Overview
Super Monster Painter Extreme arrives from acclaimed freeware developer Free Lunch Design, carrying both the studio's signature polish and the heavy burden of its own legacy. This colorful monster-blasting adventure delivers competent mechanics wrapped in professional presentation, yet struggles to escape the shadow of its predecessors. While the core gameplay offers moments of chaotic fun, it ultimately leaves players with a sense of unfulfilled potential compared to the studio's classics like Icy Tower and Happyland Adventures.
Cooperative Chaos on the Canvas
The game's most distinctive feature emerges in its two-player approach, where coordination becomes the central challenge. One player controls vertical movement while the other handles horizontal navigation, creating an unusual dynamic where teamwork isn't just encouraged – it's mandatory for survival. Players spray monsters by jumping onto corresponding colored paint tubes, requiring precise positioning as creatures roam a compact 3x3 grid arena.
This setup generates genuine moments of frantic cooperation when both players simultaneously activate paint streams, creating colorful chaos as intersecting color blasts fill the screen. The rotation mechanic for paint tubes adds strategic depth, forcing quick decisions during monster onslaughts. While the concept shows flashes of brilliance, the execution occasionally falters when overlapping paint effects create visual confusion during heated moments.
The fact that 2 players are spraying paint at the same time can make things confusing at times.
Zero
Polished But Uninspired Execution
True to Free Lunch Design's reputation, the presentation shines with vibrant, cartoonish visuals and satisfying sound design. Monster designs pop with personality against the clean laboratory backdrop, and the paint-splattering effects deliver visceral feedback with each successful hit. The controls feel responsive whether playing solo (controlling both axes) or with a partner, maintaining the studio's hallmark technical competence.
Yet beneath this polish lies a fundamental lack of engagement. The core loop of matching colors to monsters grows repetitive without meaningful progression or varied objectives. Unlike Icy Tower's endlessly escalating challenge or Happyland Adventures' exploration rewards, Super Monster Painter Extreme feels content with its basic premise, never evolving beyond its initial concept. This stagnation becomes particularly noticeable in longer play sessions, where the absence of unlockables or difficulty ramping leaves the experience feeling static.
Living in the Shadow of Giants
The game's most consistent critique centers on its inability to match Free Lunch Design's legendary catalog. All three reviewers explicitly note its shortcomings compared to Icy Tower and Happyland Adventures – titles that defined the freeware era with their addictive hooks and innovative mechanics. This comparison isn't merely nostalgic; it highlights how Super Monster Painter Extreme lacks the "just one more try" magnetism that made its predecessors timeless.
It certainly didn't match Icy Tower, Happyland Adventures or Operation Spacehog.
JT
The absence of leaderboards or meaningful scoring systems further diminishes replay value, especially when contrasted with Icy Tower's compulsive height-chasing competition. While technically sound and occasionally fun in short bursts, the experience ultimately feels like a competent but unnecessary addition to the developer's portfolio rather than a standout title in its own right.
Verdict
Polished co-op lacks depth compared to predecessors
