Monster Crown is a monster-taming RPG in the same vein as the incredibly popular series Pokemon Pokemon. While it remained in Early Access for quite some time, once it launched on both PC and consoles, the game met a significant fanbase who appreciated it taking the monster-tamer genre back to its roots. However, while Monster Crown certainly takes a lot of inspiration from Pokemon, there are plenty of areas in which the two games differ.
From a staggeringly in-depth breeding system to other tamers quite literally stealing your Monsters, Monster Crown features some interesting and rather unique gameplay mechanics. While at heart Monster Crown remains incredibly faithful to the formula set by the seminal games before it, it still manages to deviate enough from them for there to be quite a few differences between it and Pokemon.
5 You Can Breed Thousands Of Monsters
One of Monster Crown's biggest selling points is its breeding mechanic. It allows the player to combine any of its 200 base Monsters to create an entirely unique creation. There are thousands of possible combinations, meaning that, throughout a singular playthrough, you may not even see every single Monster available in the game. That certainly puts Pokemon to shame, especially considering that some Pokemon don't even evolve.
There is also the option to enter secret codes that can be found online. When they are inputted into the game, you will receive a specific breed of Monster. This not only simplifies the process for some players who may not be interested in the mechanic, but also allows those who know or see a certain breed that they want to get it instantly. It is a staggeringly impressive mechanic that is certainly different from what Pokemon has to offer.
4 Chief Tamers Steal Your Monsters
Everyone loves a good Pokemon Gym Leader. Each generation has had its fair share of impressive Gym Leaders, including the very memorable ones in the Diamond & Pearl games. They acted as a nice bookend to each segment in a Pokemon game and were a good indication of whether you and your team were ready for the next stage. Chief Tamers in Monster Crown act in a somewhat similar way. They bookend a certain point in the story and increase the level cap for your team of Monsters. However, as helpful as they are, they also just so happen to steal your Monsters.
Should you lose a battle against a Chief Tamer, they will take one of your Monsters at random. So, in theory, you could spend hours training a Monster only to have it taken from you forever, simply because you lost a battle. This mechanic adds a level of tension to proceedings and is in keeping with the game's more mature themes. Additionally, should you win a match, you'll get to take one of their Monsters to keep everything nice and fair. It creates a sense of risk and reward each time you encounter one of these Chief Tamers, and makes you think twice about running into a battle without preparing.
3 There Are Mini-Bosses
While exploring the world of Monster Crown, you may encounter unique monsters that pose quite the threat. These high-leveled mini-bosses can be found as early as the very beginning of the game and are usually a much higher level than that area's initial level cap. A level 30 monster may be lurking around the corner while your team sits at a measly level three. They're tough, powerful, and tantalizing. Capturing and taming these may be a challenge, but one that is worthwhile in the long run.
However, running into one of these can be a deadly mistake as losing a battle to them or simply attempting to run away will result in you losing all of your items and being forced to return to a prior location. While their designs are almost as good as some of the best-designed Pokemon Legendaries, avoiding them at all costs in the early game is typically essential to your survival.
2 Monster Crown's Story Is A Lot More Mature
Pokemon games aren't known for their excellent storytelling. They're games aimed at kids and as a result, especially in some of the earlier titles, the stories tended to be a little lacklustre. This is not the case in Monster Crown as the game is philosophical and more mature in tone, so narrative takes precedent. From swear words to brutal acts of violence, even from the outset Monster Crown, offers players a far more bleak view of a world inhabited by both humans and Monsters.
In one of the earlier moments in Monster Crown, the player is tortured by a ferocious Monster under the orders of one of the game's antagonists. While the game's pixel art style obscures a lot of the violence, it is clear what exactly is going on. It is safe to say that compared to Pokemon, Monster Crown's story is a lot more mature. It is most certainly not for children.
1 The Party Size Is Bigger
Throughout the Pokemon series, the player's party size has always been six. Across the multiple games in the series, players have had to contend with which Pokemon they'll have to throw into their PC in order to slot a newfound friend in. However, Monster Crown has changed that somewhat with a larger party size. While Pokemon allowed players to have up to six Pokemon with them at all times, Monster Crown allows them to have eight.
This is especially helpful considering that most players will likely engage with the game's generous breeding mechanic. With thousands of possible combinations available, even a limit of eight doesn't seem like enough. However, it is still a huge difference compared to Pokemon and suits Monster Crown well.