It is almost here, one of the games I have had my eye on for the past year or so, Monark. While the full game isn’t out yet, NISA has recently released its demo of the game. Seeing how I really wanted to check this out, I gave that demo a try. So here are my impressions of the Monark Demo.
What is Monark? I think of it as a Shin Megami Tensei game but from NISA instead of Atlus. Which may mean more grinding and more customization but also more comedy and characters. As I started the demo, I was right on the money, but with something I wasn’t expecting, a turn-based tactical RPG system rather than just a normal turn-based one. You create a pact with a Monark known as Vanitas. He gives you insight on how to activate your powers based on something called your Ego. Ego is ultimately your passion or drive based on the seven sins, which is decided upon via a psych test you take at the beginning of the game. I did it with Lust from my first playthrough of the demo. You get a fiend ally based on your primary Ego, also allowing you to customize their armor and their appearance.
There are psych tests that appear throughout the demo that have you answering questions on what you think or how you feel about situations. Based on your answers, your ego will grow. It is cool to see how the answers differ at times but I honestly don’t think there is a whole lot of variety in the answers. I think right now that is my biggest issue with the game itself. In terms of gameplay, there is a lot of variety in how you do things, but when it comes to the choice aspect, there is not a whole lot going for it. It is a tactical RPG. You begin your turn with your unit placements being able to decide who is in front and back.
You start out with your main character, your Daemon helper, and a second character who follows you around, known as Nozumi Hinata. You start out with only an attack move and a move that charges your awaken gauge known as Resolve. When your gauge is at 100%, your character becomes Awakened with improved stats. Your goal in the fighting segments varies. Goals can be as simple as killing all enemies or just destroying a single story-related item before the enemies can kill you. I did enjoy that it has such a nice variety to the gameplay and the moves. You level up characters by spending Spirit points to invest into abilities. With each new ability unlocked, you also gain a level for your character.
Spirit points are shared between your entire party, so make sure not to invest too much into only one character, or you will be hurting your entire party down the line by not letting them have levels. You get Spirit points by completing encounters, finding them randomly throughout the floors, or even by dismantling items you get. It isn’t too hard to find items and levels that can be constantly replayed to get more Spirit Points as well as to try different strategies. I had to grind the second level a ton in order to get enough levels and abilities to take on the boss of the demo, so be sure to get used to your character setups.
I have a feeling grinding is going to be a big part of this game in order to keep increasing character levels and abilities so make sure you invest a lot in understanding how best to utilize your characters. If you attack an enemy in range of another character they will also help out in giving an attack of their own alongside your actual attack. This means the placement of your units is important.
I enjoyed my time with the demo, and I would recommend you try playing it before deciding if you want to buy the game. I would say it would be a must-buy, but with how many games are coming out in the upcoming month, that would be a tall order. My big hope is that the game itself has more choices than the demo gave you. Overall, I thought the demo was a fun experience, and I hope to see more of the customization options that the game provides you with different fiends and characters.
Monark is coming out on February 22nd, 2022, to PlayStation consoles, Nintendo Switch, and PC. The demo is out for PlayStation consoles only currently.
