RNG ain't for me.
Over the past year, I've really dove into the Survivors genre, tackling such games as Deep Rock Galactic Survivor, Soulstone Survivors, and Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel, and several more. So, when I saw Monster Rush Survivors, which has a very hand-drawn approach and a weapon and armor system, I was keen to check it out.
Monster Rush Survivors is certainly a budget title, and it shows. While it can certainly entertain for a few runs, so much of what the genre really gets right just isn't here, and the weapon and armor system ended up being nothing more than incremental stats increases that are so minor that you'll rarely notice the difference from one piece to the next. Really, what is the difference between 2 or 3%?
With six environments across 30 levels, and plenty of characters to unlock, each with their own method to attack, there is plenty of unlock and take in. The main issue is that levels end up just being a different floor rather than sprawling locations with some sort of identity. There are no landmarks, or points of interest, and while you'll be introduced to new enemy types and bosses, they still act and swarm you just the same.
Most games in the genre have some sort of progression system, where you can boost how much health pickups do, your attack power, and how fast you move. While you can upgrade your special attack, or the car you can speed around in, there really isn't much here to improve your odds other than a RNG system based around an equipable weapon and armor system. So while you can equip bows, axes, or swords, they are just cosmetic and simply a stat boost, nothing more, and far too less.
The Survivors genre tends to be a colorful and vibrant array of attacks that can clear the screen of enemies and really dish out damage. Thankfully, Monster Rush Survivors does have that pull, but the enemies can swarm in larger groups than you're used to. In fact, bosses are the easy part of the mission, it's getting to them that is the real challenge.
Each round is ten minutes, and it's just a matter of collecting XP crystals and surviving until the boss arrives. You'll want to gather as many AOE attacks and close-range strikes and those that can help clear the path. There is a solar laser and ice attack combo that can destroy swarms, but can also destroy bosses in seconds.
Other attacks range from orbiting shooting stars, spheres, boomerangs, a slashing sacred blade, magical chain strikes, and a variety of AOE strikes and close range solutions. And, in typical fashion, choosing the same attacks upon each level-up increases their effectiveness. However, the swarms here are far more intense than they need to be. While you do have speed settings to move past the sluggish standard walking speed, there is no such dash or roll, making it harder to escape the hordes. While you can get health regen as a pickup, unless you've really built it up, it is just a pitiful amount that it won't keep you alive for long.
There are amulets to equip, but I never had the chance to equip them. I believe you can insert them into gear once you've fully leveled a piece up, which is solely based on RNG if you get an identical piece of gear to combine it with. Note, combining gear to make it better only levels it up, it doesn't affect the rarity. This means that collecting lower tier loot is completely pointless and just fills up your inventory and is only good to sell for more gold. I would often spend more time dismantling and selling gear than the time I would be spending in a mission.
With such a focus on RNG to improve your stats, there isn't a consistent sense of progression that feels fun and engaging. You rarely feel like you are making steps to improve your next run. Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel constantly made me feel like every run was worth it, even the failed attempts. Here, you rarely get that feeling.
Going back to environments, there is no visual alert to chests or other high profile items, no objective or indication on the sides of the screen or map. This means you never really have a focus or destination in mind, or a push to get somewhere. TerraTech Legion, for example, constantly pulled me around the map, giving me purpose. Here, there is nothing to strive for. Even Nimrods, which currently has a demo out, gives purpose and locations, making its world feel more than just a JPEG on the floor.
From a visual standpoint, Monster Rush Survivors is cute, charming, and the variety of characters is extremely well executed. The game has a nice look to it, despite the over simplistic level designs that fail to feel like anything more than a flat surface. I will say that the font size for the stat/equip menu is pitiful and clearly wasn't designed for playing portable. Even on my Switch 2 screen, I couldn't clearly read the increases and simply equipped anything where the numbers were green. I can't imagine trying to read them on a Switch Lite.
Monster Rush Survivors has entered a very busy genre, one that has some strong contenders for being at the top. Sadly, there really isn't anything it does to be unique to really convince you that it is worth your time, not when so many other options have significantly better depth and progression. Despite its cutesy visuals, the swarms can be far too intense for younger players and it makes it hard to recommend. Still, at its cheap $5 price, it's good for a few hours, but nothing more.
Developer - Cube Games.
Publisher - Cube Games.
Released - April 23rd, 2026.
Available On - Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC.
Rated - (E 10) - Fantasy Violence.
Platform Reviewed - Nintendo Switch.
Review Access - A review code for Monster Rush Survivors was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
Jeff is the original founder of Analog Stick Gaming. His favorite games include The Witcher III, the Mass Effect Trilogy, Hi-Fi Rush, Stellar Blade, Hellbade: Senua’s Sacrifice, and the Legend of Heroes series, especially Trails of Cold Steel III & IV.