So then, less “here’s my cute pet monster”, and more, “here is my monster acquaintance, our deal is signed”. That’s not to say none of the creatures in Monster Crown are cute - there are definitely some cuddly-looking pals in the trailer. I reckon eyeball face up there has an endearing look about it, to be honest. Some real nice art in that trailer as well! Reminds me a lot of the older Pokémon games. It does have a bit of swearing in in though, which very much does not remind me of any Pokémon games. Monster Crown will let you collect mons, as well as “breed and fuse” your own to genetically engineer your dream team. You can trade and battle online with other players too - I do wonder what sorts of weird and wonderful mashups folks have made. From the sounds of things, Monster Crown is a pretty dark tale. Developers Studio Aurum say you’ll be travelling across an island “with a history of sadistic rulers”, and dealing with a threat from a “malicious young woman”. Decisions sound important too, as they add that you could become a “savior or dark messiah”. Pokémon games tend to deal with somewhat dark themes, but they usually leave things on a light and happy note, so I quite like the idea of being a bit evil for a change. I suppose the mons are on board with this too? During early access, the devs added new monsters, moves story bits and more. With today’s full release, they say players can now “explore and reap everything Monster Crown has to offer”. Monster Crown is available on Windows, Max and Linux via Steam, and it’ll cost you £17/€20/$20. It’s also out on Nintendo Switch.
