As always with these things, I would love to thank NIS America For tossing me a copy of Monster Menu. It is always a pleasure to work with these guys.
Like many games, this one sets out to accomplish not only to be an RPG but also a roguelike. You will be fighting monsters, starvation, dehydration, and of course, the inevitable death that restarts you at level one. Each end however will leave you better equipped to get further faster next run.
Unlike most roguelikes however, Monster Menu doesn’t completely toss away your progress, for example, defeating bosses does give you a sort of checkpoint you can jump to, so there is no concern that you will constantly be restarting an entire RPG over again. This however doesn’t mean much since the story is basically non-existent.
There is a pretty good crafting system involved however, you can create different food for both your characters to use in battle and food, which can be fed to your characters for buffs or to enemies for debuffs. In a tactics RPG this can be invaluable, and it is no exception here. The only issue is you pretty much have to find recipes randomly to make anything.
Admittedly my biggest issue with this game is simply how repetitive it is. The battles, each layer all feel the same eventually and the gaming loop eventually feels like you aren’t improving so much as you just treading water at times. The game definitely has its place however and many of you will find hours of enjoyment. If you do not like RPGs and roguelikes this game won’t change your mind. It is a solid 7/10 tho, Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Savior Gaming 