Written by Anthony L. Cuaycong
Developer: FURYU Corporation
Publisher: NIS America
Genre: Strategy, RPG
Price: $59.99
Underneath Monark's solid horror motif, there's a ton of things to love. What looks like an overly edgy concept actually belies its strong role-playing-game mechanics. When combined with its slick, gothic vibe and smooth gameplay, it manages to hold its own in time. Though it has its flaws, particularly in its story, its presentation and gameplay is topnotch. And while some of its mechanics might throw you off, the way the game paces itself ensures that you land on your feet all the same.\
Monark does not really break new ground in terms of storytelling, especially when other Japanese RPGs start so similarly. However, it is able to keep things interesting through its unique features, particularly with its motifs in place. Borrowing heavily from dark, gothic imagery, each of the characters you will eventually use is symbolized by one of the seven deadly sins, and their backstories are tied to this. Each has his or her own personal demons to conquer, and have his or her own arc to go through. What's more, there's a slew of options you can choose to influence how the characters end up, which eventually leads down to diverging routes and storytelling differences that make you feel like you have an impact on what's happening. These choices also directly affect what ending you'll get, incentivizing repeat playthroughs in modes like NG+ to see all the content. Even your own personal character isn't one pre-built into the story. You craft him or her yourself, influenced through a cryptic questionnaire you answer early on that changes what kind of skills he or she has. While this may seem minor, it's the little touches like this that allow for a more personalized playthrough that feels unique to each person who picks it up.
The writing quality in Monark is, at the very least, competent. While the initial setup of the story may feel sluggish, a lot of it is deliberately meant to set the grim tone of the narrative. At times, it may even feel a little too depressing, as it strays away from moments of levity to dwell on darker emotions that may leave people feeling uncomfortable. While the game handles these topics tastefully, not many titles tackle these sorts of issues, and they frequently come up in the form of puzzles you need to finish, or enemies you need to beat down.
Meanwhile, the combat is anything but dour. Monark's battles are where it really shines, asking you not only to make good use of your skills, but also to manage certain resources to make the most out of its systems. A lot of it will come naturally, of course; proper skill usage, proper positioning, proper use of buffs, debuffs, and heals – these are all concepts other JRPGs use. However, Monark adds in an additional layer through its Madness system. Misuse of it can both be beneficial and disastrous, as characters in the madness state not only get a tremendous buff to their damage potential; they also go berserk and attack the closest targets available. While a maddened party member will eventually die out when enough turns have passed, the provision allows you to pull off some very crazy combo potentials at the cost of risky moves. A similar effect can also be achieved by instead getting into an Awakened status, which also boosts your stats but doesn't lose you control of your units. If you manage to achieve both at the same time, you become incredibly powerful, stacking both bonuses while still retaining full control of your character.
This might seem like a little thing, but this extra management you have to do in Monark means so much when skills either cost health or increase your madness bar. You're always juggling whether to use up your health or if you're fine with getting a little closer to going crazy, all while being swarmed by enemies who, while not exactly smart, are relentless in their aggression. Combat encounters will always necessitate this balance, and even during the slower segments of grinding away for levels and items, it's always in the back of your mind just how much you're willing to push yourself to make this fight a little easier.
This type of combat system does come with a cost, however. While it is engaging, it can also be draining, particularly in how the later enemies scale. Levels aren't a suggestion so much as a necessity, and, more often than not, you'll find yourself tempted to grind away for more stats. While easy to do, it suffers from the repetitiveness of having to do it in the first place. And while the story motif and environments hold up the first time through, they don't remain that way once you have to repeat your trek through these dungeons with the hope of levelling up.
On the whole, this is pretty much the core concern of Monark. While it has some grand ideas in what it wants to do, its pacing suffers, not just from its mechanics but also from the design of its story. It's meant to be a slow burn, but the decision comes at the cost – and to the point where the dragging moments may put down some of its well-thought-out aspects.
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THE GOOD
- Enjoyable (if depressing and dark) story writing
- Well-thought-out combat system that rewards careful planning, and enables aggressiveness
- Lots of content on offer, with multiple endings to unlock
THE BAD
- Questionable pacing, especially at the start of the game
- Enemies are more numerous than competent, which can lead to some dragging encounters in the later parts (particularly if you're underleveled)
- Its tactical combat can feel repetitive during grinding
RATING: 8.5/10
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