Monark Reviews
Monark presents us with an experience that draws inspiration from landmark RPG series while also hinting at a survival horror experience. It does a good job when it comes to its attractive art style, a flexible and smooth character development system, a challenging combat, and its plot with themes related to the human ego. Unfortunately the game's execution stands on the way to delivering a fine experience, and the frequent slowdowns that happen even more often during combat, as well as a simplistic level structure make this a game that's unable to stand up to its peers, even if it should not be disregarded by RPG fans.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Monark has to be one of my favorite JRPGs I have reviewed so far and I love the tactical gameplay that encourages you to change up your play style depending on what characters you have, and like chess, keep your main character alive, like the King. I found only one true annoyance for me while investigating the mist areas – you can get a phone call to go to the Otherworld and fight level 90 enemies.
Monark is a difficult game to quantify into a score; plenty of artistic merits exist in direction, tone, and atmosphere, but at times they're undermined by a lack of refinement.
Monark is a mostly solid JRPG with higher-than-average difficulty and a serviceable plot. While it won't surprise anyone with its unimpressive 3D graphics and a mediocre soundtrack, the characters and lore should indeed satisfy most fans of the genre.
Monark can be seen as a good opportunity to try something new in an ocean of stale JRPG tropes, especially for the players who enjoy tactical thinking and resource management gameplay.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Monark is a tangled web of good ideas that could have become a good game, but end up being hidden under an awful execution. The combat system is the best part, but it fails by its excessive repetition and the story stuns the player by taking one of the worst possible directions and throwing away all it could have been.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Monark has a lot of good ideas, but almost all of them are let down by a repetitive structure, grindy combat, and baffling design decisions.
It’s not going to be able to stand toe to toe with the kings of the genre, but Monark presents a fantastic and niche adventure you might be looking for.
Fans of JRPGs with time to kill can probably find a game somewhere here with Monark, but I doubt it’d be fruitful. Give this one a pass or buy it on a steep discount so you won’t be in for a rude awakening.
If you’re seeking a JRPG with a more horrifying aesthetic, you’ll have fun if you can look past those flaws. Shin Megami Tensei fans will probably enjoy what’s offered but otherwise, I can only truly recommend this to the JRPG faithful.
I have loved my Monark experience through and through, bumps be damned, and I would absolutely recommend this title to anyone who likes Shin Megami-style RPGs – and even those who might not, because I think the world and characters are that interesting.
Monark is a JRPG that understands its audience all too well while also standing out in its own right. It has the right balance of being a familiar experience while also keeping you invested in the journey.
Monark brings to the table a lot of fresh ideas, but the bad game design prevents the game from reaching its full potential, leaving you with nothing more than a mediocre experience.
Review in Persian | Read full review
While certain aspects of Monark have great potential, the formulaic design, trope-heavy story, and frustrating puzzles render the product as a whole feeling unimpressive.
Monark has all of the dot points needed to be a great game, but it just doesn’t go far enough to stand out in any one area. It has a few great nuggets of ideas that would have been great to see expanded upon, but it barely scratches the surface. There are too many areas that were lacking either visual flare or gameplay substance for it to be memorable among titans like Persona and Megami Tensei. Despite that, it still might be worth playing for fans of the genre. It’s like popcorn — it’s not a masterpiece, but it’s easily consumable and will scratch that JRPG itch.
Monark is an unrefined gem, but it is definitely a game worth checking out. Despite some issues, it’s a good first attempt with plenty of room for polish in any subsequent follow-up.
Monark has a refreshing battle system that will appeal to turn-based strategy gamers, but the dated graphics and overall redundancy make it a hard game to recommend at its full asking price. As with the game's dangerous Mist, enter with caution.
MONARK is an original take on the strategy RPG with a mild horror twist. The graphics feel a bit muted and dull. But the game more than makes up for it with a deep risk-reward combat system. A highly recommended purchase for fans of the anime RPG genre, but, also a pretty good jumping on point for those looking to test the water. MONARK is a dark but endearing adventure that may just make you think twice about answering that mobile phone call from an unknown caller. If you want to try before you buy be sure to pick up the free demo on the eshop.
I’ve got to admit, there are games that I review that I don’t really get, but sometimes they can still make quite an impression on me… though maybe not always with the hook that would grab other people...
Slightly above average or simply inoffensive. Fans of the genre should enjoy them a bit, but a fair few will be left unfulfilled.