Monark Reviews
Despite its flaws, Monark is not such a bad experience. Admittedly, it is not very pretty, a little heavy, but quite enjoyable. And while it's true that the real interest lies only in the combat system and its riches, that seems enough to draw attention to the title.
Review in French | Read full review
Monark constantly strains within the confines of expectation, unable to push its ambitions through.
Monark is a game that boasts a solid foundation with some really good ideas and fun combat. It’s lack of polish, however, means this game is likely destined to be more of a cult favorite as opposed to a big hit. It’s a shame as the story alone is worth the journey. If you like an old-school 3D JRPG with interesting gameplay and don’t mind budget visuals, Monark is one ego trip worth indulging in.
I loved combat and working on the skill tree. The story is intriguing and I wanted to push on. The fun tanked when puzzles were ambiguous. I wanted to quit and was tempted to move on. Once I figured it out, though, the fun picks up.
Some players might be able to put up with the annoying difficulty spikes and the barrages of personal questions to reach the rare highs, but getting that far may very well drive you to madness.
Monark is a relatively accessible TRPG for beginners in terms of tactical complexity, while still being interesting and versatile. In addition, the game is recommended for those interested in shounen anime and plot premises similar to the Persona games and the dark brushstrokes of the main Shin Megami Tensei series.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Monark's horror vibe is a nice touch but the needless and frustrating grinding paired with bland world design make this hard to recommend to anyone but the most hardcore JRPG fans.
Monark has a solid combat system that combines great tactical elements with turned-based action. There is way too much grinding throughout the game that may turn off players who aren’t fans of the genre. But as a whole Monark does present some great ideas that will intrigue newcomers to the genre but nothing groundbreaking for JRPG veterans.
Monark has some good ideas on how to reinvigorate tactical JPRG combat but its repetitive level design makes it feel more like a prototype.
This is a game that will provide you something you can keep coming back to for relaxation. This is a comfort food JRPG. This is a game you can put on and just grind away to build your party, with the enemies growing alongside you to ensure there’s enough challenge.
In our intent to devote the right attention even to the less noble projects, we would have really liked to give Monark a higher grade, especially to reward the ideas and efforts of a certainly talented team that is looking for its space in the market. However, there are still limits to overcome for a real leap in quality, and we are not just talking about budget.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Overall, Monark scores above average on its report card. Non-traditional JRPG elements combined with a fun tactical based combat system and plenty of different musical tracks to groove to, it was hard to put down even when I couldn’t figure out what I was actually supposed to be doing. Maybe this was just me and the types of puzzles, or maybe it was a bit too vague, but it was often almost enough to make me quit and have to retake my semester all over again.
If you’re looking for an entertaining turn-based strategy game and a linear, school-based story similar to the first two Persona titles, then go forth. For everyone else, it’s going to depend on whether you can stomach a bunch of frustrating puzzles, terrible graphics, annoying exploration mechanics and a story that takes its sweet sweet time to get going.
Monark is a smart game. It knows it, and it wants you to know it too. Some may well find that it's even pretentious. But it’s also in so many ways a boundary-pushing and innovative experience, and one that I imagine will be unique for a very long time to come. Putting aside the disappointment that comes from realising that it could have attacked with its themes more, I don’t think there is any other way that the creative team could have delivered on a more coherent and compelling vision and, really, it is experiences like Monark that keep me interested in this medium. Don’t let this one pass you by, folks.
Monark is not a perfect game, but it's a really solid RPG. The battle system is good, the storyline is interesting once it gets going, and there's some great music, too. Graphically, the game is one of the uglier releases I've come across over the last few years, and I think the game could do a better job explaining elements of its battle system. However, if players can ignore these imperfections, there really is a lot to love, and I can see fans of the genre falling in love with it. The RPG genre has plenty of great options to pick from at the moment, but Monark's blend of JRPG, strategy, and horror elements make it a compelling option.
Monark delivers a refreshing JRPG approach with a mystery filled narrative and great turn-based strategy gameplay. A fulfilling experience that stands out from many JRPGs in the past few years. For those coming from The Caligula Effect 2, Monark is worth taking a look at!
Our feelings at the end of our experience with MONARK is to be in front of a two-faced work. The JRPG long surprised us thanks to its serious and never trivial plot in addressing topics already seen and a really impressive care of the psychological aspect throughout the gaming experience. At the same time, as the hours passed, some technical and gameplay flaws came out on which it’s difficult to skip over.
Review in Italian | Read full review
So that’s Monark, a game that really doesn’t do much for me. But at the same time it’s a fascinating game that wants to do things a little differently. You won’t play another JRPG operating like Monark anytime soon. Monark doesn’t hit the mark but it shows us there are folks in the industry taking these swings, even in historied spaces like JRPGs. And there’s a demo, so I sincerely reccommend giving that a whirl and seeing what you think.
Being Monark an RPG developed by ex-producers of Shin Mengami Tensei, it's natural to notice some similarities. Particularly regarding the school theme, the mute main character or pacts with demons. What we emphasize in Monark is exactly the opposite. Namely, all the changes that were considered in order to give a breath of fresh air and, brilliantly, provide a new direction to an already very defined genre. So Monark presents itself as something innovative that only lacks some graphic polish, but for fans of the style, they will certainly be able to suffer from some "Gluttony" to taste this game! We fully believe that there is a silver lining for a Monark 2 and we're hopping for that to happen, so that we can present the developers with the "sin" of Pride.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
A mature, long-lived and sometimes inspired JRPG, held in check by an obsolete technical sector, forgettable characters and serious problems of repetitiveness.
Review in Italian | Read full review