9 Monkeys of Shaolin Reviews
So, if the gameplay isn’t ultimately worth playing the game to completion, the story isn’t worth experiencing, bugs cheapen the gameplay, and the art style is the only thing trying to redeem the experience, is it worth the buy? Well, at a nerve-wracking £15 on Steam and an eye-watering £25 on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, I cannot recommend it at the asking price due to the gameplay annoyances, lacking story, and remaining bugs. Many of the annoyances may feel cheap, but this beat ‘em up certainly isn’t retailed as such.
If you’re a beat-’em-up fanatic with a PlayStation Store balance to burn, 9 Monkeys of Shaolin might soothe your fighting spirit for an afternoon or so. But at $30, it’s hard to recommend to all but the most pugilistic players out there. If you’re looking for a PS4 brawler with a bit more meat on its bones, I’d recommend getting your hands on Fight’N Rage or Streets of Rage 4 first. Not only are they cheaper options, but they also offer much more bang for your gaming buck.
Though 9 Monkeys of Shaolin is a faithful recreation of 70s kung-fu films, it doesn’t contain the same fun factor that its influences provide. There are some aspects that fans of beat em’ ups may enjoy, but it definitely doesn’t move the genre in any unique direction.
If it had all of its issues ironed out, 9 Monkeys of Shaolin would be a prime example of rewarding beat 'em up gameplay.
9 Monkeys of Shaolin is still worth a look for those who want more side-scrolling shenanigans though; it’s just not likely to wow them in any way. Everything about it is decent but nothing more, resulting in a romp that’s enjoyable enough in short sittings but tiresome in the long run. It tries its best, but it simply fails to excite like it should.
There is a lot of care that went into 9 Monkeys of Shaolin, but the lack of a bigger budget and experience on development team sadly stops this game from achieving it's full potential. If you find the genre somewhat appealing, definitely give this thing a try when it eventually goes on sale.
Review in Russian | Read full review
9 Monkeys of Shaolin's story is minimalist and fits a multitude of cliches, its gameplay is satisfying but limited, and the general atmosphere is brought down by mediocre visuals and formulaic music
9 Monkeys of Shaolin is so close to being a really good side-scrolling brawler that it physically hurts. Hurts worse than a rolling cartwheel kick to the soft and delicates. There's a truly brilliant, satisfying, fun and deep combat system here, but whether you can see it beneath the shadows, silhouettes, staircases and stupid Green Tea meters is another thing entirely.
9 Monkeys of Shaolin is a respectable scrolling fighting game, deserving of more than just an occasional session. Net of the problems related to the degree of challenge, the title of the Russian software house can be seen as an opportunity to take a relaxing journey through the culture and oriental settings, also giving us the opportunity to vent against hundreds of enemies showing off our skills in martial arts.
Review in Italian | Read full review
2020 has been a good year for beat 'em up games in general. There has been a handful of good and mediocre games in this genre and 9 Monkeys of Shaolin is one of those mediocre ones. The art style is great and the animations are smooth and enjoyable to watch. Unfortunately gameplay and especially Co-Op mode are plagued by number of technical issues. Although 9 Monkeys of Shaolin can be fun, but it doesn't add anything new to the genre.
Review in Persian | Read full review
We got the same feeling playing this game and watching classic martial arts movies. It is fun and combat mechanics are great, but it lacks variety and has some technical flaws.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
As a life-long fan of the beat-em-up genre there's just something simple and satisfying about a good brawler, letting you blow off some steam kicking ass and taking names...
I have a keen interest in martial arts, Chinese and Japanese cultures and of course, beating up videogame baddies. This gives a fairly comprehensive explanation as to why 9 Monkeys of Shaolin appealed to me in the first place. It has all the ingredients to be a hit for gamers with tastes similar to mine. Read on to find out what I made of this beat’em up from Russia based developers, Sobaka Studio.
It won’t blow your mind with innovation or story, but 9 Monkeys of Shaolin isn’t trying to. It revisits the 70’s style of kung fu games, and has fun with the source material. Either solo or with a friend, there’s fun to be had here.
I enjoyed my time with 9 Monkeys of Shaolin. I have always had a soft spot for side-scrolling beat ’em ups going all the way back to the original Streets of Rage games. This is a worthy addition to the genre and even though the story didn’t quite click with me, the gameplay is fun, responsive and varied.
It might not exactly be the most visually appealing nor polished game out there, but let’s face it, a martial arts-infused beat ’em up set in medieval China will always be intriguing. Thankfully, even though 9 Monkeys of Shaolin is far from perfect, it features a great combat system that just makes you want to play it more and more.
9 Monkeys of Shaolin is an enjoyable time for any side-scrolling beat 'em up fan who's eager for some engaging and varied combat, but don't expect to be enthralled by Wei Chang's story.
Beat-em-ups are a dime a dozen, but 9 Monkeys of Shaolin is at the very least different from many of the other offerings on the Switch. From the complexity of the combat system which offers plenty of potential for variety in gameplay, to the inspired visual presentation, it's easy to recommend to any fan of the beat-em-up genre.
9 Monkeys of Shaolin is a short but satisfying romp through a fictional China that should appeal to fans of old marital arts movies and the beat-‘em-up genre of video games. Combat is generally fluid with a nice sense of progression, though the story itself is relatively shallow and the game itself only takes about six hours to complete.
9 Monkeys of Shaolin is a fun take on the beat'em up genre.
Review in Italian | Read full review