The Japanese role-playing game Monark reinvents both high-school tropes as well as monster-fighting elements. Monark’s players have the option of exploring the choices in an ominous school campus or fighting creatures called “Daemons” in a dimension known as the Otherworld. As the students are driven mad due to a demonic mist, they must defeat the Otherworld beasts to restore normalcy.
The game’s combat systems and the story drew positive reviews with comparisons to several other tactical role-playing games like Lost Dimension which was developed by the same studio as Monark. Other than the game’s genre, parallels can also be drawn with similar offerings that deal with dark fantasy and coming-of-age themes.
In Crystar, the player controls a girl who is determined to resurrect her dead sister. As she embarks on an inter-dimensional quest, she makes a deal with the demons of the Purgatory. However, unlike other fantasy games, Crystar focuses on action along with the psyche of the protagonist. The thoughts of dead souls and their subsequent purification form some of the overarching themes of Crystar. Released for PlayStation 4 in 2019, Crystar is one of the games to release on Nintendo Switch in March 2022.
The Tokyo-based company FuRyu developed both Crystar and Monark, proving how the studio is excelling at adorning the familiar RPG formula with introspective narratives and multi-layered characters.
The central aspect of The Caligula Effect is turn-based combat in dungeon settings. While the upper limit of playable characters can be 4, the game also features significant teamwork with Non-Playable Characters. Hence, compared to other RPGs, the NPCs get more screentime as they can also be a part of significant side-quests.
What is most similar between The Caligula Effect and Monark is the narrative of getting cut off from the real world. In the former, the main characters live in a high-school environment that is actually part of a virtual world. Similarly, in Monark, the students are trapped in their school because of the mist from Otherworld.
In the realm of Tevyat, a figure simply known as the Traveler explores different nations to find their lost twin sibling. Players can switch between several characters and customize them accordingly in a fantasy anime-like setting that is based on elemental magic.
Genshin Impact’s plotline might be vastly different from Monark but the interactive open-world gaming mechanics makes it an essential pick for any list on modern RPGs. While Monark attempts to have a dark fantasy edge to it, the settings and characters in Genshin Impact serve as a good contrast with their vibrant Zelda-like environments.
In Lost Dimension, tactical role-playing gaming is based on a five-storey Pillar with each floor revealing a new set of enemies. The choices of the players are of central importance as they can significantly affect the characters’ fate. Ultimately, the objective is to stop an ominous figure from bringing about the end of the world.
The general storyline of both Lost Dimension and Monark have both been present in other games. However, both examples end up reinterpreting the formula of pitting a group of misfits against an apocalyptic entity. So, Lost Dimension is more about just combat mechanics. The character-driven gameplay adds a sense of depth to the narrative.
The narrative of machines versus humans from The Matrix movie franchise continues in this canonical game. Playing as the rebels Niobe and Ghost, Enter The Matrix allows players to explore the fabricated realities of the Matrix as well as the human city of Zion. As is expected from the franchise, the game also explores philosophical sci-fi contexts that question the very existence of humankind.
In a way, the high school in Monark is reminiscent of a Matrix-like dimension as its inhabitants are unaware of the fake reality in which they are trapped. However, when a few characters gain consciousness like the rebels of Enter The Matrix, chaos must ensue to restore balance.
When it comes to tactical role-playing, Edge of Eternity is bound to impress new-age RPG fans. The open-world blends robotic sci-fi with magical fantasy tropes for a truly immersive experience. The premise deals with Daryon, a young warrior who must face the end of his civilization as a technologically advanced race advances.
If this wasn’t enough, the valiant hero’s mother also gets infected with an alien biological agent. As Daryon and his sister aim to find a cure for their mother, Edge of Eternity’s plot might remind players of Monark as its characters too strive to liberate themselves from the demonic mist.
Considered to be one of the best fantasy RPGs, Shin Megami Tensei kicked off the franchise of the same name. Rooted in choice-based gameplay, the Japanese game deals with a portal of demons that is accidentally opened in a futuristic Tokyo. However, instead of relying on a simple “humans vs demons” gameplay, Shin Megami Tensei allows characters to play around with multiple options.
They can either fight demons or choose to recruit them as allies. The players can also choose to ally with different cults or act independently. While the battle sides are clear in Monark, this game’s characters too have their fair share of gray areas while battling the demons. Such RPGs end up adding a mature and more nuanced take on the fantasy genre.
Dahna is a medieval world while Rena is way more technologically advanced. As the latter oppressed the former, two warriors from both realms end up joining forces to bring peace. Much like the other installments of the Tales franchise, Tales of Arise perfectly mixes medieval fantasy and archaic sci-fi influences.
Released in 2021, Tales of Arise was arguably one of the most major and trending action-adventure RPGs before Monark hit the shelves this year. Together, both titles serve as both a reboot and tribute to classic fantasy RPGs that birthed the genre.
Adapted from the anime My Hero Academia, My Hero One’s Justice includes one-on-one fights between heroes and villains as they unleash their “quirks” (superpowers). As it focuses on adolescent heroes like Izuku Midoriya and Bakugo, My Hero One’s Justice also helps in capturing the teenage angst that they emulate.
Ultimately, the young My Hero Academia Pro-Heroes reflect similar emotions that are seen in the high-school heroes of Monark. Making best use of their powers, they end up combating other-worldy threats while also balancing an average high-school life.
Inspired by the epic poem of the same name, Dante’s Inferno reimagines the writer Dante as a Templar Knight as he wreaks havoc in the Nine Circles of Hell to rescue his love interest from the clutches of the Devil.
When it comes to games that deal with demonic forces, Dante’s Inferno makes for an essential pick. The violent action captures the claustrophobic terror of Hell which would impress fans of the Otherworld in Monark. The latter might not be as dark as Inferno but the dark fantasy overtones still bear some similarities in style.
