Analysis of Monster Crown on Xbox

Monster Crown arrives on our console to be a good alternative to Pokémon. Will he get it?

The comparisons are odious, but they must necessarily be made with the latest game of Studio Gold y Soedesco. His work is not the first to collect the testimony of what has been sown by Pokémon to adapt it under its own prism. Other games like Temtem or Nexomon tried to face the titan developed by Game Freak. And even if in this field it is difficult to beat the master, each proposal that stands up to him brings a touch of originality that makes it special. Of course, the same goes for monster crownwhich reverts to a pixel-art based scheme, including a curious combat system, synergies and breeding which we will detail in the next analysis.

Don’t forget to read the fine print

On this occasion, all the action will take place in the unexplored world of Royal Island. Civilization as such makes its way through the flora and fauna of the place, where the humans and monsters coexist in peace and harmony. In fact, everything has an aura where political correctness prevails. Monsters that coexist seek protection from humans, and in return humans will use these monsters’ abilities for their own benefit. There are no trainers here, only tamers. and none of pokeballsin Monster Crown (hold on tight now) we will issue pacts for the beasts to read in the midst of battle. If they are interested in “the established terms” (our tamer level, status, etc.) they will join our ranks. We must make a certified copy of this contract.

A psychotechnician to choose your starter

The story of the game serves as a link between the different areas that we will visit. We will be a teenager with great pretensions to be a tamer. Our father, a humble farmer, sends us to visit the king to pay homage. But of course, what our protagonist does not know is that along the way he will meet some evil people they yearn for the power that monsters can grant them.

Monster Crown can be a bit forced at first. First, because we’ll have a mess of which family each creature belongs to. Here there will be no fire, water and earth as we have seen thousands of times in games of this nature. Everything will revolve around the states that characterize each monster: tenacious, corpulent, cruel, unstable and tireless. Almost nothing. Until we understand the advantages and disadvantages of each class, it will take time. For my part, I always had a sketch next to me to clear up any doubts…

Work as a team to be the best tamer

The beginnings aren’t very fun either. The first section is uphill, where they will force us to level in order to defeat the first enemy that stands in our way. Once this period is over, and with more monsters on our team, everything normalizes and becomes more enjoyable. That’s at least until we get to the next difficulty peak…

There will be a time when our team is not strong enough. This can be for two reasons: either the level of experience is “capped”, or our creature does not give more of itself. To solve the first, we will have to face and win the master tamers who live in monster crown. To solve the second problem, well… let’s say we have to put aside our coaching skills to deal with parenting.

Have you found the better half of your monster?

Monster farming will be an important factor in Monster Crown. For us to have a strong and consolidated team, it is not enough to win games. Sometimes we will have to combine two of these monsters so that, fruit of their love, they bring us a new creature that combines the special abilities of their parents, and also get better overall stats. It might seem like a major stop along the way (and it is, let’s face it), but once you get “the point” it won’t take long. Besides, the experience we gain in subsequent fights will be distributed in a group, and this way we can quickly upgrade new members of our team.

Another way to beat rivals will be with the use of synergies, a new aspect that I find interesting. As we alternate between the different members of our team, a bar in the lower corner will fill up. When done, we can release a devastating attack that will be crucial in the most complicated fights. Of course, be careful because rivals can do the same too.

This “bug” is not an island bug

So far from what we have seen in the analysis, everything can seem interesting. And really, that would be the case if there weren’t certain aspects that obscure the experience of monster crown. I think it’s a success the appearance of the game, emulating Ash’s early adventures in our all-new Game Boy Color. But for a game that came off Kickstarter, and had so much impact and financial support, I would demand something more in return.

Creature design is questionable to say the least. Some are very cool, others are very generic. And it’s not just that, but the animations during the attack suck. Rarely will we feel a special affinity with any member of our team, and part of the blame lies in the lack of expression these creatures have. If we add to that technical problems that we will suffer from the menus of the game itself, or the slowness with which the fights break out, it all ends up being very tedious. At least, in return, we will have texts in our languagewhich also enjoy a very good location.

Monster Crown Conclusion

Seasoned Pokémon trainers have a less curious alternative with the latest proposal from Studio Aurum and Soedesco. With the playable bases that we all know, we will have to embark on an adventure with “retro” airs where the action goes beyond the fight “in itself”. Breeding will be fundamental and one of the most effective ways to make our team stronger, not to mention the synergies in attacks between our team members and other secondary abilities. A proposal that can easily take us 12 hours to complete, but that leaves us with many secrets and hidden bosses in case we want to get the most out of Isla Royal.

Unfortunately, all is not perfect. That it tries to recreate the graphical style we saw in Game Boy Color is fine, but the design of the monsters and their animations leave a lot to be desired. If, along with the mediocre style of some creatures, we add classes that are unfamiliar to us, everything becomes a bit difficult in the early stages of the adventure. But with patience and practice, we will quickly pick up the pace and become familiar with its controls. Ready to be the best tamer on the island?