Review in Progress: Monark

destructoid.com:

I’ve hit a bit of a wall in Monark. I know I’m about to walk into a new story beat, which means new characters, stories, and probing questions about my desires. Moving ahead means a new antagonist to fight, more puzzles to solve, and even another fresh track to score the chapter’s boss fight, which has been pretty compelling so far.

Progress in Monark also means setting aside time to grind out battles, in a series of arenas that do little to differentiate themselves, and writing that varies from introspective and thoughtful to bizarre twists and tired tropes.

Monark is a game with some really good ideas, and some less than good ones. And from the little-over 20 hours I’ve played so far, I’m not sure the former can overtake the latter.

Monark (PC, PS4, PS5 [reviewed], Switch) Developer: FuRyu Publisher: NIS America Released: Feb. 22, 2022 MSRP: $59.99

The set-up of Monark is that you, a student at Shin Mikado Academy in Japan, have woken up in a terrible haze. There’s a magical barrier around the school, a fog is driving the students and faculty mad, and random bouts of violence are occurring across the grounds.

It’s not long until you’re tossed into the Otherworld, a ghoulish shadow realm, and beset by fiends. A devilish demon named Vanitas appears and offers you a deal: become a Pactbearer, and gain the power to defend your friends and fight back.

Monark‘s initial set-up works well, and the world that FuRyu has created is a pretty compelling one. As you team up with your little sister and the former student council president, you learn that the mists driving everyone crazy stem from other Pactbearers. A pact is essentially a deal with the devil, and the Pactbearer’s Wish—what they want to do with their newfound power—is