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Monster Monpiece Review

By: RJ (@rga_02)
Second Opinion by Omar (@siegarettes)

• Monster Monpiece
• Developer - Compile Heart
• Publisher - Idea Factory
• Sony PlayStation Vita
• Rating - M 

At the end of the generation when Sony finally pulls the curtain for the PS Vita, the library of Sony’s fledgling handheld will be known for 3 things. Monster Hunter clones, indies and Monster Monpiece. Monster Monpiece (MonMon) is a very unique game. With fanservice that could offend many and a somewhat annoying leveling system a person would rightfully expect little out of this game. But as the old “peeling the onion” metaphor goes, there might be something beautiful beneath all of this.

Story

The story is really nothing home to write about as it’s your tried and true “beat the evil doers” plot disguised in the vain of a TCG. But as with every Compile Heart game that gets localized, the dialog is filled with humor and wit which greatly makes up for the lack of a proper storyline. Throughout there are moments where you will smirk just because of the sheer cheekiness of the dialog.

Gameplay

Gameplay is your basic trading card game but with that Compile Heart flair. You travel on a world map and when you select your target of choice you either get some money, a card, or engage in a battle. Once in battle you are presented with a grid to place your cards on which summons them to the battlefield. Your goal is simple enough, to bring down the points of your enemy’s base. The game really shines through this battle system. With each card offering something different, with each turn you make either make you or break you. The level of depth of each battle you encounter increases as you begin to understand each cards strengths and weakness. The actions of the AI in this game are as competent as it can be from start to finish. They will capitalize on every simple mistake you make - but not to the point where it is unforgiving. Like with all TGC games, battles can get very easy once you get the gist of knowing how to exploit the strengths of your deck.

Now comes the part that either you will simply adore or just flat out hate it. To enhance the abilities of your cards you have to rub them. Rubbing the cards is simple and very fun (in a stupid fashion), but rubbing the cards each time you want to enhance your cards gets redundant very fast. Yes it’s fun and silly at first rubbing your Vita to no ends and  that this is one of the strong selling points to it’s intended target audience. But for those who are justing looking for a card game to play on the go can have another option to enhance their deck without the need to rub one out. In certain situations it can get very inconvenient to perform certain actions such as these. I wish that Compile Heart had an option to enhance your cards. Keep the rubbing, but do so through either a virtual hand through the use of the Vita’s analog sticks. While the rubbing is fun at first, it just shows mindless titillation that ends up detracting the game through it’s repetition and inconvenience. 

Art & Music

The art style isn’t for everyone. There is no denying that. A majority of the cards are represented by barely clothed Monsters girls that some are considered as “art depicting questionable aged girls” in various western countries. Certain cards has raised up so much eyebrows that they had to be censored for MonMon’s western release. Censorship is very inconvenient for those who want the pure experience. And from a personal standpoint, I disagree with censorship to an extent. And this game is that exception where I do agree with the censorship. Not because of the lewd artwork, but for the reason that this game would not of have made it to western shores if it weren’t for actions taken by Idea Factory. The cards still show the full creativity by the artists who contributed to the game. Spanning 50 different Japanese artists each card has their own flavor to them. Wonderfully drawn with the hair to the background busting out with immaculate details, MonMon boasts some very stunning artwork found in a game in recent memory regardless of the nature of the artwork shown.

While the artwork shines, the music is a mixed bag. It has some delightful little tunes such as the world map music, but most of the time it sounds like it came straight from Hyperdemension Neptunia. That isn’t a bad thing per say, but I wished that the music had a little more spice to them - and not only restricted to generic sounds.

 

This game is unique. Unique that it is one of the few games that knows what it’s presenting to it’s audience and it’s unapologetic about it. People will look down upon this game for it’s certain features such as the artwork and the rubbing. While the rubbing does get in the way sometimes, beneath all of that lies something beautiful. A card game that will keep you occupied hours on end with it’s deep gameplay. And at the end of the day, that’s what people should be focusing on the most. The presentation might be a little skewed but that just makes the game a little more enticing. 

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SECOND OPINION
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MonMon was always doomed to be defined by the suggestions of its artwork rather than its status as an actual game. Otaku cried foul when they received the slightest hint that MonMon would be censored. As RJ points out, however, this is a game that wouldn’t exist in the US without changes. Idea Factory’ sensitivity around the subject, from the press put out to the Vita’s restricted screenshot function, are telltale signs that they are full aware of the this fact. As the game stands, its already edging at the Western sense of what is considered appropriate.

The presentation otherwise, from the art to the music, often is fatiguingly generic. There are a couple of catchy upbeat tunes and the art for the main characters is well rendered and contains some pleasing flourishes, but overall it’s all character archetypes with familiar looks layered on a plot that seems intent on hitting all the standard tropes. The monster girls in particular feel disappointing, with most of them indistinguishable as the monsters they are supposed to represent. A missed opportunity for what could have been a lot of creative designs.

It’s a shame then, that the game itself is to be buried underneath all of that. The hybrid card/grid battle system holds back on the challenge for the initial chapters, but when it ramps up it shows formidable depth. Working out counters for enemy formations, balancing between chaining similar cards for bonuses or dealing with immediate threats, calculating the risks of each move–it has a sense of planning that feels tactile. Battles often contain moments of realization that either lends you a breakthrough in a line of attrition or makes it clear you’re already dead. The constrained size of the maps is a smart move as well, it keeps the weight of your choices heavy and gives a push and pull to the lines of combat. Despite the mundane presentation, the challenge remained consistently engaging and is definitely MonMon’s most compelling element.

Of course, becoming drawn in means eventually engaging with MonMon’s signiature “First Crush ♥ Rub” system. The mechanical actions of the system are engaging enough, and in another context could be compelling by themselves. Complemented by full suite of voice clips and lines straight out of the big book of hentai dialogue however, it recalls the adolescent headspace of playing hentai games. Bizarrely compulsive, but never free far from the grime of an ill lit basement strip poker game. With that the Vita is reduced from its role as a portable companion to a privacy screen to filter the game from the eyes of someone who might walk in on you rubbing one out in your bedroom.