The fighting scene in 2025 seems to be very well defined. Street Fighter 6 dominates the competitive scene and Fatal Fury: City of The Wolves He is enjoying the popularity of being the new boy in the neighborhood. Games like Tekken 8, Guilty Gear Strive y Mortal Kombat 1 They have lost strength, they have very dedicated communities that keep them at a good level of popularity. There does not seem much space for a new competitor in the genre, but there is an area that we have not considered. There are always “niche” fighting games that prosper in the encounters of friends, small tournaments and in family clashes that do not even require online game mode. This is where we find Mostroscopya game that we may never see in Evo, but that will definitely be remembered as a cult game.
This indie fighting game was developed by the small Mexican team Oribe Ware Games and stands out for using characters inspired by Mexican horror films in the 50s and the wrestling of that country. It originally left for Steam in 2023, but a months ago it finally reached Xbox platforms and since May 16, 2025 we will also have it available on PS4 and PS5.
Before talking about the game itself, I have to put them in context and mention The golden era of Mexican cinema. Between the 30s and 50s, Mexico's film industry enjoyed a great artistic and commercial boom not only with drama and comedy tapes, but with gender works. The country had its own version of Dracula, created versions for the big screen of local legends such as the Llorona and the Aztec mummy and turned fighters as the saint and Blue Demon into national icons. Those characters are inspired by developer Gustavo Oribe Mendieta to give life to Mostroscopy.
When we go to the characters selection screen we find it populated by faces as curious as that of the vampire woman, inspired by The bat woman of René Cardona; Yotecatl, which reminds us of The Aztec mummy; y Kukamon, which is definitely The human robot. We also have fighters like Faust, who is clearly based on the saint; and gloom, who immediately reminded me of Darkness with his partner Alushe saving Capulina every day. Vampires, lobes, mysterious detectives, swamp creatures and creations of crazy scientists in their most Mexican versions could not be missing. Special mention for a weeping with an interesting 'Lore' linked to Aztec mythology.
The atmosphere is up to the context. The scenarios take neon tones, use highly saturated or monocromous colors with effects of 'Rayones in Filme', which immediately reminds us of old comics, films in Technicolor and in black and white. The music also fits perfectly, as it varies between “macabre” melodies and a surf rock that transports us directly to the 60s.
I loved the concept of the characters and the absurd world and 'pulp' that is created around them, but I am not so fanatic of art itself. All designs are excellent, but not everyone looks good in 3D models. The most monstrous beings such as Yotecatl, Piscuario and Penumbra have no problem, but humans look “weird” in this style and their movements become a bit illegible, especially on scenarios with more dramatic effects. The art of the characters, their introductions and finals I also liked a bit and it seems a bit amateur, although it gives it some charm “series B”.
Let's talk about playability now. Mostroscopy It is one of those games that uses simplified combinations for special movements – that is, in style Smash Bros. A button is completely dedicated to this kind of 'powers' and depending on whether we press it alone or with an address different movements will come out. The ex versions of these are made leaving the pressed button until the character shines or can be pressed even longer without releasing it to perform supermovimientos.
There is only one attack button (although its effect can also vary depending on the address we press at the same time), one of mockery and another to block. If we fill the special bar, we can activate a 'Mostro' mode that allows us to make ex immediate movements.
This system is not bad and lends to make some quite fun combos with almost all the characters. The game even has a challenge mode focused on teaching us these combos, but there we also discover that the precision and time required to get some combinations of attacks is very irregular. Although the basic games systems are very accessible, the best combos are reserved for the most skilled control and those who spend more time memorize command sequences and the necessary time between them. If this is good or bad, I leave it at the discretion of each player.
Modern fighting players will be surprised by not finding a game mode online, but – as I said at the beginning of this article – I do not need it because it is not that kind of game. We are not going to play Mostroscopy To climb the classification ranges and become one of the best in the world, but to become the best in our house or our block. It is a game to invite friends and spend the control while we tried the different characters, we laugh at the absurd stories that tell us and it is perfect to finish the night after seeing Holy and Blue Demon against Dracula and the Wolf Man.
Interestingly, this is not the only game of Latin American fights starring monsters that exists. If the concept caught their attention, Take a look at the Argentine title The Black Heart.
Review made with a digital copy of Mostroscopy for PS5 provided by Seashell Studio. This game is also available for PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X | S and for PC via Steam.
