Maroc - 3RD-STRIKE.COM - A La Une - 15/Nov 02:26

Monarchy – Review

Build your base, strengthen the walls, and muster your forces because the bandits are attacking this night! Monarchy is bringing a classical 2D survival game with some interesting mechanics to Steam and it’s looking pretty interesting. So, jump on your horse and get going because the day is too short to waste time standing around. Story Since Monarchy is a sandbox-type game, it doesn’t have a cutout story. The game starts with your monarch on a horse, and you have to find a good spot to build your base. After upgrading the base and expanding your domain, you can recruit soldiers and archers to attack enemy bases or hideouts. Eventually, you will prove yourself to become the sole ruler of the domain. Graphics The graphics are simple but effective. The characters are basic sprites without much detail and there isn’t much variety between their looks. However, the animations are still clear enough so that the player knows what to do. For example, if a beggar asks for money, he lowers his head and keeps up his hand to receive a coin. Building something also shows the base structure with some planks being added to it and that’s the same for all buildings. Counting the planks on a building shows how far the building process has progressed. Fortunately, the simplicity of the characters and their actions do not negatively impact the game experience. The environment has been animated quite nicely. Walking past the trees feels as if you are walking through a dark forest since the game dims the lighting a bit. When chopping down those trees, the ones in the back disappear as well – seemingly giving the impression that one tree resembles more than just that one tree but is actually a part of the forest as well. Also, the foreground and the background have been animated well, giving a 3D impression even though it’s a 2D game. Sound The music of the game is quite important to the gameplay, changing with the situation the player is facing. For example, the music during the day is uplifting while during the night it’s ominous. One of the most important sounds during your gameplay is the snorting of your horse. This indicates that you’re soon out of stamina and will not be able to run anymore. Another example is when a wall falls. When one of your walls has been breached, there will always be an audio cue. This is an interesting mechanic as you not only have to keep an eye out for enemies but also be very attentive to the in-game sounds. Gameplay Monarchy is a 2D survival base-building game in which you expand your base and guide your troops to victory. The game is divided into two cycles: a day cycle and a night cycle. Both can be tracked by watching the course of the sun and moon. During the day, you can roam around and repair broken structures while during the night your camp will be attacked. At first glance, Monarchy seems pretty straightforward but it’s not as easy as you might initially believe. There is a lot of planning and strategizing required for a successful run. While riding your horse, you will first have to find a good location to set up your main tent. It is important to know that if either you die or the main tent gets hit it’s game over. Constructing walls is therefore a must. Then again, you can’t make as many as you want. You start with a limited amount of walls you can put down and with every upgrade of your main tent you will get more. Careful positioning is therefore extremely important since unfortunately if you put down a structure it’s stuck in place. There are no do-overs in Monarchy which makes every mistake count and can be quite frustrating if you accidentally choose the wrong building. Another example of planning ahead is the guy in his cart who stops at your main tent every morning. He will either give you gold or a person. Then you can choose for the next day if you either want to receive more money or a new villager. This way you have to plan your next move as either too little gold or too few people can stagnate your progress. Exploration is also important as all upgrade materials can only be found in the wilderness. This also counts for wildlife, which you can hunt for extra coins, or the beggar tents, where you can leave some coins on the ground to recruit them. This makes the game fun but can also be stressful as you can’t track the progression of the day while riding through the forest. This is because the background blocks the view of the sun. Finally, when you upgrade your main tent to the highest level you will be able to recruit soldiers that follow you throughout the lands. With your small army, you will be able to destroy bandit hideouts and eventually the enemy base to claim victory. That is the premise for each mode. Some offer slightly different challenges such as the winter campaign where there isn’t much wildlife to hunt but apart from that, every run is kind of the same thing. Conclusion Monarchy is a game that needs a lot of strategizing and planning. Not only that but you have to keep listening well to the entire game to either hear your horse’s snorting or the walls if they have been breached. In this way, it’s not a relaxing game but one that you have to stay focused on for the majority of your gameplay. Every different mode offers a slightly different path to victory, but the rest is all the same. There are no differences in building chains or troops that you can recruit, making the gameplay quite repetitive. That being said, it is quite a fun and challenging base-building game that can easily take up a lot of hours