I never expected a game that showed up on a bunch of lists as a "Pokémon clone" to be this fantastic. Take a side-scrolling platformer, add some RPG elements like parties, skill trees, and equipment into the mix, and you get a beautiful game that would be the love child of Metroidvanias and Pokémon. You get the experience that is Monster Sanctuary.
I picked up the game on sale, and I was jazzed to see so many folks say "it's a great 35-40 hours!" I was looking for something short and sweet. I didn't get that, but what I got was better. I'm a completionist, so my final achievement popping at 100.7 hours was a simultaneous sigh of relief and tear of sadness.
The graphics aren't the best, but they look good. I believe sprite art is timeless. These sprites are beautiful, from the NPC and Keeper to all 111 unique monsters, with three variations (unshifted, light shifted and dark shifted). Some of the variations are less attractive than others (unshifted Fungi versus dark shifted Fungi, for instance), but overall, the creatures look good. The backgrounds are gorgeous, particularly in areas like the Mountain Path and Blue Caves, and this carried over into the Forgotten World DLC as well (which was about 20 hours of that 100 hour timeframe). Over the course of the story, you'll explore areas as varied as the Sanctuary dungeon to the Underworld, from a beach to mountain peaks, and a range of environments in between. Each area evokes its own feel and has its own color on the overall map.
Controls aren't terrible, but my DualShock 4 could be a little overly sensitive if I was trying to make a very precise jump. I usually play with the default settings, as that simplifies my review, and if I give the game another go down the line, I'm planning to explore the options menu concerning some sort of sensitivity or dead zone adjustment. I did not play the game with a keyboard and mouse, but that is an option. From my experiences with the game, it seems to be a quite viable option for the majority of the game. I'd have to do some testing when it comes to those precise jumps, though.
I played about 70 hours of the game on mute, but the 30 or so I played through SteamLink on my brother-in-law's gigantic TV in our living room were awesome. I enjoyed the sounds of tribal drumming as I explored the Horizon Beach and Forgotten World, and the soft, whimsical tunes of the Mountain Path made his mom turn her head from her desk. (For reference, my husband's stepmom detests instrumental music.)
The story is the weakest point of the game, it's still a stronger story than "be the very best like no one ever was." Marduk was an interesting enemy, and seeing his final descent into madness made the build up worth it. The backstory for Chymes was interesting and engaging, and seeing plot twists for a couple of other Alchemists lent impact to a story that could stand alone without those twists. The game is worth playing for the story alone.
Monster Sanctuary is solidly made. I encountered absolutely no bugs that I am aware of, controls were well done, the art is amazing, and the music is good enough I'm considering a purchase of the soundtrack. My only real complaint was length, but that is an expectation I set myself, by reading reviews from people who probably weren't after all of the achievements. My son is excited to tear into it next, and I'm excited to help him. 111 unique monsters stand up quite well over nearly a thousand Pokémon. I'd like to see another DLC in the future, but the developers have said that Forgotten World is their "farewell love letter to the community." I'm okay with that, especially since I still have NG+ and a couple of other game modes to explore. Pick it up, even if it's not on sale.
4.5