Introduction
Today we are going to catch some monsters in Monster Sanctuary! Not only is this a creature collector with a high difficulty curve, it is also a Metroidvania! Expect to be backtracking a lot, how do you acquire new skills in a creature collector game? Next to some items that grant new abilities, the monsters can help you reach certain places by either flying or swimming. There are a lot more monster abilities off course!
What did I think before playing Monster Sanctuary?
I literally did not know what to expect from this game, it has been a while since bought this game for the Nintendo Switch. This is also the reason why we put it in the poll of April, and it even won that poll! Collecting creatures is always fun and the designs look amazing, the pixel art is quite awesome with over 100 monsters to collect, for the best information, we went to the Steam page.
The Steam page
https://store.steampowered.com/app/814370/Monster_Sanctuary/
It seems like you can explore a huge world with many turn based combats using the monsters that you have collected. All 101 monsters have their own skill tree with the ability to strategize by resetting any time! With that many monsters available, there are an infinite amounts of strategies to try out! This can easily be tested in an infinity run or duels with other keepers!
Rating
I rate Monster Sanctuary with a 9.6 before playing.
It is time to collect some monsters!
Story
You start as a fresh new keeper that has just received a spectral familiar, this is your beginning monster! It is your goal to pass the test by defeating a champion monster, however an evil plot is unfolding, and you get thrown in full force as it seems that you are the only person that is able to stop the world of Monster Sanctuary from being erased from the map.
Rating
I rate the story of Monster Sanctuary with an 8.8.
The story has quite some fun plot twists, but the gameplay is what you are here for with this game.
Gameplay
The game starts out pretty small since many areas are closed off or unreachable, this means that you will need to come back later with different monsters. Since all of them have unique abilities, but not only that, each of the monsters have their own skill tree with an ultimate skill. This means that you need to think carefully about what monster you pick. Luckily, once you reach max level, getting monsters to the same level is done in no time at all.
You can use level badges, they act as rare candies and level up your monsters quickly. There are also skill potions for an extra skill point, and later in the game you can even choose if your monster uses the dark or light side. If you think that this already creates a ton of options, your monsters also can have equipments and accessories.
You can also upgrade your equipment to a +5 at the highest rating. Monsters can also evolve into a stronger version, but the important question remains, how do you get new monsters? After beating a battle, you will get a rating of zero to six stars. The higher your rating is, the higher the chance that you will receive an egg to hatch. When unlocked, these eggs can also be light or dark. Bosses can also be obtained through eggs if you get a five-star rating. Some bosses have unique abilities for getting to certain items or places.
Rating
I rate the gameplay of Monster Sanctuary is an 10
The gameplay takes the best elements of a creature collector, a role-playing game, and a Metroidvania, add some spices, and gets the perfect genre dish.
Sound and Graphics
Graphics
The graphics are just amazing, the backgrounds and areas that you explore are diverse and detailed. However, the real cake are the amazingly crafted pixel monsters. The game is also bigger than I had expected as the areas are quite big that you need to explore, they all have their own respective monsters.
Sound
There are tons of soundtracks that I enjoyed in this game. I enjoyed the fact every area has their own soundtrack.
Rating
I rate the sound and graphics of Monster Sanctuary with an 9.8
The hidden creatures like the Manticorb look amazing!
What did I think after playing Monster Sanctuary?
My wife enjoyed the battles a lot, but she did not like making the strategies or finding the synergies for teams. That is what I did so she could wreck up some innocent roaming monsters! Collecting all the monsters is hard, and we are just missing a select few from the champion selection!
For getting the champions, you will need to get a five star in the fight, which means you need the perfect synergy and exploit the weakness of that boss. Debuffs that deal damage every turn work on a lot of the bosses!
Rating
I rate Monster Sanctuary with a 9.4 after playing.
If you enjoy collecting monsters, this might be a perfect game for you!
What are my personal thoughts about Monster Sanctuary?
While I did enjoy the game a lot, there is a huge difficulty spike now and then, but this usually means that you need to switch up your team and try a different strategy!
Rating
My personal Rating of Monster Sanctuary is a 9.2.
The difficulty spike was hard to pass, you would crush the opposition when suddenly, you will get crushed! This means that you need to switch up teams and grind some levels for new skills!
Last Words
Pros
- Collect over 100 monsters whom all have their own skill tree!
- Explore diverse areas that all house their own collection of monsters
- Find new abilities and backtrack to get more loot
- Unfold a hidden plot to destroy the world
- Astounding pixel art for each monster
- There are an infinite amount of strategies to try out.
- Find hidden monsters in your explorations
- Fight 3 vs 3 against wild monsters or keepers
- Evolve your monsters to grant them all new abilities.
- Enjoy post game content with hard to defeat bosses
- Leveling up new monsters is very easy
- Resetting a skill tree is done without problems or heavy costs.
Cons
- Large difficulty spikes when reaching the endgame.
- It can be hard to find out where you need to go.
In this game, you can catch them all if you are persistent enough, but can you defeat the mighty champions with a five-star rating? Or maybe try your luck with the reward boxes that you can obtain for certain events in the game!?
Final Rating
9.5
Let me know what you think of Monster Sanctuary in the comments!
I hope you enjoyed reading this review, I hope to see you in the next review!
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Looks like pokemon 2d. Nice!
I’m glad this genre is getting more attention
Glad to see that you also rate this game so positively. I’ve had my eye on it for quite some time now and now I REALLY want to play it. But I must admit, your con because of the difficulty spike… well… I find that really intriguing.
Usefull review
Nicee
I like the ability to use the monster’s abilities not only for fighting, but also for exploring.
Thanks for review
Fun game mixing different stuff well with a really good art style
You had pasted “Halo 3” rating here 😉
Thanks for a review, i was interested to read it.
“It can be hard to find out where you need to go” – maybe something anything more about this?
Fixed!
Grinding is always a pain but it is also needed to survive the endgame. Great review overall
I enjoy grinding in some games!
Seems like a fun game. Thanks for review.
Thanks for great review.
Metroidvania and Pokemon mixed together? Count me in! Great review as always!
You are welcome!
9.5 really? i should play this game 🙂
Well, seems like a good game, I have it on my wishlist for a while. But this sort of deck-building mechanic is just complicating and lengthen gameplay. Though of the game as some fun and relaxing thing, but this one not for me. Thanks for the review!
You need a lot of strategy in this game!
After seeing your review I definitely want to purchase this game
Thanks for review
beautiful game fo sho
I like pokemon style games, but I really don’t like this style of combat. And I don’t like metroidvania style games. And I really hate platformers. So I’m probably never going to play this.
No worries, not every game is for everyone.
Interesting combination of genres
If sven’s ratings are over 9, I blindly believe that the game is REALLY good and its an insta-wishlist for me haha
I am glad to hear that! There is even a free DLC that will be added soon. We might even review it as well!