserves recognition. That said, there are still some frustrating aspects of the game that need to be addressed.

Primarily, the performance on my switch; the game crashed several times, froze several other times, and had some significant slowdown and screen scrolling issues, where the screen would struggle to keep up with my phobia any time she dropped a great distance. Three or four times during the horse racing, my character disappeared as the screen kept moving before crashing. Other times, the game would crash when warping between save points or other general graphical glitches (above). Furthermore, there were some sound issues where no music would play in an entire section. Other times, it almost sounded as if two music tracks were overlapping, which made me question how thoroughly the game was playtested, and moments like these came across as surprisingly unpolished.

With that said, there’s a competent and enjoyable game beneath the surface issues. The map is large with tons of secrets to be found, such as 21 masks, 12 birds, 8 passive abilities, and several health and strength power-ups. You can even unlock powerful infinite versions of each long-distance attack. Good luck finding all the masks on a blind playthrough! I tried, but had to use a walkthrough to help me find the last half dozen! To obtain 100% completion (which took me about 18 hours), you’ll also need to track down 3 well-hidden bugs. I genuinely enjoyed exploring the varied areas and couldn’t wait to see what else Fearmonium had to offer. I won’t spoil any of the regions, but they are what you might expect if you think of what a typical teen focuses on.

While exploring the game’s varied areas was a pleasure, movement was clunky and stiff. I kept thinking how much better things would be if controls were more fluid. While not every game can match the fluidity of Ori: Will of the Wisps, the controls in Fearmonium felt especially clunky, to the point that some boss battles became frustrating, not because of their design, but because of the unresponsive movement. Boss fights typically rely on a combination of close-range strikes, ranged attacks like toy missiles, hobby horses, or presents, along with well-timed dodging and healing. Just the same, they were satisfying to beat.

At one point, I got trapped in a pit after a gauntlet of enemies and couldn’t get back out with a double jump. I came back later with the scooter, and everything was fine, but the areas should be closed off until players have everything needed. Once I had the scooter, the map really opened up, which is always a wonderful feeling in any Metroidvania. Intended or not, with the proper timing, you can get a triple jump while using the scooter if you hit the button mid-air after the second jump.

There are also several mini-games scattered throughout, such as a slide made of cards, a roller coaster, riding a horse while avoiding thrown objects, riding down a river, zig-zagging around obstacles, and a chase scene involving tons of children. The last of which is bugged and, at times, they’d disappear, leading to an easy getaway.

Overall, Fearmonium is not your typical Metroidvania, and the atmosphere was surreal, somewhat psychedelic, and felt like a fever dream. The music goes a long way in helping the setting come alive in its own unique way and is memorable and, at times, even catchy. While this game is the work of one developer, he did have someone designing the music; kudos to them.

Despite its shortcomings, there’s a ton of potential in Fearmonium, and on many levels, I genuinely liked the game and was compelled to finish it. With its issues ironed out, this would be an easy 8. If the developer takes feedback to heart, there’s real potential here for an indie gem. It’s a compelling concept weighed down by technical and control issues. It’s worthwhile for patient players who enjoy unique, story-driven Metroidvanias, but not something I’d recommend to a general audience without further polish.