Monsters' Den Chronicles
- August 8, 2019
- Monstrum
- 10h median play time
Get on Steam"Monsters' Den Chronicles" is a turn-based dungeon crawler RPG where players manage a party of heroes, exploring dungeons filled with loot and enemies. The game features a campaign mode with multiple chapters, as well as a custom dungeon generator for endless replayability. Players can upgrade their heroes' skills and equipment, and must use strategy and resource management to survive against tougher and tougher foes.
Reviews
- Chronicles offers a nostalgic experience with improved graphics and atmosphere compared to its predecessors, making it a fun trip down memory lane for fans of dungeon crawlers.
- The game features a solid combat system with a variety of classes and subclasses, allowing for diverse team compositions and strategies.
- With multiple campaigns and procedurally generated dungeons, the game provides good replayability and a satisfying loot collection experience.
- The game suffers from repetitive mechanics and a lack of depth, which can lead to boredom over extended play sessions.
- Inventory management is cumbersome due to limited space and sorting options, making it tedious to equip and manage loot.
- The storyline is minimal and uninspiring, which detracts from the overall experience and can make the gameplay feel hollow.
- story14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The story in this dungeon crawler is generally considered minimal and simplistic, serving primarily as a backdrop for gameplay rather than a focal point. While some players appreciate the lore and item descriptions that add depth to the world, many find the narrative thin and repetitive, leading to a lack of engagement over time. Overall, the story is seen as an improvement over previous titles, but still fails to leave a lasting impression.
“So, there is a lot more story than in the preceding games.”
“Outside of combat, the acts each have an interesting story, and the epic item descriptions give some lore about the game's world.”
“I liked the story and the lore, and collecting all the different items for different builds.”
“Nothing special to write home about as there is almost no story at all.”
“The story is really a barebone thing that is totally uninteresting and uninspiring.”
“Gameplay is simple and solid, but without a meaningful story, everything becomes old very, very fast.”
- gameplay13 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by simple and repetitive mechanics that, while solid, lack depth and innovation, leading to a quickly diminishing sense of enjoyment. Players may find the grind for achievements tedious, especially when reliant on random elements, and issues like save erasure can significantly impact the overall experience. Overall, the gameplay feels reminiscent of the original game but offers little in terms of meaningful progression or narrative engagement.
“Gameplay-wise, think of it as a slightly more forgiving and looty version of Darkest Dungeon, and you're not too far off!”
“It's not very deep mechanically, but also doesn't pretend to be.”
“This dungeon crawler has simple mechanics which are solid, but repetitive.”
“Gameplay is simple and solid, but without a meaningful story, everything becomes old very, very fast.”
“There is little to no innovation in mechanics.”
- grinding11 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, particularly due to limited item sorting options and the need for repetitive actions to progress. While some strategies can ease the grind, such as character resets for easier farming, many feel that achievements are excessively grindy and reliant on luck, detracting from overall enjoyment. Overall, grinding is seen as necessary for progression, especially for acquiring money and unlocking market levels, but it often leads to a monotonous experience.
“Achievements are needlessly grindy, and will force anyone looking to complete them to play well beyond the time any fun can be had... some achievements are heavily random dependent: if you are unlucky it could take a lot of gameplay before you are able to get, say, all the items necessary to constitute a full set of a given type of armor.”
“Grinding is not for the experience, because the enemies scale with your levels, but for money.”
“Grindy and boring.”
- graphics9 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The graphics in *Monster's Den: Chronicles* have received a significant overhaul compared to its predecessors, offering improved visuals and atmosphere, though some players feel the changes are not entirely successful. While the game maintains a similar aesthetic to the original, the attempt to create a more advanced, 3D-like look has been met with mixed reviews, with some describing it as a hybrid that doesn't fully succeed. Overall, the graphics are considered better than the previous titles, but the game still feels simple and can become repetitive over longer sessions.
“The biggest change that *Monster’s Den: Chronicles* brought with it was the visuals; they have received a complete overhaul.”
“Very similar to the first game, with updated graphics and quality of life improvements.”
“I can say for sure that this is the weakest title in the franchise, although it has better graphics than the previous two.”
“The only 'improvements' that seem to have been made between the original Monster's Den and Monster's Den Chronicles are purely graphical, and not for the better.”
“They flew away from the simple aesthetic of the first game and tried to be an advanced version, almost 3D-like, but fail miserably because it is a hybrid.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers strong replayability through various difficulty modes, team combinations, and achievement hunting, appealing to players who enjoy experimenting with different strategies. However, some users feel that the game ends too soon, which can detract from the overall replay value.
“I especially enjoy the replayability and higher difficulties.”
“Lots of replayability, if you want to try different team combos, difficulty modes, and achievement hunting (most are in-game).”
“That's both a good and bad thing; good for replayability, and bad because it ends too soon!”
“That's both a good and bad thing; good for replayability, but bad because it ends too soon!”
“There is one unfortunate factor that hinders the replayability.”
- music3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally considered unremarkable, featuring a largely recycled soundtrack from its predecessor, "Book of Dread," with only a few new tracks. Players find the combat and boss themes repetitive, especially if they are familiar with the earlier game, leading to a sense of boredom.
“There might be a few new tracks, but I was not inclined to look too deeply into it since I think that the feeling that it is the exact same OST illustrates my problem with it.”
“So, there is mainly combat music and a boss track; it grows repetitive just playing Chronicles, but if you have already played the previous game, then it might be boring from the get-go.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in the game is significantly enhanced compared to its predecessor, featuring improved graphics and more immersive dungeons. The text elements contribute effectively to the creepy ambiance and lore, providing players with concise objectives that enrich the overall experience.
“It is basically 1:1 the previous game but with better atmosphere, graphics, and dungeons.”
“The text is pretty good, generally better than I had expected. It creates a creepy atmosphere, provides lore, and outlines your objective for the floor in just a few short lines, which is impressive.”
“The atmosphere feels recycled; it lacks originality and fails to immerse me in the game world.”
“While the graphics are improved, the overall atmosphere still feels flat and uninspired.”
“The game attempts to create a creepy atmosphere, but it ultimately falls short and feels more like a missed opportunity.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is lacking, particularly as it is a port from a browser game, leading to significant stutters and frame rate drops during certain animations.
