There's an option to play the battles in double speed, but honestly this really doesn't make it that much better.Ĭaptured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked) Of course, this does vary, but we didn't find anything we'd call straight-up 'fodder'. On average, we found it takes about three turns to defeat a single monster, and every battle is three-on-three, so that's a lot of turns if you allow for enemy buffs and healing. What this amounts to, in our experience, is lots and lots of long, slow fights. Battles in Monster Sanctuary ain't short, and if you want to level up your crew, you're best off initiating every single one you come across. Running into them will initiate a battle, and it's this pugilism that makes up the lion's share of your gameplay. You can, of course, rename your little tykes à la Game Freak's ever-popular money pit, but that's about where the meaningful comparisons end, as Monster Sanctuary is a very different kettle of fish.Īs you move through the extremely traditional Metroidvania map, you'll encounter free-roaming gangs of monsters no random battles here. It's a little rudimentary as most of the functions effectively amount to 'key in door' - and there are plenty of keys to find in order to open doors, too.Ĭapturing said monsters for your personal use is a matter of acquiring eggs when enemies drop them in combat, which when you think about it is a touch macabre. These are smart, thoughtful uses for the monsters you'll gather, and makes them feel like something more than just options in a menu. Much like the HMs of Pokémon yore, you'll need to use these skills to burn up vines, break down walls, or simply achieve air by hitching a ride with your flying friends. The platforming sections are basic, but enjoyable, with large areas that connect logically as well as plenty of locked-away treasures that require the field skills of a particular monster to access.

Thankfully, though, visual spectacle isn't the point of Monster Sanctuary. It's function over form, but contributes to a somewhat banal aesthetic. The locations you'll visit aren't particularly novel or memorable.

It's all rather nice-looking, with SNES-style pixel graphics demonstrating well-drawn sprites and backgrounds, but it's all a little bit familiar.

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