Monster Sanctuary

 Switch
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 31 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 31
  3. Negative: 3 out of 31

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  1. FantajiFan
    Dec 20, 2020
    5
    Overrated. If we don't grade this game on a curve for being an indie, the story is barebones and not particularly engaging.

    The entire overworld mechanic of using monsters to unlock and move through different areas is overstated. It's only a mild annoyance and a way to wall off areas instead of being integrated into a platforming challenge. The real meat of the game and what draws    Overrated. If we don't grade this game on a curve for being an indie, the story is barebones and not particularly engaging.

    The entire overworld mechanic of using monsters to unlock and move through different areas is overstated. It's only a mild annoyance and a way to wall off areas instead of being integrated into a platforming challenge.

    The real meat of the game and what draws people in is the gameplay. While it's interesting at first to build different teams to try for 5 staring fight, it eventually gets stale. Instead of scaling everything and properly balancing the game, the metroidvania mechanics have you cake walking through old areas with no good way to track what is where.

    Monster Sanctuary has the beginnings of some good ideas but doesn't blend any of them together particularly well. The only interesting fights you'll find are in new areas, and usually only champion fights. New fights can be longer but really they're more tedious than challenging.

    It's definitely a different flavor of game than pokemon or some other monster collectors, but different isn't always fun or good.    … Expand
  2. JRice
    Dec 14, 2020
    7
    Starts strong, and has a lot of good ideas, which ultimately arent perfectly thought-through and executed, though:
    Repetitive gameplay, lots of repeating world-abilities, very unspectacular "boss-fights" (which you simply need to beat to proceed, but dont add any new mechanics), annoying and disturbing puzzles, a boring level-design, and the lack of comfort disturb the experience the    Starts strong, and has a lot of good ideas, which ultimately arent perfectly thought-through and executed, though:
    Repetitive gameplay, lots of repeating world-abilities, very unspectacular "boss-fights" (which you simply need to beat to proceed, but dont add any new mechanics), annoying and disturbing puzzles, a boring level-design, and the lack of comfort disturb the experience the longer you play, and the further you get, and hinder the game from being great.

    It still is a nice addition to the monster-collecting genre, and not a bad game, but didnt fulfill my personal expectations...    … Expand
  3. Bibbidybuff
    Jan 6, 2021
    5
    Monster Sanctuary was on its way to being a favorite of mine, as it combined the two genres I tend to enjoy the most and it felt pretty fresh. I love the idea that monsters grant you the metroidvania abilities, I love the art in your "dex" with long entries on each monster, I love the art style even though the environments were fairly uninspired, and I love that the combat feels completelyMonster Sanctuary was on its way to being a favorite of mine, as it combined the two genres I tend to enjoy the most and it felt pretty fresh. I love the idea that monsters grant you the metroidvania abilities, I love the art in your "dex" with long entries on each monster, I love the art style even though the environments were fairly uninspired, and I love that the combat feels completely separate from Pokemon. The music isn't very good, so I had the volume off for most of my time playing. The story is weak, but that doesn't matter too much in this sort of game.
    My problem comes in where the Metroidvania aspects seem to be tacked on to expand off the combat system. I feel like the developers made the monster combat and polished up how that system works and then said "waaaaait, let's put it in a Metroid map". That's just what it feels like from my perspective. Maybe if they had mixed up the gameplay where some battles are Metroidvania style where your abilities for battle are based on the monsters you choose.
    There is no catching mechanic, so obtaining a new monster relies on RNG drops (in your favor, it seems, this never gave me issues). Most monsters do not evolve, only a select few use random items that you give to a tree. I suppose this was to differentiate from Pokemon, but if that's the reason than why only give this to a few monsters? Maybe that should have given me a clue that the game doesn't care if you like your monsters or not, it expects you to consider a min-max team. I did not beat the game, because the monsters I had at the final fight were not enough to win and I preferred to walk away with a pleasant experience than look up the meta. I'm not sure why they decided to slap a difficulty curve at the climax of the game. Maybe they forgot the Elite Four isn't leveled to 100 so their lvl 40 cap that the last fights match is fine? Anyway, in a monster collector game I would prefer to win with the monsters I've bonded with along the way, not dump them at the last second. I have no doubt Pokemon haters will praise this game to no end and ignore the mediocrity, they can find a way to glorify an old potato if someone claims it's like Pokemon.
    One last issue, it's disappointing that you get to pick between two white dudes at the start and there's no character customization whatsoever. If I'm not really supposed to care for the monsters, then at least give me some options for my own look (or at least a female character).
    In the end, I would still recommend giving this game a try. It's a good game with some design flaws here and there that leave it middle of the road in the end. It's still going to be more interesting than most of the big releases.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

60
#60 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. Starbit
    Mar 8, 2021
    70
    Monster Sanctuary blends a Metroidvania game with monster capture elements, and it does a great job at bringing those worlds together. With its enormous amount of content and a fun, well-designed sense of progression, Monster Sanctuary does not stand out as brilliantly when it comes to its exploration, which feels rather simplistic, but there are plenty of elements here to make it worthy for everyone who enjoys any of both genres represented.
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  2. KeenGamer
    Jan 4, 2021
    60
    Monster Sanctuary is a genuinely impressive Monster Collect-a-thon, offering far more customization and tactical variety than its competitors. All other aspects of the title fall spectacularly short, however. The story is abysmal, the environments have nothing interesting to discover, the Metroidvania elements are incredibly basic, and the level design lacks any notable features. If you’re here for the monster battling, you are likely to have a lot of fun with Monster Sanctuary.
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  3. NintendoWorldReport
    Dec 22, 2020
    60
    I like Monster Sanctuary for what it tries to accomplish, I just wish I liked the execution as much as the concept. I could see the threads of its attempt weaving into a better cohesive whole, but instead each different ingredient feels incomplete or misses the mark of what makes each genre it pulls from so compelling. There’s still fun to be had if setting expectations right and wanting a unique twist that is no muss, no fuss, but I was hoping for more that Monster Sanctuary wasn’t quite there to give.
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