Just because it was cool in Silent Hill 2 doesn’t mean it’ll work here, guys. It’s decently spooky at first, but after a while, it just started to look bland and samey. To defeat the pactbearers, you delve into the misty halls of the school to find the link to the ‘Otherworld’ (again, there’s always an other world) where the Monark awaits. They look several generations behind, and it detracts from scenes that would otherwise be emotional. The 2D character illustrations are gorgeous, but the 3D models just don’t measure up. It’s hardly a dealbreaker, but it ruins what otherwise would be some well-needed dramatic tension. The writers know that the player won’t exactly care about the deaths of ‘Male Student B’, so they have the characters move on quickly. None of the characters manage to talk quite like real people: despite some surprisingly dark events such as the deaths of students, their reaction is to act slightly dismayed before returning to the task at hand. Its main detracting factor is actually the dialogue. It has some predictable plot points, but it had enough substance to make it worthwhile. It feels like the theme has been tacked on lat-minute and hastily tied into unrelated plot threads.ĭespite the vague theming, the plot itself manages to be rather good. Even the abilities of the seven ‘Pactbearers’ are only very tangentially related to their namesake. The word ‘ego’ is thrown around constantly, but it’s a vague term that is never really defined. In fact, the game often treats the traits as aspirational, as though they are a natural part of one’s personality. With that being said, I couldn’t tell you for sure if that’s the game’s intended message. It takes a non-judgemental tone, treating the traits as neutral for the most part. The game never treats these traits like sins, though, which is refreshing. Monark gives an honest effort, but only achieves so much. You can call it a Persona rip-off if you want, but those of us who enjoy these JRPGs won’t mind some borrowed features as long as the game itself is good. Monark utilises a lot of aspects you’ll be familiar with, although it doesn’t stand out in any one area. The Megami Tensei and Persona series have been massively influential to JRPGs, spawning games like The Caligula Effect as well as this one. If this sounds familiar to you, that’s to be expected. All the while, an underlying mystery waits to be discovered. The game is ripe with themes of identity and clashing ideals, with the protagonists going up against other students and school faculty who have traumatic backstories that explain their differing outlooks on life. The teenagers fight by partnering themselves with demons themselves, and forge bonds with each other as they get stronger. Monark is a JRPG set in a high school where the protagonist and a posse of other teenagers must protect themselves from demonic creatures.
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