Monster Sanctuary review: Tame complex creatures in this charming 16-bit adventure – Eugene Sowah

Catching monsters and partnering with them for battle isn’t something new, with countless franchises that have been born from this formula, each unique in its own way. This has left developers with a hefty challenge on their hands trying to create something new and original from a tired concept. But Moi Rai Games and Team 17 may have just done that with the charming pixel adventure Monster Sanctuary.

Monster Sanctuary wastes no time in throwing players straight into the world where monsters roam freely. Playing as a male or female Monster Keeper who’s come from a respected family, you travel the land to keep peace in the sanctuary.

Players will be gifted with an ancestral Spectral Familiar, and these powerful immortal creatures will aid you in battle on your quest and act as a guide. There are four to choose from, each harnessing different elemental powers.

Test your creature catching skills in this nifty adventure

Along your journey, players will have to do battle with an evil group called the Alchemists who practice forbidden magic and want to destroy the current status quo. The plot becomes surprisingly complex with so many twists and turns as new enemies are introduced and new dungeons opened up.

Monster Sanctuary looks gorgeous with the bright 16-bit world giving all kinds of nostalgia for fans of JRPG classics like Earthbound or Chrono Trigger. The levels may not be groundbreaking but they certainly aren’t uninteresting.

The main beauty of the game lies in the eye-catching monsters who all look well crafted and radiate so much personality with brilliant attack animations. The extra characters are hit and miss with the Alchemist characters sporting some cool designs while the NPCs are rather tame and not that exciting to look at.

Use each monster’s special ability to access new areas

The soundtrack is amazing, with each retro sounding theme invoking a sense of adventure. Adding an extra atmosphere to every situation, the soundtrack is one of the highlights of Monster Sanctuary.

Gameplay in Monster Sanctuary is a unique experience, mixing Metroidvania style platforming with turned based battles. Players will have to traverse the big open world made up of several unlockable areas filled with monsters to battle. Each level is filled with platforming tropes, but what makes Monster Sanctuary stand out is how you use your companions’ abilities to access secrets and new areas.

Each monster will have a special ability that they can use outside of battle, such as levitating or breaking walls, so players will literally have to collect all monsters to be able to explore this vast world.

There’s a lot of backtracking in this game but that’s ok because the rewards are really worth it. Players won’t just have to rely on their monsters as there are items that upgrade their Monster Keeper. You can also fast track using the Teleport Crystals, but you have to interact with them to activate them.

The overall level design is very challenging, even when you have the right means to progress. The open world was the gift that kept giving with each new area satisfying my urge to keep foraging and delve deeper into the unknown.

One issue is that the map is very bare and basic, it should really have more detail especially for the areas that I’ve already visited, and ideally players should have been allowed to mark where they’ve seen an unreachable chest.

Battle in 3v3 turn based matches

Battling is one of the most important parts of the game and players have to do battle with monsters and various enemies scattered around the world. In order to tame new beasts players will have to receive a high rating and will be rewarded with an egg of the defeated creature. Thankfully the game will automatically raise each new monster level to match that of your team’s. Some monsters can evolve after reaching a certain point in the game.

There are also Champion monsters which are powered versions of the critters in the game with annoying special features like being able to attack more than once each turn. Beating them will allow your Monster Keeper to increase their ranking which will open up new areas.

There are over one hundred monsters to tame

Combat takes the form of 3v3 turn based battles similar to other JRPGs but there are few differences that make Monster Sanctuary stand out. Players will have to build up a combo meter by attacking, resulting in an increase in your team’s damage output.

The battles are very strategic with each foe having unique abilities like creating a shield for allies or increasing attack power. Each monster has an element they are weak against and one they are strong against. Players will be able to see the effectiveness of an attack before selecting it, making strategies slightly more easier

But players won’t be able to just spam their strongest moves as the AI hates to lose and will make use of the abilities in their arsenal to make each battle a trial of fire, especially the enemy keepers. Players will also be happy to hear that there’s an online mode where they can take part in PVP battles and test their team’s true strength.

Traverse the huge map to find all its secrets

Combat was surprisingly detailed and nothing like any other monster games that I’ve played. Each battle offered a new challenge keeping me on my toes, having to constantly evolve my strategy. Even though the depth and complexity of it is fully welcomed, battles can take a long time to get through and there should be a way to speed it up.

To ensure that each monster is unique, the game features a skill tree system where players can access new moves and abilities for their monsters by spending skill points. Each skill tree is huge with so many branches, and the level of detail that has gone into the effect of each skill is fantastic.

There’s just so much detail with each new skill offering something vastly different. Players will be able to reset their skill trees really easily so there is low risk in trying different builds to find that perfect team. One downside is that monsters will have similar trees but saying that, even if they do have a similar tree their playstyle will greatly differ.

Verdict

Monster Sanctuary is a delight to play, with levels and monsters radiating such depth and creativity. The complexity of each monster’s skill tree is a feature fully welcomed and would be a great addition in other monster games. Monster Sanctuary is a late gem to 2020 that gamers should pay attention to.

Monster Sanctuary is out now for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch And PC

Source Article

Next Post

7401 Tower Street, Falls church, US, VA - Luxury Real Estate Listings for Sale

Tue Dec 15 , 2020
NEW PRICE on this energy efficient NEW home. With heating and cooling bills of about $100-$125/month, this is the home for you! Set on a hill in sought after Poplar Heights, you will find this exquisite custom built Transitional Style home with nearly 5200 sf of finished living space. As […]

You May Like