Imagine a world where you thought you'd come across a cool game based on a simple trailer, so you ask for it to test it. Now imagine that your request has been accepted and you receive the code for this game on Playstation 4.
Make another stretch of the imagination regretting asking for it, but absolutely not for the reasons you think and which are the classics of the genre as a bad or unplayable game, no. But for much more delicate reasons.
Welcome to the MONARK review. Your nightmare begins... Or rather mine. Question of perspective...
So I know what you're thinking: but what drug does he still take?
You will understand...
In MONARK, you play as a high school student who wakes up with amnesia in a school academy invaded by a mysterious fog from which no one seems able to escape. Quickly, this smog is very oppressive. Moreover, the game will insist on psychology and madness on many occasions, starting with the statistics sheet which will be established after a disturbing questionnaire with even more disturbing results because they return something very close to reality. . And when I saw these results and then, gradually, the little psycho tests offered, I was more and more troubled. Normally, it would have amused me but, given my current state, it disturbs to see myself thus exposed.
Suddenly, a great effort for psychological precision, but the public that I am did not react very well to it...
You will walk around the school with healthy areas and foggy areas. In the latter, your gauge of MADNESS (FOLIE in French) will increase more or less quickly by the simple fact of existing. The rate at which this gauge fills will depend on the stressful situations imposed by your environment and some of your actions. It will however be necessary to avoid that the latter is full under penalty of finding yourself unable to do anything. Fortunately, the drugs and the doctor of the school will be useful to you to lower the level of this gauge. Which can be put to the test during certain dialogues or areas in which a strange ringtone will announce a really dangerous area which will take you into more or less Tactical type combat.
Your character, like some others, will make a deal with MONARKS.
But before we talk about the fights, let's talk about the demonic invasion and specifically the titular MONARKS.
The MONARKS are demons, but not just any demons, since they are powerful immortal original demons capable of creating other demons and, if they wish, of granting powers to humans by contracting with them.
And we're going to stop there with the scenario to avoid spoilers. I have already said a little too much about them.
Just know that your powers thus obtained will allow you to fight against other demonic creatures.
As soon as a fight is triggered by an encounter or by your intrusion into a strange demonic plane, the game then switches to combat mode.
There, you will find yourself with a system close to tactical, not with a grid of the terrain in which you will evolve, but you will be able to move freely within the limit of a circular action perimeter before choosing an offensive or defensive action to the character whose turn it is. But before each fight, you will be careful to choose and place on one of the starting positions, each of the desired fighters. You will start with two: you and the personification of your sin, before seeing your group grow stronger over the course of the story. Also note that, in addition, the game offers a system of collaboration between your characters. It will be easier to give you an example than to explain it to you.
You, Character A, approach Enemy A to be within range of action (also circular) against the latter. Only Character B is also within your reach. Attacking with Character A will also cause Character B to attack, even if his turn has already passed, and thus inflict more damage on Enemy A. If Character C is also in range, it will be a foursome. But be careful, the enemy is capable of the same thing, so it will be up to you to control the terrain. Especially since your characters don't have the same roles or the same weapons within reach that you might have. So beware, because I haven't talked about zone attacks, status sharing (it's a generally defensive ability), or the Madness gauge (some skills increase it), or that of "Motivation " which further complicate things and add depth to a seemingly simple system.
Technically, the game is clean. It's a way of saying "It's not quite what you'd expect from an end-of-gen title (the game is tested on Playstation 4), but despite everything, it's not unpleasant to look at." The oppressive atmosphere is well transmitted with its fog in this school, its NPCs in full depression because having succumbed to madness for the most part and who let it be known. Your phone will also be one of those things when it itself goes "crazy" with a shrill ringing during critical situations. (The passage to the demonic plane is done via telephones). While in normal times, your phone will serve as a map, a central menu to consult the information gleaned from right to left and many other little things more or less important to move forward.
MONARK is a very interesting game, with great potential for tactical fans. On the other hand, it is to be approached with a clear mind because the game is disturbing, addresses points which can be delicate, enters your head, assails you with depressed people who give in to madness in a morally oppressive way. So when you've had absolutely no morale like me for a little while, walking dangerously on the line of total burnout with nothing happening to help you get away from it, MONARK is not recommended.
Otherwise, you can go headlong.
- Playstation (test performed on Playstation 4) - €59,99
- Steam - 59,99€
