Developer: Odencat
Publisher: Odencat
Platform: PC, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Tested on: Switch
Meg’s Monster – Review
If you take a look at the Twitter page of Japanese indie developer Odencat, one of the first things you’ll notice is the phrase, “We make emotional games which you’ll remember.“. That phrase may seem like a bold statement, but having played their latest game, Meg’s Monster, we believe it to be true. Although we had formed certain assumptions about Meg’s Monster based on the game’s teaser trailer and the accompanying press release, we found that our expectations did not entirely match with what the game actually delivered when we played it. Read on to find out what makes Meg’s Monster special and why you should give it a try.
Story
Sticking to a simple premise, Meg’s Monster delivers a story that is filled with heart. The opening cutscene shows a grown-up version of the titular girl returning to the ruins of a strange laboratory. She’s plagued by fuzzy memories of something that happened in the past. The game then starts in earnest with young Meg waking up in the underworld, which is inhabited by all sorts of monsters. Two of these monsters, Roy and Golan, happen to stumble upon the young child. While their initial ideas of how to deal with Meg aren’t all that friendly, they quickly change their minds when they discover that Meg’s crying could destroy the underworld. At Golan’s behest, Roy takes it upon himself to keep Meg safe and return her to the world of humans. Unbeknownst to the pair, Meg’s presence poses a threat to a mysterious antagonist as well as the Monster Council, who are tasked with upholding the peace between monsters and humans. The narrative that follows sticks to an established formula, with the brutish Roy eventually opening up to the little girl as they grow closer to one another. There are plenty of twists, turns, and heartfelt moments along the way, as well as a supporting cast comprising a wide array of memorable monsters.
Graphics
The strong art direction transcends Meg’s Monster’s minimalistic pixel art style. It’s actually rather impressive to see how much personality is crammed into the character sprites given that they aren’t overly detailed. During battles and cutscenes, more elaborate character portraits are shown and these help flesh out the game’s aesthetics further. There is plenty of visual variety here too, with unique monster designs, a wealth of environments, and cute animations that play during specific moments in battle. We did find that the graphics actually came more into their own on the smaller screen of the Switch’s handheld mode rather than on a bigger TV screen.
Sound
Accompanying Meg and Roy on their journey is a gorgeous soundtrack that adds another layer of emotions to a game already designed to tug at your heartstrings. Composer Reo Uratani, of Monster Hunter and Hyrule Warriors fame absolutely nails it with the main theme, which also features lyrics by Laura Shigihara. Her voice is the only one you’ll hear in Meg’s Monsters, however, as the game lacks voice acting. This is a bit of a shame, as the game drives on character interactions, and voice acting would have brought the game to the next level. The game’s sound effects don’t particularly stand out but there isn’t anything wrong with them either.
Gameplay
While Meg’s Monster is ostensibly a classic RPG with turn-based combat, there are plenty of twists to its formula that prevent it from feeling like a run-off-the-mill experience. This is most noticeable in how the game handles its turn-based battles, although outside of combat Meg’s Monster offers plenty of genre-defying variety in the form of puzzles and even mini-games. This approach keeps things fresh, and combined with the fantastic writing, Meg’s Monster unfolds itself as a fantastic little game that keeps players engaged throughout the entirety of its runtime. The game is structured around an overworld map with key points, indicated with a red mark, that Roy and Meg travel to. Each of these leads to a scene that progresses the story, whether it’s a puzzle that needs to be solved or an opposing monster that needs to be defeated. Sidequests are available too and they are indicated by a green mark. These are entirely optional, but it’s best to tackle them as soon as you can as they further flesh out the characters’ stories and provide stat increases for Roy. If you skip these sidequests, you might not be able to revisit them later on.
Combat initially gives the impression of old school Pokémon battles, but there’s a twist. Roy does the bulk of the fighting, with Meg sitting on the sideline. The blue monster certainly is a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield, as he has a whopping 99,999 hit points and is therefore nearly indestructible. However, if Meg becomes too upset from the fighting, she’ll start to cry, causing the apocalypse and subsequently, a game over screen. Throughout the battles, it’s important to keep an eye on Meg’s heart meter and distract her from the fighting with toys. Of note here is that there are no random encounters present in the game, which makes sense given that there is no need to grind for experience when your fighter is already at the height of his power, in terms of HP at least. The fights that are present here are scripted affairs too, with mid-battle events that can turn an encounter around at unexpected times. An opponent may drop a useful item, for example, which might turn a battle on its head.
Granted, this story-based deus ex machina approach to the battles feels like it removes a lot of agency from the player, and the battles can grow tiresome after a while, especially since they can be lengthy affairs. As we mentioned before, there are no random battles and so, no way to grind for experience, but there is a leveling system of sorts in place. The idea is that as Roy ‘levels up’, he’ll learn new attacks and increase his attack and defense stats. However, because Meg’s Monster is a mostly linear affair and all battles are scripted, you’ll find that these stat upgrades will happen at the same points in the story, with the only changes to the pacing depending on whether or not you’ve taken on certain sidequests.
The main driving force in completing Meg’s Monster is seeing the story play out. Even though the gameplay is varied enough, it serves more as a tool to keep the player engaged with the narrative, and many of the puzzles and minigames aren’t all that impressive from a technical or mechanical standpoint. As we mentioned, the combat encounters grew tedious towards the game’s end. And yet, somehow, we couldn’t put the game down. The six hours that it took us to complete the journey flew by as we became increasingly invested in the narrative and the budding relationship between the little girl and her unlikely protector. At the risk of sounding a little sappy, by the time the credits rolled, we even had to wipe away a few tears, and that’s more than we expected from a silly little game about a small girl and a big blue monster.
Conclusion
We had a particular idea of what Meg’s Monster would be like based on Odencat’s initial description. However, the game surpassed our expectations and went beyond what we had envisioned. Even though the gameplay might not introduce anything revolutionary, the incredible world-building, endearing characters, and poignant story make Meg’s Monster an exceptional experience. So, don’t be discouraged by the game’s brief length or simple premise. We wholeheartedly suggest that you give Meg’s Monster a chance and indulge in the intricate story, which defies that initial setup. It’s highly likely that you’ll thank us afterwards.
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