TL;DR
Ready for a new beat 'em up? 9 Monkeys of Shaolin serves up a classic revenge tale with a fisherman turned warrior, boasting impressive visuals and solid voice acting. While the cooperative multiplayer is a major win for this genre, the game unfortunately falls into a repetitive trap with predictable enemy AI and boss fights that are more about endurance than skill. If you can look past the monotony for some stylish, cooperative brawling, this might be for you. Dive into the full review to see if this Shaolin adventure is worth your time!
The beat’em-up genre boasts numerous classics, from arcade titles like Double Dragon and Final Fight to modern retro experiences such as Raging Justice. 9 Monkeys of Shaolin enters this established lineage, highlighting the inherent challenge of innovating within a well-defined genre.
Wei Cheng, a humble fisherman, witnesses the destruction of his village by pirates. Surviving against the odds, he dedicates his life to avenging this loss. While the core narrative is straightforward, the game incorporates unexpected plot developments. The voice acting is commendable, and the visuals are notably polished.
A significant drawback of 9 Monkeys of Shaolin is its tendency towards repetition and monotony. The gameplay loop involves progressing to a besieged village or city, confronting waves of enemies, and culminating in a boss encounter. This pattern repeats consistently. The AI of the enemies is simplistic, and their behaviors are predictable. For instance, archers telegraph their attacks with a pronounced visual cue, simplifying defensive maneuvers.
Boss battles, while adhering to established conventions, present a dichotomy: their attack patterns are easily deciphered, yet their high health pools make them protracted and arduous to defeat. Personally, I found that the core gameplay loop became tiresome relatively quickly. Despite the appealing graphics and animations, the repetitive nature of the combat ultimately detracted from the experience. The game requires more than simply executing attack sequences repeatedly.
In conclusion, the game achieves an above-average rating. While I am not an avid enthusiast of the genre, 9 Monkeys of Shaolin demonstrates competent execution and stylistic design, even if it leans towards repetitiveness. The inclusion of both local and online cooperative multiplayer is a significant positive, as this genre inherently benefits from collaborative play.
