How to Dominate as a City-Smashing Monster in You Are the Monster

Introduction

If you've ever dreamed of stomping through a bustling city as a colossal creature, leaving a trail of rubble and chaos, You Are the Monster is your digital playground. This game strips away complexity and offers pure, unadulterated destruction. But don't let the simplicity fool you—surviving the escalating military response and earning that glorious nuclear finale requires a blend of brute force and cunning. In this guide, we'll walk you through everything you need to wreak maximum havoc while keeping your monster alive long enough to face the ultimate consequence.

What You Need

• A copy of You Are the Monster (available on PC and consoles)
• A controller or keyboard and mouse (controller recommended for smoother rampage)
• Patience for a few trial-and-error runs to master each monster's quirks
• A willingness to embrace destruction—and a thick skin for the inevitable nuclear payback

Step 1: Choose Your Monster and Master Its Moves

Your journey begins at the monster selection screen. Each creature has unique strengths and special abilities. For example, the Kraken—a bizarre blend of lobster, octopus, and minivan—excels at crowd control with its vacuum-like suction attack. Others might favor raw power or speed. Before diving in, spend a few minutes in the practice area (or just jump into a city) to test all three special attacks. Note their cooldowns and range. Pro tip: Your basic walk is your primary weapon; simply brushing against cars, buildings, and civilians triggers devastating destruction with no extra effort. This is your bread and butter.

Step 2: Embrace the Chaos—But With Direction

Once you're dropped into the city, your first instinct might be to run wild. Go ahead—smash everything in sight. However, mindless flailing will only get you so far. The key is to aim for density. Look for traffic jams, crowded sidewalks, and narrow streets packed with obstacles. Civilians are terrible at fleeing—they'll stand in your way, making them easy targets. Each destroyed object or person contributes to your level meter, unlocking upgrades for your special attacks. But don't just destroy randomly; focus on areas where you can chain destruction quickly. This builds your score and raises your wanted level faster, which is essential for the full experience.

Step 3: Understand the Wanted Level System

Just like a GTA protagonist, your monster attracts attention. The more you wreck, the higher your wanted level climbs. It starts with police and SWAT teams, then escalates to tanks, drones, snipers, and finally airstrikes. Each wave of enemies is more aggressive and accurate. You can't avoid this escalation, so embrace it. However, you must adapt your tactics: when the military arrives, prioritize destroying ranged threats like snipers and drones, as they can chip away at your health from a distance. Use buildings as temporary cover—they block line of sight but won't survive repeated hits. Remember: your size makes you an easy target, so don't stay stationary.

Step 4: Heal Regularly—Health Orbs Are Your Lifeline

Your monster's health bar is surprisingly fragile. The only way to recover is by collecting health orbs, which are rarely dropped by slain civilians. This forces you to keep a supply of terrified pedestrians nearby. In practice, this means you must balance destruction with intentional harvesting. When your health dips below half, switch from wrecking buildings to clearing crowds. Use your special attacks that gather or funnel civilians—the Kraken's suction ability is perfect for this. Alternatively, a ground slam can stun and scatter groups, making them easier to mow down. Never let your health fall too low; one well-aimed airstrike can end your rampage prematurely.

Step 5: Manage Your Special Attacks and Cooldowns

Each monster has three special moves with lengthy cooldowns. These abilities are powerful—ground slams that devastate everything nearby, charging dashes that knock aside obstacles, or ranged attacks that wipe out clusters. But using them recklessly leaves you vulnerable. Develop a rhythm: use your basic attacks for routine destruction, and reserve specials for emergencies. For example, if you're surrounded by tanks and snipers, a well-timed area-of-effect attack can clear the threat. Also, keep one special ready for healing—if you're low on health, use a crowd-gathering move to quickly generate orbs. Avoid the temptation to spam specials; discipline is the difference between a 5-minute rampage and a 13-minute one.

Step 6: Survive the Final Countdown—and Accept Your Nuclear Reward

After surviving for a certain duration (typically around 13 minutes of relentless destruction), the game will signal that the final phase has begun. The military response becomes overwhelming, but push through. The round ends not with a victory screen but with a nuclear bomb dropped directly on your head. This is both the ultimate punishment and the game's way of saying 'congratulations.' Embrace it—you've earned that fiery finale. There's no escaping the nuke, so use your last moments to cause as much mayhem as possible. Your final score and any accumulated upgrades will carry over to future runs.

Tips for Maximum Mayhem

• Learn each monster's strengths: Some are better against crowds, others against vehicles. Experiment to find your favorite.
• Don't ignore the early game: Low wanted levels are your chance to stockpile health orbs and level up abilities. Smash aggressively but stay aware.
• Use the environment: Toppling skyscrapers onto enemy clusters can wipe out multiple threats at once. Aim for structural weak points.
• Keep moving: A stationary monster is a dead monster. Constant motion reduces the accuracy of snipers and airstrikes.
• Watch your cooldowns: Display them prominently on screen. If all specials are on cooldown, retreat to a less crowded area and use basic attacks to buy time.
• Accept the nuke: It's not game over—it's a spectacular end to a round. Use it as motivation to beat your previous survival time.