A puzzle world built from fallen trees
A Monster's Expedition is an open world puzzle adventure where you play a curious monster exploring a chain of islands. The whole game runs on one simple idea: push trees over so they fall across the water and become bridges. Trees can fall in different directions and can land on top of each other, so a single island can hold several possible solutions. The mechanics stay simple, but the possibilities pile up as you move through the world.
Along the way you find exhibits from the "Human Englandland" dig site. These are small pieces of human culture, each one paired with expert insights that may be idle speculation, rumour and hearsay. The monsters are trying to piece together the history of "humanity" from what they find, and the tone stays light and funny while you explore.
Playing it together
The game is built as a singleplayer experience, so one person drives the monster around and works through the felling puzzles. The group's job is to watch, suggest angles for the next tree, and argue about which island to head for next. With Remote Play Together, others can join the session from their own machines and follow along on screen, which suits a puzzle game where talking through the solution is half the fun.
The world is nonlinear, so the group can pick its own route. Some islands sit right in front of you and others are well off the beaten track for true puzzle lovers. That makes it easy to hand the controls around between puzzles or to split attention between a nearby island and a distant one you spotted earlier.
Before you start
Expect a game that is relaxing but not trivial. The tag list includes Difficult alongside Casual and Relaxing, and the puzzles are described as simple but deep, packed with possibilities to discover. Some solutions take a few tries, and some islands will wait until you have seen an idea somewhere else in the world. There is no rush built into the design; the atmosphere is cartoony, cute and family friendly, with a surreal post-apocalyptic setting where monsters study the mythical humans.
Going in, the useful mindset is to poke at a tree from every side before committing to a fall. Trees that look like dead ends often become paths once you have felled another one on top of them. Keep an eye on the far islands too, since the ones off the beaten path tend to assume you have already learned a trick elsewhere.