Twilight Monk

About

Twilight Monk is a single player role playing game. It was developed by Aquatic Moon Games and was released on March 26, 2025. It received positive reviews from players.

Twilight Monk is a 2.5D action RPG set in a hand-drawn fantasy world, combining metroidvania exploration with RPG elements and level-up mechanics. Players control Raziel Tenza, a monk tasked with stopping a traitor threatening peace amidst monster attacks and internal strife. The game features intricate dungeons, hidden secrets, and a nostalgic overworld adventure.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

84%

Audience ScoreBased on 121 reviews

graphics38 positive mentions

grinding9 negative mentions

The game features stunning hand-drawn art and animations, creating a visually captivating experience.
Gameplay is engaging with a solid mix of exploration, collectibles, and unique mechanics like using the pillar for both combat and puzzles.
The game has a good content-for-playtime value, with plenty of secrets and upgrades to discover, making it rewarding for completionists.

The save system is punishing, as players lose all progress upon death, leading to frustration and repetitive gameplay.
There is a lack of quality-of-life features such as map markers and the ability to rebind controls, which can hinder navigation and accessibility.
Some boss fights and enemy encounters can feel unbalanced, with certain bosses being too easy while others have frustrating mechanics.

graphics
53 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
72%
22%
6%
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their stunning hand-drawn art style, vibrant colors, and smooth animations, creating an immersive atmosphere that enhances the gameplay experience. Many players appreciate the detailed character and environment designs, particularly in dungeon areas and boss fights, although some note that the world map and town visuals could be improved. Overall, the visuals are considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's charm and appeal, despite some criticisms regarding gameplay mechanics.
- “Visually, the game is stunning, with colorful, detailed graphics, layers of parallax and atmosphere, and smooth character animations.”
- “The hand-drawn artwork truly shines in the game, bringing together detailed gameplay, nice smooth animations, and effects.”
- “I cannot begin to describe how beautiful and diverse the locations I got to traverse were, with the phenomenal art style giving each biome a distinct identity by drenching them in wonderful details that tell stories of their own.”
- “The only redeeming feature is its aesthetic, which is pretty well done, despite the cartoonish aspect that may not please everyone.”
- “At this point, this game targets a demographic that has very specific needs, and proceeds to half-ass them entirely.”
- “The story might be appealing to kids, with all the bombastic anime over-reactions and dialogue, but judging from the gameplay I doubt the devs were aiming for that demographic in the first place.”
gameplay
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
56%
7%
The gameplay of the game is characterized by a blend of beautiful visuals and a mix of cozy and challenging mechanics, appealing to both beginners and seasoned players. However, it suffers from some design flaws, such as unbalanced boss mechanics and occasional awkward controls, which detract from the overall experience. Despite these issues, many players find the core gameplay enjoyable and engaging, with a solid progression system and a vibrant world to explore.
- “Very beautifully designed game with a solid story and a nice mix of cozy and challenging gameplay.”
- “Great art and gameplay, runs nice and is well polished; you can tell the devs put their heart into making this.”
- “The visuals are stunning and the moment-to-moment gameplay is really enjoyable with double jumps and a quick dash.”
- “I have been looking forward to playing this game, but I do not enjoy the mechanics.”
- “This is not an outright bad game, but it is not terribly engaging and suffers from design choices and mechanics that take an already uninspired game and add some additional annoyances to it.”
- “It has a fantastic presentation, and generally competent gameplay, but it utterly fails to inspire and capture attention past the mid-game, due to how simplistic everything is underneath the hood.”
story
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
54%
7%
The game's story is generally well-received, featuring a solid narrative with engaging characters and a mix of humor and adventure that appeals to a broad audience. While some players find the plot predictable and occasionally chaotic, the worldbuilding and character interactions provide a fun and immersive experience. Overall, the story complements the gameplay, making for an enjoyable journey despite some critiques regarding its presentation and pacing.
- “Very beautifully designed game with a solid story and a nice mix of cozy and challenging gameplay.”
- “The story is a great continuation of the world, and I got a real kick out of the humor sprinkled throughout (the parts with the pirate girl had me in stitches).”
- “While not flawless, it delivers a solid and enjoyable gameplay experience alongside a vibrant world with a story that will keep you hooked from start to finish.”
- “I am not familiar with the original IP this game was based on; maybe it would have more to offer fans of the IP in terms of fan service, but overall the story here is pretty cheesy and not well presented.”
- “I found myself wandering without much guidance on how to progress the story, which led to a lot of aimless backtracking and second-guessing.”
- “Its plot only works if everybody was an idiot, and unfortunately, this means the game has a pretty mediocre plot.”
music
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
19%
10%
The music in the game has received widespread praise for its quality and ability to enhance the overall experience, with many players noting its catchiness and memorable tunes. It effectively complements the game's atmosphere, drawing players into the world, although some have pointed out that the repetitive nature of the soundtrack can become noticeable during extended gameplay. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
- “The background music fits in well and helps draw you into the world.”
- “Gorgeous soundtrack.”
- “Beautifully made game, the music is delicious, animated lovely, atmosphere is great.”
- “All of that 'backtracking by design' makes the repetitive soundtrack and lacking minimap stand out like a sore thumb, overshadowing the gorgeous artwork.”
- “The problem here - I had to quiet down the music to find the last spiders I missed.”
- “Very unique music too.”
grinding
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
90%
Reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game is a significant point of contention, with many players finding it tedious and repetitive. While some appreciate the beautiful world and the incentive to revisit areas for experience points, the lack of quality-of-life features, such as map markers and tracking unopened chests, exacerbates the grind, making it feel more laborious than enjoyable. Overall, opinions vary, with some players willing to overlook the grinding for the game's aesthetic, while others find it detracts from the overall experience.
- “Revisiting areas with new abilities isn't tedious.”
- “The grind feels rewarding as I unlock new skills and progress.”
- “Each session of grinding brings a sense of achievement and growth.”
- “Calling it an RPG is a blatant lie; it's just a Metroidvania with experience grinding and Metroidvania-style backtracking to previous maps to get unreachable treasures, and no map markers help you track those misses.”
- “Ultimately, I will recommend it if you don’t mind grinding and enjoy the world since it is very beautiful, but it just didn't work for me.”
- “In my opinion, it simply makes the game repetitive and tedious, but each to their own.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
83%
17%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its stunning visuals, colorful and detailed graphics, and charming music, creating an immersive experience. Players appreciate the smooth character animations and handcrafted art, which contribute to a captivating overall ambiance. However, some users note that despite the appealing atmosphere, other gameplay elements, like the saving system, detract from the experience.
- “Visually, the game is stunning, with colorful, detailed graphics, layers of parallax, and a captivating atmosphere, complemented by smooth character animations.”
- “Beautifully made game; the music is delightful, the animations are lovely, and the atmosphere is great.”
- “Gorgeous handcrafted art and atmosphere.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is well-received, with players enjoying its clever writing and entertaining characters, particularly noting the comedic moments involving the pirate girl. The blend of a funny plot and engaging visuals contributes to an overall solid and enjoyable experience.
- “The story is a great continuation of the world, and I got a real kick out of the humor sprinkled throughout (the parts with the pirate girl had me in stitches).”
- “Solid and fun game with fantastic visuals, a funny plot with a handful of clichés, and rather entertaining characters.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, users report a stable experience with minimal crashes and only a few minor glitches, indicating a generally smooth performance since its release.
- “I have seen no crashes, and very few one-time bugs/glitches otherwise.”
- “Few glitches, but it just came out; other than that, I am enjoying it.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players feel that the game requires further optimization to enhance its performance and ensure a smoother gameplay experience.
- “The game could benefit from some optimization to run more smoothly.”