MONARK

Story was great, however I felt the ending was rushed. It's presentation / direction left me feeling unsatisfied and thinking "oh that's it, I beat the game".The combat on the other hand was hitting the neurons when you realize it revolves around the resonance system. When you link up with teammates and acquire their skills, it just opens up disgusting combos that can one shot enemies. The Boss music in this game is PEAK. They're all good and catchy and just get me hyped for the battle. I even listen to them outside of the game. My only complaints are that the grind in this game is TEDIOUS. it feels like the developers made it as boring and long to bloat your play time. It wasn't worth doing the last 2 Fertile Grounds because i would end up clearing the previous ones way faster and get a better rank netting me more SP (Fertile Ground 7 my beloved). The last thing i absolutely despised are the instant death moves. You could be nearing the end of a battle and an enemy uses a skill that just straight kills you saying "death". This wouldnt be a problem if it wasn't for the fact that if the MC dies, it's game over. This becomes extremely frustrating during boss fights where the enemies are tough and it takes a a lot of turns to even get to the boss in the first place. Overall, its a gem in a rough game. I don't regret getting all the achievements and was actually sad that it was over. If you don't think this game is worth the full price tag, that's fine. I personally feel like getting it on sale is the best option. Please Try Out Monark!

game crashes every time when i'm supposed to type something

Not a review for the game, necessarily, I’ve played some of it on the Switch (where the graphics look much worse) and enjoy it quite a bit, but rather for the fact that one very simple thing is keeping me from playing this game on the Steam Deck. I KNOW it is marked “Unsupported.” Plenty of games marked “Unsupported” run just fine (and there are serious issues with some “Playable” or even “Verified” games). Anyway, this game ALMOST runs perfectly now. It runs fine out of the box (no Proton compatibility needed at all) BUT, once I get to the part where I have to name my character…I can’t. Not with the on-screen keyboard, not with an external wireless keyboard, not even streaming the game to my tablet using Steam Link & using the tablet keyboard. It doesn’t crash the game, in fact I can tab back and forth between first and last name boxes…it simply doesn’t recognize anything that I type whatsoever. In gaming mode or desktop mode. And unfortunately I don’t have reliable access to a Windows PC that can run this game so can’t just get around this issue by starting the game on Windows. I’m nearly at my wits end trying to simply name my character. TL;DR: If you have easy access to a Windows PC that can run this but want to play mostly on your Steam Deck, you’ll probably be fine. It looks and seems to play great on the Deck. If you don’t have access to a Windows PC that can run this-I cannot recommend it. Unless I can find a solution to this problem I’m going to have to refund the game-a shame, since I’d much rather play it on the Deck than on Switch. Oh well.

Is this one of the best games I've played? No. But low key, I really enjoyed this. There are issues, no doubt, but there's a lot to like, for example. at how it skews many of the expectations of the genre - even if the vast majority of the twists are signposted very clearly (which, don't get me wrong, is FAR preferable to the opposite). Combat is a tactical affair, which is quite easy to pick up if you've ever played a tactical jrpg. Your party can assist each other in battle if close enough, you can launch uncounterable back attacks, you have magic abilities for offence, support, and health. You probably know the drill. Then comes the slight skewing of the genre - magic costs sanity (going insane turns you berserk and then die after three turns - which loses you the fight if it's the MC) and physical attacks (other than basic ones) cost HP - think the same kind of stuff as Persona, for example. However... you can also use said madness to achieve Enlightenment for a few terms, vastly increasing your stats, giving you a risk versus reward set-up. The combat itself could have benefited massively from more variety in the maps and enemies (but honestly, I've found that in a lot of tactical jrpgs that get praised to high heaven (like FFT, or Disgaea for example) and it feels more of a criticism of the genre itself, and the limitations of it.) Once you work out what you are doing (and the sheer power of the MCs special abilities) there is no need to grind unless you want to 100% it like I did. I was going into the final fight of the post game with almost all of the party 30 levels below, it's that powerful when utilised properly. The story is... Well, let's just say it has its fair share of things that make me wince, wondering why the devs would think it was a good idea. Silent protagonist - big wince. (Seriously, I can't think of a good reason to include it other than (maybe) not having to pay much for the little voice acting you then include.) Amnesia (and other plot points) which people barely seem to comment about, and questions that should be asked rarely being done - big wince, albeit slightly redeemed later on. Being willing to die for your friends... but not give them all of the very important info you have on the situation at hand because... reasons I guess. Wince. A student body and faculty staff being remarkable unbothered by lots of people dying, people going mad, and a whole host of things that in a normal world would have seen them all panicking and running around willy-nilly before being claimed themselves - Seriously, I don't even want to go to a Japanese college/high school (depending on what they are called where you live...). Those places are unhinged! I spent most of the start of my time playing the game wanting to scream at the characters why they aren't freaking out more. But I still loved it. It's dark, and off piste, and isn't afraid to touch some dark stuff, or unconventional wisdom into the mix. I liked the central thrust of the conceit which essentially takes the emotions labelled as the deadly sins, and play around with how these emotions can actually lead to drives for good things as well as bad if you get consumed by them. The romantic interest - such as it is, isn't the one you would have expected it to be. The music is in general really rather good and scene setting. There are some ACTUAL puzzles in it. Not fetch quests, but things you actually have to work out yourself, which is groundbreaking in today's world. (The final one is either really tough, or really simple, and if you find it tough I wouldn't blame you for looking up the answer. There is one other one I found a little difficult, as well, but most of them had enough info given to you that you could work it out okay.) Honestly, I had an absolute blast, and if there was a sequel for it, or something similar made off the back of it, I'd be interested. That said, I don't have all that much money, and don't think I could have justified my purchase at full price. Getting in a sale softens your expectations and lets you put up with some things you wouldn't usually. I'd say, give it a shot - it might not be for you, but equally, it might be your very own guilty pleasure.

不好玩，对话动作做半天，场景切换也是镜头移动超级慢

I liked the characters, the music and story, but the combat just wasn't for me. I looked up the answers for some of the puzzles, but if I put in the effort, I could've probaly figured it out, maybe.

[h1]🎮 Reseña de MONARK[/h1] [h2]Resumen del Juego[/h2] MONARK es un [b]Rol[/b] con vibra de “adolescencia traumática + demonios internos + decisiones intensas”, donde el drama no se camina: se [i]declama[/i]. La premisa te tira a un escenario escolar/psicológico con un tono oscuro y serio, como si alguien hubiera dicho: “¿Y si hacemos un RPG donde la terapia es opcional, pero el sufrimiento es contenido principal?” La primera impresión es clara: esto no quiere ser simpático ni ligero. Quiere ser [b]intenso[/b], de esos juegos que te miran fijamente y te preguntan si estás listo para escuchar monólogos existenciales… y luego te suelta combates y progresión de RPG para que no te escapes. Si te gustan los RPG que se toman en serio a sí mismos (a veces demasiado), MONARK te va a hablar al oído. Si prefieres algo más directo y menos “yo soy 14 y esto es profundo”, también te va a hablar al oído… pero para incomodarte. [h2]Virtudes y Pecados del Pacto[/h2] Lo Bueno: ✅ 🧠 [b]Identidad fuerte[/b]: se nota que el juego tiene una visión y no le da miedo ser raro. ✅ 🏆 [b]47 logros de Steam[/b] para los que necesitan validación digital por completar cosas. ✅ 🃏 [b]Cromos de Steam[/b]: sí, también puedes farmear tu serotoninita. ✅ ☁️ [b]Steam Cloud[/b]: tu sufrimiento guardado en la nube, como debe ser. ✅ 👤 [b]Un jugador[/b]: perfecto si tu party ideal es “yo y mis decisiones cuestionables”. Lo No Tan Bueno: ❌ 🎮 [b]Compatibilidad parcial con mando[/b]: o sea, funciona… “a su manera”. Buena suerte interpretando esa relación. ❌ 👥 [b]Comunidad muy tranquila[/b]: 1 jugador actual; básicamente estás solo en este ritual. ❌ 📣 [b]Pocas recomendaciones totales (195)[/b]: no es precisamente el RPG del que todos están hablando en la esquina. ❌ 🧩 [b]Experiencia muy de nicho[/b]: si no conectas con el tono, se te puede hacer pesado más rápido que un monólogo de villano. [h2]Tabla de Evaluación[/h2] [table] [tr][th]Aspecto[/th][th]Puntuación (0-10)[/th][th]Comentario[/th][/tr] [tr][td]Jugabilidad[/td][td]7[/td][td]RPG sólido, pero su ritmo depende de que compres el “mood”.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Dificultad / IA[/td][td]7[/td][td]Cumple; más reto por gestión/decisiones que por “IA brillante”.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Contenido[/td][td]7[/td][td]Tiene con qué entretener, aunque no es una avalancha de variedad.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Gráficos / Video[/td][td]7[/td][td]Estilo correcto; no viene a presumir músculo técnico.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Historia[/td][td]8[/td][td]Intensa y polarizante: o te atrapa o te da cringe existencial.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Ambientación[/td][td]8[/td][td]Oscura, opresiva y consistente: sabe lo que quiere ser.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Efectos (VFX)[/td][td]7[/td][td]Acompañan bien; sin fuegos artificiales, pero funcionales.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Música[/td][td]8[/td][td]Clave para sostener el tono “ritual emocional”.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Voces[/td][td]7[/td][td]Aportan carácter; depende de tu tolerancia al dramatismo.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Diversidad[/td][td]6[/td][td]No destaca por amplitud; se enfoca más en su nicho temático.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Rendimiento[/td][td]7[/td][td]En general estable para una experiencia de un jugador.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Rejugabilidad[/td][td]6[/td][td]Si no te enamora su vibe, no dan tantas ganas de volver.[/td][/tr] [tr][td][b]Total Puntuaciones (Muy Bueno)[/b][/td][td][b]7.1[/b][/td][td]Un RPG oscuro y particular: no para todos, pero competente y con personalidad.[/td][/tr] [/table] [h2]Conclusión (Muy Bueno)[/h2] MONARK es ese RPG que no intenta caerle bien a todo el mundo… y se nota. Su fortaleza es la [b]identidad[/b]: un tono oscuro, una historia que quiere ser intensa y una experiencia claramente diseñada para jugarse en solitario, sin distracciones ni “bro, mira este meme”. Aquí vienes a hundirte en su atmósfera. Ahora, el dato incómodo: [b]1 jugador actual[/b] y [b]195 recomendaciones[/b]. Eso no significa que sea malo; significa que estás entrando a un club pequeño, medio silencioso, donde la gente no grita “GOTY” en cada esquina. Si te gustan los RPG con drama psicológico y no te asusta que sea un gusto adquirido, vale la pena. [h3]Recomendación de Compra (Recomendado con reservas)[/h3] Puntuación Total: 7.1/10 Número de jugadores activos al momento de hacer esta review: 1 Descuento máximo registrado: N/A Veredicto: [i]Un RPG de nicho, oscuro y dramático: si conectas con el tono, te va a gustar mucho; si no, se vuelve una sesión larga de “¿por qué sigo aquí?”[/i] Si buscas un [b]Rol[/b] con personalidad y una atmósfera densa, MONARK cumple y hasta se pone interesante cuando te dejas llevar. Pero si tu tolerancia al melodrama es baja y te molesta que ciertas cosas (como el mando) sean “parciales”, mejor entra sabiendo exactamente a qué pacto estás firmando.

Usually a fan of most JRPGS, this one was not for me. Mediocre story, boring characters, combat was stale but the theme was great and the mystery aspect I was hoping to keep me with the game.

With FuRyu games you know you're getting something unorthodox in exchange for it not being the highest quality. Unfortunately this is probably FuRyu's worst game. Everything about it is a tedious and boring slog. It also suffers from a localisation that's bad even by NISA's incredibly low standards. Seriously, just don't.

Having 100% the game overall was a fun experience. Was grindy but once you figure out the strats it wasn't that bad. good story but even better music. Not too hard either, some fights were hard but overall not too hard