Platforms
- PCFeb 22, 2022NAplayscoreNA0 Critics8.1134 Players
- PlayStation 5Feb 22, 20227.4playscore6.621 Critics8.6291 Players
- PlayStation 4Feb 22, 2022NAplayscoreNA0 Critics8.5176 Players
- Nintendo SwitchFeb 22, 20227.5playscore6.612 Critics8.6192 Players
36 critic reviews · 1 community reviews across all platforms
Critic Reviews
- Monark is full of dark themes, contemplations of Ego and Desire and what they mean, what makes someone truly human, and if or when they should set aside their Desires. Accompanied by a soundtrack filled with catchy J-Pop/Rap music from the V-Tuber group Kamitsubaki, and a team of developers fresh off the Shin Megami Tensei and Persona series, Monark is a game that I had high hopes for.
Camrin Santchi · Mar 11, 2022 Reviewed on PCRead full review - The convoluted writing, bland presentation, and overall repetitive nature of the game make for a title that isn’t going to appeal to most people. Even if you’re a die-hard SRPG fan, this one’s difficult to swallow at full price, so if you’re considering picking up MONARK, we suggest waiting for a sale at least.
SebastiaanRaats · Mar 05, 2022 Reviewed on SwitchRead full review - Monark has a lot of good ideas, but almost all of them are let down by a repetitive structure, grindy combat, and baffling design decisions.
Shubhankar Parijat · Mar 03, 2022 Reviewed on PS5Read full 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.
Kirk Hiner · Feb 23, 2022 Reviewed on SwitchRead full review - 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.
Eric Van Allen · Feb 22, 2022 Reviewed on PS5Read full review - Monark is an ambitious JRPG with innovation at the forefront. It aims to revolutionize the tried and true formula by replacing dungeons with puzzles. In doing that, however, it limits the appeal by targeting a niche audience within an already niche style. Still, there’s excitement here, and I felt a rush of dopamine shoot through my body each time I finished a puzzle.
FerniWrites · Feb 21, 2022 Reviewed on SwitchRead full review - Monark has a lot of interesting ideas that could have come together into a great tactical JRPG, but what’s here feels more like a prototype. Its Madness mechanic adds interesting choices to its fights, but is mostly irrelevant and annoying outside of combat. And while its well-voiced party members eventually grow on you, I wish I had more time to directly interact with them so I cared about their wellbeing when it came to major moments in the plot. The real drag, though, is the repetition in the mission structures, which is the same sequence of events and dull puzzles over and over again with very little variety.
Cameron Hawkins · Feb 19, 2022 Reviewed on PS5Read full review - 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.
John Cal McCormick · Feb 16, 2022 Reviewed on PS5Read full review - 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.
MARC DESCHAMPS · Feb 16, 2022 Reviewed on SwitchRead full review - I’d love to get more of this combat, and if they can get the character models to look more like the drawings - even better. If we do get a sequel, I will definitely be approaching it with far less excitement than I went into this first Monark game with. Get yourself the free demo and when it’s over, ask yourself if you would have fun doing that same stuff over and over and over. If you think you would, then maybe you will have a better time with Monark than I did.
Scott White · Feb 16, 2022 Reviewed on PS5Read full review
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Community Reviews
- Rated on Switch
About the game
Trailers & Screenshots:
Could you face yourself and the threats around you to save the ones you love? Shin Mikado Academy is engulfed in a madness-inducing Mist, and only you can save everyone inside. Develop your Ego to break the pacts set by the Pactbearers and remove the corrupting Mist.
Developer: Gearbox Software