![]() It costs a certain amount of Spirit to unlock or upgrade your characters’ abilities, and every time Spirit is spent in this way, that character levels up. This is a refreshing take simply because it’s different, but there were several times where I was frustrated when my character was just a hair out of an attack’s range, making me miss the predictability of grid-based combat.Īfter a battle has concluded you are given an amount of Spirit, which is the bread and butter of leveling your party. In a move that works out to be a strength and a weakness, Monark doesn’t use the traditional grid-based battlefield we see in most tactical JRPGs – instead it allows for more freedom of movement with attacks and abilities based on circular and angular range. Once you figure the optimal way to position your party, you’d be foolish to approach a battle with any other method, and Monark never throws any curve balls to force your hand. Nicely enough, the battlefield will show whether or not you will get an assist from an ally before you make your commitment. Additionally, having your allies near the enemy you are attacking will allow them to do a follow-up attack to deal extra damage. In combat, the goal is always to approach an enemy from behind to deal extra damage and avoid a potential counter-attack. That being said, while Monark does have an impressive amount of different abilities and skills, the enemies never pushed me out of my comfort zone, so I was never forced to do anything other than my proven routine. Spending one or the other based on the situation is a meaningful tactical choice that brought another layer of depth to every battle. Art skills are physical in nature and take a chunk off of your health when used, while Authorities are magical and sap your sanity, increasing your Madness meter. There were very few times where this happened in the more than 40 hours my playthrough took, and the big risk is that you must become Mad first to achieve it – but when the stars align, it’s a good feeling.Īll of Monark’s overlapping systems frequently gave me reason to pause and think about every action I took during combat, because everything you do comes with a cost. It is a rarity, but you can also become Enlightened – when you become Mad and Awakened at the same time – allowing you to deal even greater damage without losing control. Alternatively, each party member is able to defer their turn over to another character who has already gone, allowing them to act again – but in doing so their Madness increases more every time they are given an extra turn, which is a good way of limiting this powerful mechanic from being abused. ![]() Getting my Awakened meter up never felt like a priority, but if there is a round where you can’t hit an enemy it feels good that you can dedicate your turn to that instead of wasting it. ![]() ![]() This power is obtained by using the Resolve skill or by being damaged in battle. ![]() On the opposite side of the spectrum is becoming Awakened, a state where you gain the same kind of power as in Madness but maintain full control of your actions. The level of repetition and lack of variety in Monark’s level design is what eventually made it feel more like a chore than a pleasure. These are generally solved by looking through documents or student profiles on your phone, and that kind of sleuthing never felt satisfying. Most of the time this involves solving mundane puzzles to find a key to unlock the room that contains the Ideal, and that involves either a combination safe, a computer login, or hints that are too vague to be useful. All three of the Ideals for each Pactbearer are based in the same building, so your goal is usually to reach the roof, clearing out an Ideal on each floor one at a time. These Ideals are located in the Otherworld, a grim plane inhabited by daemons and where all of Monark’s battles take place. Each section of the story is built around a different party member, but their objectives are always the same: find all three of a Pactbearer’s Ideals (giant crystals that make up their inner self) and destroy them. But even with those personal touches, Monark’s greatest sin is repetition. ![]()
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