Monark
What to Know
Average Score
- February 25, 2022
- Lancarse
- RPG, Strategy
Critics Consensus
- February 25, 2022
- RPG, Strategy
Critics Consensus
# Reviews: 36
Monark has some good ideas and a pretty decent soundtrack, but it's incredibly slow and frustrating, populated by forgettable characters and suffering from serious problems of repetitiveness.
Rate and Review
Critic Reviews for Monark
Critic Reviews
Distribution
36
Reviews
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.
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 has some good ideas on how to reinvigorate tactical JPRG combat but its repetitive level design makes it feel more like a prototype.
Jason Hidalgo (Reno Gazette-Journal)
7.5/10 - (Read Review)
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.
Kirk Hiner (Pure Nintendo)
6.5/10 - (Read Review)
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.
Cameron Hawkins (IGN)
6/10 - (Read Review)
Monark has some good ideas on how to reinvigorate tactical JPRG combat but its repetitive level design makes it feel more like a prototype.
Outlet | Author | Score | Date | Quote | Read |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
33bits | Euyen Esquefa Pons | 65 / 100 | 02-16-2022 | MONARK isn't a bad game, but unfortunately, for every lime it offers, it offers another sand. An unfluid rhythm, some repetition and a lot, a lot of farming tarnish a game that, on the other hand, has an interesting story, good characters and a lot of psychology. | Read review |
CGMagazine | Hayes Madsen | 7 / 10 | 02-16-2022 | Monark is a game filled with great ideas and themes, and it manages to deliver on some of those in spades. Unfortunately, Monark is also its own worst enemy, and many of the gameplay elements simply get in the way of making it something truly exceptional. Still, if you can manage to get through the slog of repetitiveness, there’s a fascinating and thematically engaging story underneath. | Read review |
Chalgyr's Game Room | Pierre-Yves Lanthier | 7 / 10 | 02-17-2022 | 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. | Read review |
cublikefoot | Chase Ferrin | 3.5 / 10 | 02-16-2022 | Monark is a mess of ideas – some good, some bad, but most leaning a bit towards the latter. You get some nice combat, but coupled with some very grindy progression and lackluster gameplay outside of that combat. You get a story with some nice themes, but little coherence between all of these themes and filled with so many anime tropes that it’s hard to take seriously. | Read review |
Daily Mirror | Eugene Sowah | 3 / 5 stars | 02-19-2022 | 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. | Read review |
Digital Trends | De'Angelo Epps | 2 / 5 stars | 02-16-2022 | Monark tries a lot of new ideas, but only finds success with an intriguing battle system ... and even that has a mileage that may vary. | Read review |
Digitally Downloaded | Matt Sainsbury | 5 / 5 stars | 02-17-2022 | 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. | Read review |
Everyeye.it | Antonello Bello | 7.7 / 10 | 02-16-2022 | Seven years after the launch of Lost Dimension, FuRyu and studio Lancarse are back on the scene to impress JRPG fans with a dark tactician. Although the influence of Shin Megami Tensei and Persona 5 in particular is evident on the narrative level, MONARK has conquered us with a dramatic, crazy and sometimes brutal story, as well as able to make us reflect on the most hidden and primitive desires of mankind. | Read review |
GameGrin | Alana Dunitz | 7.5 / 10 | 02-16-2022 | Monark is a fun JRPG with interesting characters and a unique story full of personality tests and high school drama. Though at times navigating the character can get a bit frustrating. | Read review |
Gamersky | 前朝刘沛公 | 7.8 / 10 | 10-14-2021 | Monark brings me both surprise and disappointment, the depth of the story and gameplay are unique, but the combat is boring, making it not as good as expected. | Read review |
God is a Geek | Lyle Carr | 8 / 10 | 02-16-2022 | Monark's creepy setting, tactical combat and banging soundtrack is well worth experiencing, but prepare for some obtuse puzzles. | Read review |
Hardcore Gamer | Chris Shive | 3.5 / 5 stars | 02-16-2022 | Monark weaves an engaging story even though it may rely on tropes and archetypes to do so. | Read review |
Hobby Consolas | José David Muñoz | 75 / 100 | 02-16-2022 | Monark is a slow and frustrating RPG over several hours of gameplay. His Ego system is his most interesting point, along with his riddles, although everything is diluted with some uninteresting characters and a way of playing that gets stagnant. At first it seems "more of the same", but after a while it is pleasant to play. | Read review |
IGN | Cameron Hawkins | 6 / 10 | 02-19-2022 | Monark has some good ideas on how to reinvigorate tactical JPRG combat but its repetitive level design makes it feel more like a prototype. | Read review |
IGN Italy | Alessandro Digioia | 6.9 / 10 | 02-16-2022 | A mature, long-lived and sometimes inspired JRPG, held in check by an obsolete technical sector, forgettable characters and serious problems of repetitiveness. | Read review |
Nintendo Life | Mitch Vogel | 7 / 10 | 02-16-2022 | Monark proves itself to be an interesting, low-budget take on an SRPG, combining its Persona influences with original ideas to make for a compelling experience. Risky, rewarding combat, a creepy atmosphere, and an interesting story make this one easy to recommend, but things like the low-quality graphics, repetitive environments, and nonexistent enemy variety keep it from ever approaching greatness. We'd recommend Monark to any SRPG enthusiasts (especially those that are sick of fighting on a grid) or fans of the old-school SMT and Persona games. It may not have nailed its execution, but Monark is an experience that we think is still worth your time. | Read review |
NintendoWorldReport | Donald Theriault | 5.5 / 10 | 02-16-2022 | undefined.If I'm not having fun with an RPG I've noticed lately that I have to force myself to play it. Monark started strong but my opinion of it dropped rapidly every time I spent an hour checking everything I had unlocked in the school; I had to be missing SOMETHING that would get me to proceed, right? If you're feeling sharp and are okay with little to no environmental variety then Monark might be worth a look | Read review |
PC Invasion | Joshua Chu | 8 / 10 | 02-16-2022 | Monark delivers a satisfying JRPG experience, with a creative and unique battle system and creepy demon-filled world. But a weak story and characters prevent the game from truly delivering something stellar. | Read review |
PlayStation Universe | Garri Bagdasarov | 6.5 / 10 | 02-16-2022 | Monark has many great ideas, and some of them are executed well, but the game falters when it requires you to grind for hours just to stand a chance against the next story battle. The exploration and puzzle-solving keep things exciting, and the use of the Seven Deadly Sins for character personalities is a unique way to develop your characters. All in all, though, Monark may have been a better adventure or visual novel game than an RPG. | Read review |
Push Square | John Cal McCormick | 4 / 10 | 02-16-2022 | There's an interesting story here and the horror-JRPG vibe is much appreciated, but whatever enjoyment they could bring you is utterly annihilated by the outrageous, egregious amount of grinding you'll need to do to see the game through. Monark is gaming reduced to a thick, treacly sludge to wade through, no cutscene or story beat or reward ever feeling like it was worth the struggle. Just play Shin Megami Tensei while listening to Nine Inch Nails and you'll have a better time. | Read review |
Reno Gazette-Journal | Jason Hidalgo | 7.5 / 10 | 02-21-2022 | 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. | Read review |
Screen Rant | Cody Gravelle | 3.5 / 5 stars | 02-16-2022 | Overall, Monark is a perfectly functional JRPG with a great combat system, some strong aesthetic designs, and a decent story. It's held back a bit by its school setting and a lack of exposition early, and could have benefited from embracing its darker themes more readily to help establish stakes in the opening chapters. Still, what's here is a fun game with an addictive combat system, and lessons learned in Monark could make the next effort from FURYU Corporation even more appealing. | Read review |
SpazioGames | Gianluca Arena | 5 / 10 | 02-16-2022 | We had high expectations for Monark, as some of the people who worked on it have given birth to some of the old Persona games, but we've come highly disappointed, due to absurd design choices and PS2 era graphics. | Read review |
The Game Crater | Bridget Emily | 6.5 / 10 | 02-16-2022 | Set in a similar setting with concepts derived from many other JRPGs, Monark fails to differentiate itself in the genre. | Read review |
The Games Machine | Gian Filippo Saba | 7.5 / 10 | 02-16-2022 | Monark is a turn based JRPG that brings to the table a lot of longevity and fun, especially for anime lovers, but unfortunately fails to reach its potential due to a technical department that is simply too dated. | Read review |
The Outerhaven Productions | Scott Adams | 4.5 / 5 stars | 02-16-2022 | Monark is a solid start to a promising aspect of JRPG games filled with horror elements. It tackles heavy issues with its characters. Monark is a solid blend of Tactical RPG with JRPG leveling mechanics. It is an enjoyable game with difficult rewarding battles. | Read review |
WayTooManyGames | Fernando da Costa | 7.5 / 10 | 02-21-2022 | 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. | Read review |
Game Info
Monark, the “new school RPG” from former Megami Tensei and Shin Megami Tensei staff, will launch for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Switch on October 14 in Japan. The story follows the True Student Council, which was established to solve the abnormal situations in the school. The protagonist, who becomes the deputy head of the council, chooses a buddy from four characters to defy the unreasonable. The main story has multiple endings. There are different routes for each of the four buddy characters. To make multiple playthroughs easier, you can also skip shared routes and advance through different buddy routes. Battles are command-based with a free move turn system. Increasing your madness will allow you to use more powerful skills, but if you increase it too much, you will go insane and rampage against targets both friend and foe, making it impossible to fight. There is also an “EGO” system, which represents the player’s desire levels of pride, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth. These change depending on your diagnosis and the choices you make, and also affect the demons you can employ as your “underlings.”
RELEASE DATES:
DEVELOPER(S):
- Lancarse
PUBLISHER(S):
- FuRyu
GENRES:
- RPG, Strategy
SERIES/FRANCHISE:
- n/a
GAME MODES:
- Single player
GAME ENGINE:
- -
DLC:
- -
BUNDLED IN:
- -
DIRECTOR(S):
- Fuyuki Hayashi, Mitsuhiro Hoshino
PRODUCER(S):
- -
DESIGNER(S):
- -
PROGRAMMER(S):
- -
ARTIST(S):
- -
WRITER(S):
- -
COMPOSER(S):
- Tsukasa Masuko
GAME MODES:
- Single player
GAME ENGINE:
- n/a
DLC:
- n/a
BUNDLED IN:
- n/a
DIRECTOR(S):
- Fuyuki Hayashi, Mitsuhiro Hoshino
PRODUCER(S):
- n/a
DESIGNER(S):
- n/a
PROGRAMMER(S):
- n/a
ARTIST(S):
- n/a
WRITER(S):
- n/a
COMPOSER(S):
- Tsukasa Masuko
People Also Like
Follow VSG on Instagram
Your go-to for the news, reviews and info you need from the gaming industry. Without access. Without favor. Without interference.