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Where can I message you regarding the build? Either I'm not finding it or there are no contact options on itch on your profile nor in the devlog posts

Came digging for copper, found a weird gem resembling a malachite made out of paper-like substance.

That is perhaps the best short description of monsia I can wrap my head around. Within a lot of RPG Maker games made recently it is hard to find these short, refined, optimised experiences that have a lot of style and substance. monsia succeeds at that in... surreal fashion, perhaps.

The trailer and images may perhaps indicate that the game and it's world are crude and cheap. But monsia isn't crude, it's articulate, auteurish and offers way more content even for the seemingly short amount of time advertised and shown.

The weird, green-and-white large world of monsia, it's inhabitants, and the not-so-large crew of three that you control has a ton of charm and, at the same time, instability - as it should be - within themselves. I found the ramblings of every NPC you encounter, as well as the ramblings of your own team, alongside minor bits of comedy, very immersive and well crafted. I would love to hear a lot more from them, to be honest. And the plot, while somewhat basic - well, it's a 3.5-4 hour adventure, not much to spill anyway - has it's elements of depth and coherency that can keep the player excited for what else is to come.

The visuals and the OST are definitely an acquired taste. They are unique and may, like I've already said, initially deter a player from diving deeper into the game. However, they definitely grow on you and start to fit a lot better the further you go into the game and explore it's atmosphere. Sure, the graphics may blend into themselves, and the OST may have it's highs and lows (I felt this a lot during the FunHouse section), but it overall crafts a unique and deep experience that really allows you to see the depth of the world that monsia has to offer.

Overall I've spent almost 4 hours exploring every nook and cranny of monsia. After fully completing the game, I didn't feel deterred in any way, even thogh I completed the game over the course of two days - not an experience you may want to complete in one go. On the contrary, monsia left me wanting a lot more. A lot more of the adventures of Opso, Rhumb and Spact as they... defeat another robot and a buncha rats or something. It speaks a lot abot the game's quality if it can really make you want more of it. Perhaps the short-ish length of the game is it's only flaw.

monsia was certainly a unique experience I wouldn't recommend anyone to miss out on. Give it a try and see it's depth and creativity. Really excited for the next entry in this saga, whatever it'll be, because I'll definitely be there.

Thanks frogsoop for an absolutely amazing game!

After killing the Witch and talking to the Councillor, the game tells you to talk to Amelia - but she's still repeating her "You should check the well" dialogue

It worked rather flawlessly on JoiPlay from my observation, but I seem to be a bit too late considering there's a .apk version now

Replaying on a new save file: go straight to Tek after the robot boss. He's not there, but you can press the computer and part of the cutscene will start again.

May as well round up what else I've found:

- All Allies skills like Hot Box Heal are almost impossible to use in the menu. Single-ally skills work.

- Minor object clippings, such as the phone at Dups' lab in Cunch

- Music and SFX can entirely disappear in battle or when entering a location. I have no idea how to trigger it - it seems to work 100% when you enter the dungeon with the dragon at the castle. It's possible to reenable music and SFX when exiting and re-entering the game, but the opposite can happen too

- What's the A button for if it doesn't appear anywhere but after the three slimes fight in the abandoned town?

- Ancient Horn can be used in battle, but does pretty much nothing.

- Text can go out of bounds in textboxes (watch the ones with all caps) and particularly the status screen.

While said issues are minor, not having them makes games better to play ^^

Gogglehead's throne cutscene also softlocks (and for some reason there's three Glidah's). You can also repeat Tek's computer cutscene even if he's not there (not a softlock though). Porting to portrait seems like a tall order...

I originally intended to write a review here after I finished the game, but I got stopped.

In the cave you find the girl that got lost in the forest, right? For some reason the game softlocks after you finish the encounter with the 4 bats. This didn't happen with any other cutscenes in the game, so I'm a bit weirded out here.

Would prefer this to be fixed. Thanks. ⚔ Nate

Played this in mid-September. Saw the game got updated a day ago, played it again. Here's my review.

So I generally like the game as it currently is. The artstyle is nice. It seems unique while not flashy and pretentious. The plot is fine, nothing significant, but nothing bad either - good for a first chapter.

The gameplay is neat. Area design is nice aside from one area which I'll mention later. Secret pathways being used as, well, secrets, while also as shortcuts and plot points is nice. I also liked the dog gimmick. Builds on the plot and the general atmosphere. Training dummies and targets are better than the regular "level up and get a skill" system, which I found nice. Equips and skills also have some uniqueness to them.

It's solid for a first chapter, but it doesn't come without some drawbacks, albeit not major. Here's my nitpicks:

- The "new weapon found" screen can take maybe 0.5/1s faster to disappear? 

- Found a bug where a hidden path just goes nowhere. See screenshot.

- I liked the "choose your fight" segment with the dog, but the parts where you have to choose what you get seem a bit scummy. Maybe make it in future chapters so that you can come back and get these items later? Don't change the current area design.

- Description nitpick: Plastic Boomerang is seemingly "capable" of returning to it's owner... but is a one-time use item. Troll.

- Chem gets 107 hp at level 4. Does that tie into stats for the next chapter or is that a bug? It doesn't affect much, but it has me wondering.

Like I said, the first chapter is pretty solid and I like it. Minor issues here and there, but they can be fixed. Not sure at what rate the chapter will be released, but I can wait. Also I don't wanna rate this anything since the game is far from being finished so yeah.

Good luck with the development.

⚔︎ Nate

I created this account just to write this review. Will I use it again? Fuck if I know, man.

Anyway, for the amount of content this game has, it slaps. It might also slap your nerves on harder difficulties. Luckily, I am playing on a difficulty that makes me impervious to my brain suddenly outputting an upcoming Death Grips album.

Anyways, yes, it's an RPG Maker game. Yes, it may not look as impressive compared to some other titles here. But the game isn't finished yet, and it has enough charm, confusing maps, plot and character conflict to keep you playing. It worked for me, at least.

Also, there's a fair ton of surprise encounters, so keep being on the grind. You'll need it to make the developer ponder about his life choices.

Conclusion: Play the game. And if you can, write a review. Oh, and don't make it as deranged as this one is.

- Swordy, the bored and depraved teenager who has no life and he plays random shit on itch.io to cope and keep himself mildly entertained