Monark finally has a release date set for next year – the turn-based JRPG will be available on PC and consoles including PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch.
NISA has confirmed that physical and digital copies of Monark have a release date of February 25, 2022, with deluxe and limited editions available to pre-order.
Those who pick up the Monark deluxe package will get a bonus mini artbook as well as a code for the game’s official soundtrack. Priced at £74.99, the limited edition has its own collectors box as well as a soundtrack disc, cloth poster, a 5 character acrylic stands. Information on how and where to preorder Monark ahead of its release date can be found over on the official NISA store.
Created by Japanese studio Lancarse, Monark definitely has a Shin Megami Tensei vibe about it. In a Persona-like fashion, you’ll spend time socialising and building bonds with allies in one world before being transported to another realm where you engage in turn-based battles.
It should come as no surprise that a number of Monark’s developers have worked on the Shin Megaemi Tensi franchise. Here’s how the game’s story plays out:
Your world is plunged into madness when the mysterious and deadly Mist surrounds Shin Mikado Academy. In order to save your friends, you enter the Otherworld, a Daemon-filled dimension beyond the real world. Within this enigmatic realm, you must learn to harness your Authority of Vanity and conjure a battalion of Fiends, whose power comes from the Ego of their master.
- Wield Your Madness to Your Advantage – Activating your Authority grants you power in exchange for raising your MAD Gauge. When your MAD Gauge reaches max, you enter a state of Madness, causing you to attack enemies and allies alike for several turns before self-destructing. Controlling the madness effectively can help turn the tide in battle.
- Fight Back Against the Daemonic Forces – Control up to six characters in a turn-based, free movement battle system. Attack enemies from behind and resonate with surrounding allies to perform combo attacks. Situational awareness and calculated decision-making are the keys to victory.
- Explore an Academy Thrown into Disarray – Within the Mist are phone calls that connect you to the Otherworld. You must explore every inch of the Mist to resolve the mysterious anomalies plaguing the academy.
- Seven Axis Points Map Out Your Desires – Pride, Wrath, Envy, Lust, Greed, Gluttony, Sloth. Your affinity for each will change according to how you answer the diagnostic tests you are given throughout the story. How your Ego develops rests upon your own desires.
- Fiends: Reflections of your Ego – Fiends are Daemons that answer only to you. Different types can be unlocked for each of your seven desires. Strengthening your Ego increases the range of cosmetic customization options for your Fiends, as well as how much their equipment can be enhanced.
Source: Press Release