Plunge headlong into MonCon, a surreal convention teeming with social monsters, where your conversation skills must be sharpened in order to survive.
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Languages: English**languages with full audio support
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This game is a lot more than it seems on the surface, and as such I have a lot to say. The [b]TL;DR[/b] is that the game is overall fun and filled with all sorts of content, though it's not without flaws (e.g. rhythm elements are less rhytmic/precise than I'd like). Still, despite the curbs in the road it does not overstay its welcome, and manages to deliver a satisfying ending. Before diving deep I will mention most of my playthrough was on a pre-release build, so there were a few more bugs that have been since fixed, but might influence my views in one way or another. [h3]The Good[/h3] First of all, the game is of very good length(~18h if you're doing stuff, but not being a completionist). It doesn't overstay its welcome, while squeezing out as much as it can from its mechanics. The story is also decently well paced, and is one of those rare games where sidequests don't feel like you're doing something that is unimportant while you have a time-sensitive quest, because the whole point of conventions is to check out a variety of things and interact with a variety of people. I also really like how the convention becomes more 'friendly' as you uncover more and more people, and their varied NPC looks replace the dark shades. I think this and a lot of other subtle things and gags make this feel more like a real convention than just a setting for a game, which helps with immersion if that's important to you. Another great thing is the actual plot. I heavily enjoyed the foreshadowings/chekov's guns that were scattered all around the game, while simultaneously not spoiling anything. This game deals with the stress of talking to people, but it also goes into adjacent categories, which are better left for the player to discover themselves. The story is probably the best thing about the game. Finally, the game has a bunch of tools to help you out, so do use them! Get familiar with apps on your phone, and if you feel stuck you can call the reception for a hint from any hotel room. It can help you get a clear sight on what is actually wanted of you, if you feel particularly confused. [h3]The Bad[/h3] Now, I would be lying if I said this was a perfect game. A lot of the issues are small, but you'll feel their effect. The most damning is probably the actual rhythm segments in the combat. They felt imprecise, both in button inputs and music sync. Frequently the music would feel like it has more notes than are on the screen, and when the game's notes came they felt like they're more about reflecting the music than syncing to it. I also seemed to rarely hit "Perfect" timings, which might be mainly due to the notes not always alligning with music. Next up as mentioned previously, I played a pre-release version, and there were quite a few crashes. I know for a fact most of them were fixed in the release version, but there likely are still some things left. By the looks of it the dev will keep fixing things, so if you're playing around launch just be sure to save compulsively (though autosave does exist outside of 'dungeons'), and if it's been a while then you should be fine for the most part (though saving when you can never hurts) Other issues are more minor, but also engrained into the game in ways that will make it hard to fix via patches: [list] [*] It's a great touch that the combat is shifted from attacks and status effects into conversation topics and emotions, but this results in it being harder to associate the things with what they do (and possibly how to get rid of them), which is a shame cause some effects are quite fun to play with. [*] As you level up, you choose to upgrade a single move. This means it will be stronger, and thus you'll probably use it more. This makes the battles more repetitive when you don't have other solutions for the needed dialogue techniques. And when you do have the "optimal" dialogue technique, then you repeatedly use it until the enemy dies. This makes a lot of battles feel more same-y than they should, and makes them tiresome after a while [*] Certain (side)quests will require quite a lot of scouring the map for the thing you need, which leads to a lot of backtracking. This is also a problem in some late-game areas, and can get extra frustrating if you're like me and try and skip some of the combat because of the above [*] Characters will join and leave your party as the story progresses, and sometimes you won't get them back for a little while. So if you stored anything valuable in their inventory, the precious item will have to wait before getting it back (thankfully, this is just a rare nuissance and doesn't lead to any softlocks) [/list] None of them are horrible on their own, but altogether (and with any other minor things I forgot to mention) it does add a weight to the game that can drag it down at times. [h3]Conclusions[/h3] Overall, I think MonCon is a fun game. It may be lacking in some departments, but there clearly was a lot of love and thought put into it, and both the story and the game's pacing is quite well designed. A lot of issues I encountered are being actively fixed, so the more time passes since this review, the less of them are around. I know there are quite a few more things that will get added into the game post-launch, so it will make the already sizeable game have even more game in the game.
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MonCon is an interesting rhythm-based RPG, where you play as Joey, a young teenager who struggles with social anxiety. However, Joey has decided to take a step outside of his comfort zone and attend MonCon - in hopes to meet Mr. Miyashiro, a legendary game dev. While this would be a simple and fun event for most, for our protagonist it’s unfortunately anything but - with just a simple conversation leaving him absolutely paralyzed. Thankfully Joey finds a friend along the way - called Karl - who can help him gain confidence and teach him basic conversation skills. The combat system is entirely based around this, with the “fights” consisting of mini rhythm patterns where you try and have a back-and-forth conversation with the “monster” Joey sees. When you first speak to someone, they show up as an uncomforting monster who must be tackled with an attempt at small-talk to beat them. At first sight, MonCon certainly seems like an interesting idea. To cover such an experience is an interesting journey, however, I was not able to play as much of the game as I liked. In order to progress you have to beat certain monsters with different things, sometimes you can just beatdown them with your skills, but others you need to work out how to take down. You can show them items and take them down by learning of their “interests”, helping Joey see them as a normal, harmless person. I unfortunately got stuck at a guard very early-on in the game, and about half of my game time was spent trying to work out what order/combination of things I needed to beat him. But I could not work it out, and I didn’t see any possible alternative route. While I am usually fine tackling something like this - I didn’t feel like I made an inch of progress with any try and since there is a complete lack of guides, I unfortunately had to give up. The gameplay loop seemed pretty straightforward. You walk around, discovering new people and working on getting to Mr. Miyashiro before the end of the day, so you can get his autograph. Food heals, and you can seemingly earn infinite money via specific minigames for a loosely infinite amount of healing - outside of your maximum inventory space. The game has a time “schedule” - which I didn’t manage to come to understand how it progresses, but I imagine each complete objective would move to the next. There are also lots of side-quests you get by interacting with others or as notifications on your phone that give you bonus rewards upon completion. One of my biggest issues with this game was the fact you can only use the d-pad OR the analog stick for movement. I feel both should be available, especially since I saw no reason why - neither needs to be used for something else. The combat I also have one complaint about. The rhythm board swaps from right-to left, to left-to-right depending on if you are attacking or defending. As someone who doesn’t play rhythm games much at all, this was very confusing, and I’d recommend an accessibility option to keep it in one direction(unless I somehow missed it). Unfortunately, due to the fact I was unable to progress the game past an hour, it is only right that I negatively review this game. I’d love to be able to tell you more about it, but I could not experience as much as I would have liked. MonCon did not stand out especially in my time playing it, but I do not feel like >2 hours is really enough time to speak confidently there. On the off-chance I am able to progress past the guard, I am open to coming back to my review and updating accordingly. This could also lead into another suggestion of giving in-game hints if a player is really struggling somewhere. Typically online guides are the best way to do this, but some hints/assistance in-game could help with the lack of guides. However, do keep in mind, I do not hate the game or think it is terrible. I just cannot progress anymore so I can’t even experience more of the game. Someone who is better at puzzles may do just fine, so I’d still say to have a look into MonCon if you really are interested. But for now, I cannot confidently give this a recommendation, even if I might just be failing the most basic of puzzles. A copy was provided by Megalithic Mainframe to The Butterfly Effect for review purposes. [quote]When [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/4680120/]Otome Lovers[/url] encounters [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44686303/]The Butterfly Effects[/url], it's a blend of enchanting love stories and the magical ripples of fate! If you enjoyed the review, please follow us.[/quote]
As someone with social anxiety never before have I played a game that relates more to me.
Only got a chance to play a little bit as of now but, I did want to leave a brief first impression. MonCon places you in control of a character who struggles with social anxiety yet unironically is attending a con because he seeks to get his favorite retro game signed by the creator. What unfolds from the brief amount of time I did play is a charming intro to what seems to be a well thought out story. There is a lot of themes that are relatable which makes this an easily accessible game. From the charming and cozy art style to engaging characters, good music, easy to learn & play gameplay paired with some RPG & Rhythm genre elements makes MonCon a fun good game. Can't wait to really be able to deep dive in and fully play through! Will update review when fully finish the game but, as of now I can say this is easily recommendable game especially for fans of indie games <3
Update: Apparently the hit timing issue has been addressed (though I haven't tested it myself), so I struck that from my list of cons. Edit after finishing the game: Unfortunately changing to not recommended. The last *several hours* of the game is wandering around the hotel somewhat randomly looking for various things, all the while either dodging or getting into encounters with countless NPCs in all areas. The combat was already getting old by that point and that just made it way more of a slog. I still enjoyed the story and characters, it had some good twists and I think it wrapped up well, but the game itself just wasn't very fun overall, in my opinion. I like rhythm games and I love RPGs, but it was just too repetitive for my tastes. It was also a very buggy experience for me; I found and reported ~12 bugs, just from what I experienced, many of which were game-breaking in some way. I'm sure if those are just the ones I stumbled upon there are likely several others still out there. That said, as I mentioned before these seem to be getting fixed as they're reported, so hopefully in time that will no longer be the case. For what it's worth, I still recommend trying the demo, maybe you'll have more fun than I did, but I can't recommend. My full playthrough starts here if you're interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JxNoFh8ff0 Original review: Let me preface this by saying this is a very soft recommendation, don't think I'm going to see it all the way through myself. I was on the fence, but I do like the premise of the game, I genuinely think it'll only get better with time based on the bug fixes that have been happening and I recognize that it was developed by a single person in their spare time. That said, maybe play the demo first and see if it's for you. Pros: - I do like the premise. I don't know how plausible it is for someone who's completely non-verbal to immediately start striking up conversations with everyone at a convention but it is a video game after all. - There seems to be a lot to do (like a convention), plenty of panels to watch, people to talk to, collectibles to get, etc. - Seems like there may be branching paths. Don't think I'll be playing enough (for now) to see them through and see if/how they affect the story, but without spoiling anything it appears as if you can choose what to do next in the story. Cons: - Bugs. Again, I get it's a single dev and they're doing their best to bust 'em out with each update, but there are quite a few (or maybe I'm just good at finding them). - The combat can be repetitive. There are new skills added regularly which I believe are supposed to mix things up, but I end up using the same skills for the most part. I gathered there's a strength/weakness mechanic but never quite figured it out I feel. - [strike]The combat timing feels a little off. It may be a 'git gud' situation but sometimes it feels like the button presses don't match up with the song the way I expect they would. Again, could just be me, and doesn't ruin the experience.[/strike] Minor quibbles: - The text speeds up every time you advance the text. I feel like there should be a short delay after advancing the text before it starts speeding up, or use the 'B' button to skip text or similar. It barely feels worth mentioning but for lack of a better way of describing it, it just doesn't feel good. - I'm not a fan of the graphic style. That doesn't make them bad by any means, just not a fan of the flash-style graphics personally. Obviously you can see the trailers/screenshots, so there are no surprises/deceptions here.
MonCon is an entertaining game with lots of layers to it! It plays well and is very intuitive. I'm enjoying the story too. I feel like I'm playing through an actual convention. I love the quotes from different authors peppered throughout the gameplay. The music is wonderful and adds to the entertainment factor. The character feel like all kinds of people I have met. They have a good mix of complexity while being authentic. Anyone with social anxiety or looking for a causal way to improve with their conversation skills while having fun should definitely buy this! It may not be a cure-all, but it has some good pointers for making conversation with anyone. Also, anyone looking for a game that has good storyline that feels like Animal Crossing with an end goal with some Guitar Hero action, plus a variety of games to play within the main game, please don't hesitate to get MonCon! Highly recommend it for casual and serious gamers alike. I feel like this is a great game for adults and kids who don't mind light reading.
Amazing and extensive rhythm RPG game! Characters are very unique, enemies have the coolest designs that I have ever seen done in this art style, and the music is extremely varied and incredible to listen to! There is so much about this game that it is hard to list everything in a review, but I would rate it a 9/10, giving it that extra +1 once the endgame bugs are rolled out, but it takes 10 hours to reach the endgame anyway haha.
I like the premise that its about a guy coming out of his literal shell and making new friends at a con. I'm not very good at rhythm games, but I had fun none the less! Also really enjoyed the music!
Really fun and engaging game!
One of the best RPGs I've ever played.
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