Monark | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Developer(s) | Lancarse |
Publisher(s) |
|
Director(s) | Fuyuki Hayashi Mitsuhiro Hoshino |
Composer(s) | Tsukasa Masuko |
Platform(s) | |
Release | PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo SwitchMicrosoft Windows
|
Genre(s) | Tactical role-playing |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Monark [lower-alpha 1] is a 2021 Japanese role-playing game developed by Lancarse for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch. It was localized and ported to Microsoft Windows by NIS America in February 2022. [1] The game received mixed reviews from critics.
Monark is a tactical role-playing game with combat similar to Lost Dimension . Gameplay is split between the character evolving their own desires by exploring the school campus, and fighting monsters called "daemons" in the Otherworld. [2]
Monark takes place inside Shin Mikado Academy, a high school sealed from the outside world by a barrier and enveloped in a mysterious mist that drives the students mad. The player is part of a group of students who gained the ability to enter an Otherworld, where the demons empowering the mist must be defeated. [3]
The game is developed by Lancarse and published by FuRyu. Some members of the staff from the Shin Megami Tensei series were involved in the game's development. [4] Fuyuki Hayashi wrote the scenario and dialogue for all of the major characters, while Ryutaro Ito wrote for the NPC characters. Kazunari Suzuki provided supervision and feedback on all parts of the scenario.
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
Metacritic | NS: 62/100 [5] PC: 73/100 [6] PS4: 56/100 [7] PS5: 66/100 [8] |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
Destructoid | 6/10 [9] |
Famitsu | 30/40 [10] |
Hardcore Gamer | 3.5/5 [11] |
HobbyConsolas | 75/100 [12] |
IGN | 6/10 [13] |
Jeuxvideo.com | 13/20 [14] |
Nintendo Life | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Nintendo World Report | 5.5/10 [16] |
Push Square | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
RPGamer | 3.5/5 [18] |
RPGFan | 70/100 [19] |
The Games Machine (Italy) | 7.5/10 [20] |
TouchArcade | 3/5 [21] |
Monark received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic. [5] [6] [7] [8]
IGN lauded the game's personalness, combat systems, and abilities, and cited the unengaging story, characters, party member system, enemies, repetition, and puzzles as its drawbacks. [13] Destructoid severely criticized the game's repetitive nature and concluded, "There are some novel ideas here, and if you’re looking for something outside the RPG status quo and with a darker vibe, Monark could fit the bill. Just go in knowing that it can get arduous, and you’ll need to overlook those faults to find what Monark does that’s really different." [9] Nintendo Life praised the high-risk, high-reward combat system, creepy aesthetics, interesting story, and replay value, while criticizing the lackluster graphics, repetitive environments, and lack of enemy variety. [15] Push Square reviewed the game much more negatively, and cited the use of the horror genre, boss designs, and music, as positives, while calling the repetitive, grindy combat the game's biggest downfall. [17] RPGFan liked the vocal tracks, opening cinematic, characters, themes and combat, and said that the game's bad pacing, subpar graphics and the transphobic treatment of the character of Perrine held it back. [19] Nintendo World Report thought that the story was interesting and that the stat progression system was unique but disliked the lack of environments, character-locking progression system, and puzzle design. [16]
In Japan, the Nintendo Switch version sold 10,521 physical units, making it the sixth best-selling game during its first week of release. The PlayStation 4 version sold 5,242 physical units, making it the seventeenth best-selling game in the country during the same week. [22]
Megami Tensei, marketed internationally as Shin Megami Tensei, is a Japanese media franchise created by Aya Nishitani, Kouji "Cozy" Okada, Ginichiro Suzuki, and Kazunari Suzuki. Primarily developed and published by Atlus, and currently owned by Atlus, the franchise consists of multiple subseries and covers multiple role-playing genres including tactical role-playing, action role-playing, and massively multiplayer online role-playing. The first two titles in the series were published by Namco, but have been almost always published by Atlus in Japan and North America since the release of Shin Megami Tensei. For Europe, Atlus publishes the games through third-party companies.
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne is a role-playing video game developed by Atlus for the PlayStation 2. It was published by Atlus in Japan and North America, and by Ghostlight in Europe. It is the third numbered entry in the Shin Megami Tensei series, the central series in the Megami Tensei franchise. Multiple versions of the game have been published: the original version was published in Japan by Atlus in 2003, while a director's cut was released in 2004 in Japan. The director's cut was localized and released in North America in 2004 as Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne and in PAL regions in 2005 as Shin Megami Tensei: Lucifer's Call. A high-definition remaster was released for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in Japan in 2020, and was internationally released in 2021 on those consoles and Windows.
Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga is a duology of role-playing video games developed by Atlus for the PlayStation 2. They are a spin-off of the Megami Tensei series. The first Digital Devil Saga was released in Japan in 2004, North America in 2005, and Europe in 2006. Its direct sequel, Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2, released in 2005 in Japan and North America, and 2007 in Europe and Australasia. The games were published in Europe and Australasia by Ghostlight and in other regions by Atlus and its North American subsidiary Atlus USA.
Shin Megami Tensei If..., stylized as Shin Megami Tensei if…, is a role-playing video game developed and published by Atlus in 1994 for the Super Famicom. It is a spin-off from the Shin Megami Tensei series, itself part of the larger Megami Tensei franchise. Since release, it has been ported to mobile devices, PlayStation and Microsoft Windows; it had also been re-released on the Virtual Console in Japan on Wii in 2011 and Wii U in 2013, as well as Nintendo Switch Online in 2021. The story follows a student of Karukozaka High School after their school is sucked into the realm of demons by a vengeful student's demon summoning spell going wrong.
Persona 3, released outside Japan as Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3, is a 2006 role-playing video game developed by Atlus. It is the fourth main installment in the Persona series, which is part of the larger Megami Tensei franchise. It was originally released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan in 2006, and in North America in 2007. The game has received multiple iterations of enhanced re-releases and ports: Persona 3 FES, an extended version containing a new playable epilogue among other changes, was released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan in 2007 and worldwide the following year. An abridged PlayStation Portable version of the game, Persona 3 Portable, was released in Japan in 2009, North America in 2010, and Europe in 2011. Portable was ported to the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in 2023. Persona 3 Reload, a remake of the core game for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S is scheduled for release in 2024.
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Children, also known as DemiKids, is a series of role-playing video games primarily developed by Multimedia Intelligence Transfer and published by Atlus. It is a spin-off from Atlus' Megami Tensei franchise, and began in 2000 with the Game Boy Color games Black Book and Red Book. Five more role-playing games and three games in other genres were released until 2004, followed by no new releases until the 2011 social game Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Children. In addition to the games, the series has been adapted into manga, anime, and a trading card game, and two soundtrack albums have been released by First Smile Entertainment.
Persona 4, released outside Japan as Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4, is a 2008 role-playing video game by Atlus. It is chronologically the fifth installment in the Persona series, itself a part of the larger Megami Tensei franchise, and was released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan in July 2008, North America in December 2008, and Europe in March 2009 as one of the final major exclusives for the system. It was re-released as a PlayStation 2 Classic for the PlayStation 3 in April 2014. Persona 4 takes place in a fictional Japanese countryside and is indirectly related to earlier Persona games. The player-named protagonist is a high-school student who moved into the countryside from the city for a year. During his year-long stay, he becomes involved in investigating mysterious murders with a group of friends while harnessing the power to summon physical manifestations of their psyches known as a Persona.
Devil Summoner, initially marketed as Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner, is a video game franchise developed and primarily published by Atlus. Focused on a series of role-playing video games, Devil Summoner is a spin-off from Atlus' Megami Tensei franchise. The first entry in the series, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner, was released in 1995 for the Sega Saturn. The series has seen several more games since, with the most recent main entry being Soul Hackers 2 released in 2022.
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor is a tactical role-playing video game in the Megami Tensei series developed by Atlus for the Nintendo DS. It was released in Japan on January 15, 2009, and in North America on June 23, 2009. An enhanced port for the Nintendo 3DS, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked, was also developed by Atlus and released in 2011 for Japan and North America while in 2013 for Europe.
Persona, previously marketed as Shin Megami Tensei: Persona outside of Japan, is a video game franchise primarily developed and published by Atlus, and owned by Sega. Focusing around a series of role-playing video games, Persona is a spin-off from Atlus' Megami Tensei franchise. The first entry in the series, Revelations: Persona, was released in 1996 for the PlayStation. The series has seen several more games since, with the most recent main entry being 2019's Persona 5 Royal.
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey is a role-playing video game developed by Atlus and Lancarse for the Nintendo DS. The game is the sixth entry in the Shin Megami Tensei series, which forms the core of the Megami Tensei franchise. It was released in Japan in 2009, and in North America in 2010. An enhanced port for the Nintendo 3DS, Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux, was released in Japan in 2017, and was released internationally in 2018 by Atlus in North America and Deep Silver in Europe.
Shin Megami Tensei IV is a role-playing video game developed by Atlus for the Nintendo 3DS. It is part of the Shin Megami Tensei series, the central series of the Megami Tensei franchise, though no direct story connection exists to previous entries. It was released in May and July 2013 for Japan and North America respectively. It was released digitally in Europe in October 2014. The gameplay is reminiscent of previous Shin Megami Tensei games, carrying over the turn-based Press Turn battle system, where players and enemies fight and exploit weaknesses, allowing either side to gain additional turns or lose them.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE is a 2015 role-playing video game developed by Atlus and published by Nintendo for the Wii U home console. The game is a crossover that combines gameplay, narrative, and aesthetic elements from Atlus's Shin Megami Tensei and Nintendo's Fire Emblem series. It was released in Japan in December 2015 and worldwide in June 2016. An enhanced port for the Nintendo Switch, Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE Encore, was released on January 17, 2020.
Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse is a 2016 role-playing video game developed and published by Atlus for the Nintendo 3DS. It is the sequel to Shin Megami Tensei IV, set in a post-apocalyptic alternative world. The game is part of the Shin Megami Tensei series, the central series of the Megami Tensei franchise. The game features gameplay mechanics from previous Shin Megami Tensei releases, such as the Press Turn battle system, where players and enemies fight and exploit weaknesses, allowing either side to gain additional turns or lose them.
The Caligula Effect is a role-playing video game developed by Aquria. It was released for the PlayStation Vita in Japan in June 2016, and by Atlus USA in North America and Europe in May 2017. A remake of the game, The Caligula Effect: Overdose, was released for the PlayStation 4 in Japan in May 2018, and worldwide by NIS America in March 2019 for the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Windows. An anime adaptation of the same name premiered in April 2018.
Shin Megami Tensei V is a 2021 role-playing video game developed and published by Atlus for the Nintendo Switch. It is part of the Shin Megami Tensei series, the central series of the larger Megami Tensei franchise. Produced by Shin Megami Tensei IV director Kazuyuki Yamai, it was designed as a hybrid between Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne and Shin Megami Tensei IV, featuring returning gameplay mechanics such as raising and fusing demons. As of April 2022, the game sold over one million copies.
In the video game industry, 2021 saw the release of many new titles. The numerous delays in software and hardware releases due to the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic heavily impacted development schedules, leading to several games being delayed into 2022 or even postponed indefinitely. Additionally, computer and console hardware were impacted by the combined effects of a semiconductor shortage and a rising growth of bitcoin mining that strained the supply of critical components.
Edge of Eternity is a 2021 role-playing video game developed by Midgar Studio and published by Dear Villagers. It first released for Windows before releasing on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch in February 2022.
The Diofield Chronicle is a strategy role-playing video game co-developed by Square Enix and Lancarse. It was released in September 2022 for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows platforms.