Necrosmith
Necrosmith
Game
Game2016
Curious Expedition
Developer Maschinen-Mensch
Curious Expedition is a 2016 roguelike-adventure video game developed by Maschinen-Mensch for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The player takes control of a party who attempts to navigate through several lost locations on Earth, each one created through procedural generation. Reviewers have praised the game as charming and challenging, but others have criticized it as repetitive. The… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
202 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Oct 25, 2026 · last updated Nov 4, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
84
LovedLoved
147 positive · 28 negative
95% range 78–89%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 147 | 28 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 2 | 1 | 20 |
| Lemmy * | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Mastodon * | 1 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
1,364 of 1,574 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
84% recommend · 146 yes, 28 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 174 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (4,118 of 4,515 positive).
Players describe the game as a bizarre, unpredictable colonialist adventure with roguelike elements. [1][2][3] Many find it addictive and fun despite a steep learning curve and occasional unfairness. [4][5][6] Some reviewers criticize the game for repetitive mechanics and problematic colonial themes. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [14]
Fun to play, great soundtrack if repetitive. Often wastes your time by ending your run unfairly. Maybe there's just no camping place nearby. Maybe there's an unexplained poisonous gas that can appear without warning, move in random directions, and kill your entire team. Maybe you wake up and pack up camp, and for some reason one of your team members, who isn't even a pyromaniac, set fire to the entire campground, …
- [16]
During Expedition 1. I found a egg. I planned to sell it, but then it hatched into a beautiful baby tortoise. Then I planned to give it to the museum, but then it grew into a giant tortoise and became my closest companion. His name was Mr. Waynes, I'd do anything to protect Mr.Waynes, so I kept my sanity up as much as possible. But then on expedition 5, there was no place to rest and I couldn't pay for a night to …
- [1]
Curious Expedition is a bizarro-ass 3/5 On my scale, a 3/5 game is good. It is satisfying, fun, and otherwise worth the purchase price, with some caveats. I’m going to start with the obvious: this game is B I Z A R R E . The entire premise of the game is completely cooked: roleplay a colonial explorer as they systematically plunder the artifacts of native peoples, entice disaster of cataclysmic proportions into said …
- [4]
When my sister buys me a game and says, "I think you'll really like this," I know to trust her without question. She was, of course, right. Though there have been moments that have made me tear my hair out and the learning curve is steep, Curious Expedition is *super* fun with endless replayability. It's simultaneously nice and casual while still requiring a lot of thought and strategy. Just when I think I've …
- [2]
This game is sorta like if Oregon Trail was a world spanning adventure as told by a breathless 4th grader with a 3rd grader's grasp of history and a 2 year old's grasp of reality. I love it.
Summarised from 34 of the 203 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 12, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Curious Expedition sits at 84% positive across 175 opinionated reactions from 4 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Curious Expedition received a 74/100 indicating mixed or average reviews according to Metacritic, while the Nintendo Switch version received a 68/100. Rock Paper Shotgun called it "a fantastic game for generating anecdotes", reviewing positively the detailed worlds and challenge level. PC Gamer said it was "a fun and charming exploration game", with the fun factor depending on whether the game procedurally generates an interesting world. PlayStation Universe called the game "repetitive", but "nonetheless a highly accessible and thoughtfully constructed roguelike, where tactics, discovery, decision-making and luck all meld together beautifully into a charming pint-sized adventure." Screen…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 202 · most liked firstDuring Expedition 1. I found a egg. I planned to sell it, but then it hatched into a beautiful baby tortoise. Then I planned to give it to the museum, but then it grew into a giant tortoise and became my closest companion. His name was Mr. Waynes, I'd do anything to protect Mr.Waynes, so I kept my sanity up as much as possible. But then on expedition 5, there was no place to rest and I couldn't pay for a night to rest. So my partner stole my stuff and left me, I ate my donkey. And JUST as I got…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Curious Expedition is a bizarro-ass 3/5 On my scale, a 3/5 game is good. It is satisfying, fun, and otherwise worth the purchase price, with some caveats. I’m going to start with the obvious: this game is B I Z A R R E . The entire premise of the game is completely cooked: roleplay a colonial explorer as they systematically plunder the artifacts of native peoples, entice disaster of cataclysmic proportions into said native populations because “hehe xd,” and get mauled by all manner of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fun to play, great soundtrack if repetitive. Often wastes your time by ending your run unfairly. Maybe there's just no camping place nearby. Maybe there's an unexplained poisonous gas that can appear without warning, move in random directions, and kill your entire team. Maybe you wake up and pack up camp, and for some reason one of your team members, who isn't even a pyromaniac, set fire to the entire campground, and maybe the fire spreads faster than you can move, killing the dinosaur you…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →On paper I thought I'd love Curious Expedition, but in reality, the difficulty, slow progress, and repetition made it too much of a slog to continue with.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →In this game I cured a party member from Alcoholism, Malaria and Racism with one mushroom all at once. GOTY in my book
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Who's Maschinen-Mensch? We're a studio from Berlin. You may know us from our games Curious Expedition and Curious Expedition 2! ✨ Now we're working on Mother Machine & can't wait to reveal more of the game!! ▶ store.steampowered.com/app/1555980?...
neutral · AI labelView post →I have mixed feelings about this game. While the game is pretty interesting the mechanics get boring after a while. Strangely I felt cringe about being an European coming to other places pillaging other cultures and people to get fame and richies... Everytime I opened the game I had to think about and ended up uninstalling it. I know that this is not related to gameplay but that bothers me a lot
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is sorta like if Oregon Trail was a world spanning adventure as told by a breathless 4th grader with a 3rd grader's grasp of history and a 2 year old's grasp of reality. I love it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I want to wish @maschimensch.bsky.social a very happy 10-year birthday. I've been an illustrator for nearly 24 years and working for Johannes and Riad and the MM team (on Curious Expedition 2) was one of my favourite experiences. Go wish-list their new game, Mother Machine, on Steam!
neutral · AI labelView post →While lounging on a comfortable and snug sofa, you can revel in the excitement and thrill of adventures and explorations, which are entirely unpredictable. Well, However, it might be perceived more as invasion and plundering rather than genuine adventure and exploration. Whatever, Have Fun :p 즐거운 모험과 탐험. 혹은, 즐거운 약탈과 침략.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I would like to recommend Dave the Diver, Inscryption and Curious Expedition (first one). All of them are superb indie games. It might not be the genres you're asking for but I would still highly recommend them if you want to try something new.
positive · AI labelView post →Maschinen-Mensch (Curious Expedition) announced their new game. I‘m excited to be able to contribute to this game about chaos loving gremlins exploring alien caves. Wishlist on Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/1555980/...
neutral · AI labelView post →I really enjoy this game. Crunchy pixels, random expeditions, fun events, good writing, cannibalism. It's got it all.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →... are busy finishing their third game, and if you want to do them a solid, please wishlist Mother Machine store.steampowered.com/app/1555980/.... And maybe grab Curious Expedition 1&2 if you haven't done so yet. Currently on Sale! #indiedev #gamedev 2/3
neutral · AI labelView post →My whole party got hooked on alcohol and cocaine, then turned into cannibals. 10/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a catchy game that entices you with charm and simplicity but holds plenty of depth and play-pattern optimization opportunity for you to explore. As can be evidenced by my 200+ hours, although most of that was due to the achievements requiring quite a bit of grind. Oddly fun and engaging grind, mind you, but still... Honestly, I'm not marking it down as an all-time classic, which I would, due to two things. One is that for a game that's been around for a while and has been played up and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Follow my Curator page, [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/41363546-Fruit-N-Doggie-Reviews/]Fruit N Doggie Reviews, so you can be updated whenever I post a new review. Overall Rating - Seriously Flawed ★★☆☆☆ First Impressions Curious Expedition (CE) is a game I think I fiddled around with years ago, but I innately had so much difficulty reaching the goal that I didn't progress very far. It at least seemed familiar, but this time I had a better understanding of the mechanics and how to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →When my sister buys me a game and says, "I think you'll really like this," I know to trust her without question. She was, of course, right. Though there have been moments that have made me tear my hair out and the learning curve is steep, Curious Expedition is *super* fun with endless replayability. It's simultaneously nice and casual while still requiring a lot of thought and strategy. Just when I think I've figured it all out, the game throws some new, fun discovery at me that makes me…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →[url=https://jannekeparrish.com/reviews/curious-expedition] Full review [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44626948-Loons/] My curator page In any approach to a historical game, there has to be some degree of awareness of the history being depicted, and of its impact, both positive and negative, on all parties. While European exploration and European colonialism are not necessarily the same thing, they are two sides of the same coin, spawning one another, and stemming from the same…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The fact that there's a huge popup in the center of the screen every time you open or close the game that says "Curious Expedition 2 is now available, with 3 DLCs!" tells you everything you need to know about this game and its developers.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Some of my Mole People sketches for 'Curious Expedition 2' (made by by Maschinen-Mensch). #conceptart #computergames #gaming
neutral · AI labelView post →Super fun and addictive game! I've played it for years, but recently I got my husband to play it and now he is OBSESSED and playing it every day! Would buy again a million times over.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Wasn't expecting a lot from this game, but boy was I wrong. On my first sit-down, I put 4.5 hours into the game. Just had an absolute blast. The rougelike elements mixed with the story and pixelated graphics makes this an awesome title in the Indie genre. I will say though, the easiest difficulty can be quite hard depending on your choices during shrine raids, which can instantly end a run. 8/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Gameplay X Very good O Good O Nothing special O Okay O Bad Graphics O Masterpiece O Beautiful O Good X Will do O Bad O Awful Audio O Amazing O Very good O Good X Decent O Not too bad O Bad Audience O Kids O Teens O Adults X Everyone Story O Lovely O Good X Average O Not great O None Difficult- O Just press a bunch of buttons O Easy X Significant brain usage O Easy to learn / Hard to master O Not so easy O Difficult O Dark Souls Grind- O Nothing O Only if you care about leaderboards/ranks…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Amazing game. From start to finish. The sequel is also great, but I'm happy to have started with this one because it's different and in no way inferior.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you see this, post a monster! (My design of the The Pale Masks Corrupted Leader from Maschinen Mensch's 'Curious Expedition 2' game.)
neutral · AI labelView post →A perverse colonialist Oregon Trail-style death simulator where instead of contracting dysentery, you go insane, become a cannibal, and then get killed by a dinosaur. Is it good? Do I suck at it? Am I having fun? I'm not sure I know the answers to any of these questions, but I keep on playing it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game has a five-minutes tutorial, no user manual (pdf or txt) and a very unique user interface. As a result I have no idea how the game works. I click a lot on everything that looks like it could do something, but mostly it does not ... probably because I am in the wrong game-state. What is my current game state? Wouldn't it be helpful to display such information? The developers thought different. I think the idea of the game has potential. If I have to fight anything, I am dead, because I…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's like the exploration part of Civilization, but for the entire game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This helped me make up a bunch of stories to tell my little cousins. They loved hearing about my travels with Charles Darwin in dinosaur-land. 10/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If there was a neutral option for this game I'd choose it. But my enjoyment for this just edges out my annoyance so this gets a "recommend". Note I've only played on the standard Expedition difficulty. On one hand, the exploration and management are genuinely interesting and sometimes fairly tense. It's surprisingly satisfying watching the randomized maps slowly unfold. And the little stories that explain events are a nice treat. On the other hand, this game suffers from some painful failures…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Maybe I'm just bad but this game is brutal. Oregon Trail on grueling difficulty has nothing on how often my parties run into terrible situations! I can only play for so long before I get frustrated and leave, but there's not much objectively wrong with the game--I've never encountered any bugs, the worldbuilding is great, and the adventures and your decisions in them feel meaningful. I have only two actual critiques: 1) I can't tell who is allowed to wield certain weapons. It feels unfair…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pretty fun, little luck based at times, but fast enough and enjoyable on restarts to make up for it. Big variety in characters and their playstyles, some secret ones that are also fun, option to get modded ones too which can make it near endless experience. If the Rivals mode would have option to host lobbies for friends to play under their own rules, it would be great, altough it is a minor thing.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →...though Curious Expedition is an interesting case because combat can be fairly incidental to the game, which is much more based around pathfinding on the overmap. Which gives it a more fluid feel than some games where the map is basically a menu to pick combats.
neutral · AI labelView post →every "roguelike deckbuilder" I've seen is overmap. down to Slice & Dice trimming the overmap to nothing, just a straight path through the fights. many other game types are overmap; FTL, Binding of Isaac/Hades organized into discrete fights you have to clear to move on, Curious Expedition...
neutral · AI labelView post →I know there's a second game now, but I haven't tried it yet. This one is still very enjoyable and I enjoy the ease of playing. It's not easy to survive and you need strategy, but it's a game with simple mechanics you can play without much effort and I appreciate that. As much as I enjoy first person games they are quite tiring and too much effort when you've had a long day. This is fun, entertaining, and great to play any time.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Oxenfree: A great narrative game about ghosts and time loops. Rusty Lake Roots: A puzzle game with a creepy atmosphere. Curious Expedition: A globe-trotting rpg.
neutral · AI labelView post →This game scratches that Oregon Trail itch in style and gameplay while bringing fun and repeatable runs through the Rivals maps. There seem to be a few dozen people playing Rivals regularly (pretty good for a game that's a decade old!) and it's fun to see the same names pop up. I have Curious Expedition 2 also, but find myself playing this one more often!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An addictive blend of exploration and strategy that consumes hours without notice. Just one more expedition turns into an entire evening, especially when you died an unexpected dead. Next step ->O<—return the stolen artifacts to their countries of origin—>O<-
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nice exploration/trading game with some rememberances of civilization/colonization and a smart rogue like setting. Difficulty can be a bit brutal for newcomers, even on easy mode. You really need to know the game to avoid disaster. Needed more interface polishing on a few elements like the map travelling and the battle mechanics. A bit pricey for my budget, but nice catch on a sale/bundle.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is one of my favorite games ever. It is simple on the surface, so you can just pick up and play (no painful learning curve and pretty intuitive), but actually has a lot of depth and variety to figure out which makes replaying it very fun. I found figuring out the details, like how standing on top of a mountain has a high travel cost but lets you see far away, really rewarding. I haven't played anything like it before, but rouge-like exploration game is a pretty good start.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You can play as HP Lovecraft, one of the worlds most beloved racists, while role-playing as Christopher Columbus, one of the worlds most unbeloved racists. But outside the quirky humor the game isn't much fun. It's an exhibition meets Oregon Trail type game with slow pacing and too much repetition and scenarios are limited.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game that's different enough from the sequel that I enjoy playing both. It's a unique exploration game that feels like it has some of the better elements of Oregon Trail.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An excellent game to scratch that exploration itch. According to woke people, enjoying simulated travels in pixel-art uncharted lands as a 19th century privileged adventurer is a guilty pleasure. I do feel pleasure, but no guilt. You mileage may vary.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a challenging adventure with a great artstyle. Somewhat more difficult to learn than the sequel, but better than it in most other ways.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It has the same problem with a lot of other "randomized" adventures: It throws everything at you that your character isn't capable of handling. Did you pick a crew for tundra? Well you can only select desert areas now. Did you select someone with a science background? Well in order to progress the story or side mission it throws mummies with 40 health in your way and kills your dog (of 4 health) nearly instantly. Is your character hungry? Well instead of eating the food in the inventory it…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Imagine immersing yourself into the great exploration period with all the glory and challenges the it brings. I can't describe how creative, unique and fun is this game. With so little we can enjoy so much. Definitely a classic, a masterpiece of all times.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →so fun but ♥♥♥♥♥♥ hard or i suck
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hello! The game is very good, but maybe not everyone will like it, the game has a lot of different animals, monsters, characters and weapons, and you can install additional modifications in the game, it's fashionable, it's good to play for time, the game can even be very exciting when you start to lose during battles, the idea is just great, but I want to express the minuses, in my opinion: The soundtracks don't want to argue, the soundtracks are beautiful, but in particular they start to get…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A really great exploration game, even though the graphics are very basic. Really enjoyed playing this game, and it's a quick play any normal run through, only 6 expeditions to do before the game is done. That said, it always gets harder, and dependant on your explorer pick, the difficulty changes appropriately. Heartily recommended. The sequel is just as good, if not better, but I still prefer the original, just for it's purity.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Downloaded this game on a whim because it was on sale and I liked the 8-bit art style. Explored and died, learned how to play through trial and error. Took me way too long to beat my first easy run. But did this game ever get a grip on me. I'm excited to keep exploring and seeing what else the game has to offer. Great replayability, UNREAL SOUNDTRACK, and a heavy recommendation if you like an immersive strategy game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Three of my party members got really drunk and one headbutted a raptor. 10/10 Neat little roguelike. Good timekiller. Thumbs up
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really great, much better the the sequel. The graphics looks old but you get used to it after a two minutes. There is also mods in the workshop that can expand the game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this really wasn't a lot of fun
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →tried this not once but twice before buying it, and despite having some reservations, I was excited to play the full version. unfortunately, combat is absolute ass, just like it was many moons before. it's a game less about fighting and more about exploration, which is great, but avoiding battles completely isn't always an option, so they should've done a better job at implementing them. also, while I'm not for achievements, an awful lot of them are about killing a ton of all the creatures,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A procedural expedition roguelike where history meets absurd adventure. Every run generates new maps, tribes, caves and hazards, making survival and fame a constant balance of risk and resource management. Short sessions and steady progression make it easy to play "just one more". Characters and items unlock over time, and the drive to complete all six expeditions — and fill the gallery — is strong. Unfair luck spikes exist, especially late-game, but strategy and persistence are rewarded. A…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Curious Expedition is a turn-based roguelike adventure game that immerses players in a pulpy, 19th-century exploration fantasy where science, superstition, and ambition collide in a race for fame and glory. Developed by Maschinen-Mensch, the game tasks you with leading expeditions into uncharted territories filled with mystery, danger, and the allure of treasure. You take on the role of a historical figure—ranging from Marie Curie to Charles Darwin—each offering unique starting equipment and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →10/10. My favorite indie roguelike. Choose your explorer from among a cast of real and fictional people, then compete against three AI explorers in a race to explore the most uncharted land and bring back the most stolen treasure for the British Museum. If you can survive four perilous expeditions, and do a better overall job of exploring and pillaging than your AI opponents, then your explorer will be immortalized with a golden statue of themselves in London, and rewarded with a paid…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Working on small mod for game The Curious Expedition 🪄 Not sure when I'll finish it since I'm stupid with coding 😂 #thecuriousexpedition #sf6 #streetfighter6
neutral · AI labelView post →READ THE FULL REVIEW (Steam has a word limit) HERE: https://gemsimov.com/curious-expedition-a-review/ -- Simple review details - I rank games on an out of 10 basis, granting up to 3 points in 3 categories, as well as a last, single point from my own self, depending on my experience with it. GAMEPLAY "Curious Expedition" blends text-based adventure with exploration sandbox elements, featuring rogue-lite characteristics. The game involves the Player selecting a Character (a PC) from a diverse…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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