They did the monster maths.
When disparate genres come together, it’s the hope of any reviewer that they’ll be able to deploy the traditional “peanut butter and jam” simile. Styles that ought to clash like the wrestling finisher of the same name often synchronise beautifully, with the likes of Crypt of the Necrodancer or the more recent Lair of the Clockwork God brilliantly fusing the rhythm/roguelike and point-n’-click/platformer genres to greatly entertaining effect. Monster Sanctuary aims for a similar alchemy between the ever-popular Metroidvania and… erm… Pokémon. That is, the kidnapping and subsequent enforced violence between a host of critters. And, disappointingly, it’s closer to peanut butter and wholetail scampi. Actually, that sounds like it might be kind of good. How about peanut butter and… er… hats? Both great in and of themselves, not such a superb match unless you’re trying to attract squirrels. Which, in-game, we suppose you could well be.
It’s all rather nice-looking, with SNES-style pixel graphics demonstrating well-drawn sprites and backgrounds, but it’s all a little bit familiar. The locations you’ll visit aren’t particularly novel or memorable. A forest. A cave. A different cave. It’s function over form, but contributes to a somewhat banal aesthetic. Thankfully, though, visual spectacle isn’t the point of Monster Sanctuary. What, then, is the point? Well… good question.
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