Monster Crown
| Monster Crown | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Studio Aurum |
| Publisher(s) | Soedesco |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | October 12, 2021 |
| Genre(s) | Role-playing, monster-taming |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Monster Crown is a 2021 role-playing video game developed by Studio Aurum and published by Soedesco. Heavily inspired by early games in the Pokémon series, it features similar mechanics, but with a darker fictional universe and storyline. The game received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its gameplay and graphical style, but noted significant bugs and performance issues, and also criticized it for game balance issues as well as its story.
Gameplay
[edit]Monster Crown features 200 base monsters for the player to form pacts with.[1] Over 1200 monsters are usable in the game through the monster breeding mechanic.[2]
Development
[edit]Development of the game was performed by Canadian game developer Studio Aurum,[3][4] with game development beginning in 2016.[5] The game was crowdfunded on Kickstarter in 2018.[6][7] In 2019 it was announced that Soedesco would be the publisher of the game.[8]
Monster Crown entered an early access availability period on PC on July 31, 2020,[9] being distributed on Steam during that time.[10] Over 40 updates were made to the game during the early access period.[3]
The 1.0 version of Monster Crown was released on October 12, 2021, for Microsoft Windows, Linux, MacOS, and Nintendo Switch.[11][12][13] A physical Nintendo Switch edition of the game was released on November 2, 2021.[14] The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One releases were delayed in late 2021,[15][16][17] eventually releasing on February 22, 2022.[18]
Reception
[edit]| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | NS: 59/100[19] XONE: 62/100[20] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Nintendo Life | NS:   [1] |
| Nintendo World Report | NS: 5/10[12] |
| RPGFan | PC: 71/100[21] |
On Metacritic the game received an aggregate score of 59/100 for the Nintendo Switch version, and 62/100 for the Xbox One version, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[19][20]
Reviewers generally praised the extensive monster breeding mechanics used by the game.[1][21][12]
Mitch Vogel of Nintendo Life commented on the aesthetics and audio of the game, noting that they drew inspiration from the Game Boy Color well, while also finding the monster designs generally "uninspired", with a few exceptions.[1]
Neal Chandran of RPGFan positively reviewed the exploration aspects of the game, while noting a more mixed reception to the story, particularly noting poor execution in pacing and dialogue.[21]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Vogel, Mitch (5 October 2021). "Review: Monster Crown - Enjoyably Old-School Monster Battling For Pokémon Lovers". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- ^ Dawe, Liam (October 12, 2021). "Monster Crown is the next-generation of retro monster catching out now". GamingOnLinux. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ a b Craddock, Ryan (12 October 2021). "Pokémon-Inspired Monster Crown Is Out Today On Switch, Here's The Launch Trailer". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Get to know the developer behind Monster Crown, the dark monster taming game". Soedesco. Rotterdam, The Netherlands. July 30, 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ Romano, Sal (6 February 2019). "Soedesco to publish dark monster breeding and taming game Monster Crown". Gematsu. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ Craddock, Ryan (9 May 2018). "Exclusive: Take A Closer Look At Pokémon-Inspired Kickstarter Success, Monster Crown". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ Craddock, Ryan (11 April 2018). "Monster Crown Aims To Bring Pokémon-Inspired Monster Taming To The Switch". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ Craddock, Ryan (6 February 2019). "Pokémon-Inspired Monster Crown To Be Published By Soedesco, Switch Version Taking Shape". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ Tack, Daniel (June 10, 2020). "Like Pokémon? Check Out Monster Crown". Game Informer. Archived from the original on June 13, 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ Stewart, Marcus (August 5, 2021). "Pokémon-Esque Monster Crown Exits Early Access And Comes To Consoles October 12". Game Informer. Archived from the original on August 5, 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ Beckhelling, Imogen (12 October 2021). "Pokémon-like RPG Monster Crown has left early access". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ a b c Rudek, Jordan (October 5, 2021). "Monster Crown Review - Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- ^ Fuller, Alex (October 12, 2021). "Monster Crown Fully Launches on PC, Switch". RPGamer. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- ^ Romano, Sal (26 October 2021). "Monster Crown for PS4, Xbox One delayed to unannounced date". Gematsu. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ Ramsey, Robert (6 January 2022). "Retro Pokémon-Like RPG Monster Crown Is Still Coming to PS4 in 2022". Push Square. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Monster Crown". Gematsu. 26 November 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ Romano, Sal (2 April 2024). "Monster Crown for PS4, Xbox One delayed to unannounced date". Gematsu. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- ^ Ramsey, Robert (20 January 2022). "Creature-Taming RPG Monster Crown Confirms February Release Date on PS4". Push Square. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ a b "Monster Crown". Metacritic. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- ^ a b "Monster Crown". Metacritic. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- ^ a b c Chandran, Neal (October 23, 2021). "Monster Crown". RPG Fan. Retrieved 7 August 2022.