Power up players, today will be a mobile game first impressions post! The game to be discussed will be Monster League: Victory Road! I came across this game one day while playing the mobile game Sky Islands, it appeared as an advertisement and once I realized it was a Pokemon-esque game I downloaded it immediately. Just to be clear, this game is a bootleg version of Pokémon, let’s be real.
Publisher: dh61049
Platform: Android and IOS
This is a strategic cultivation game with evolution and collection game modes. The monsters in this magical world can choose freely among multiple evolution lines. Players can also choose various kinds of wings and rides for the monsters. Additionally, you can fight other powerful players. Here, you will find not only competition but also cooperation. You can work together with your allies to build Gyms and beat World Bosses.
Premise: You are Red (Ash) and you have just received your first starter Pokemon. Your goal is to travel the world and capture additional Pokemon, more specifically the Mewtwo that has been haunting your dreams. As you battle in the “Instance” section, you will receive fragments, coins, and gear that is upgradeable and useful for buffing up your Pokemon’s stats. Along the way, you can catch Pokemon in the Park (unlocked at trainer lvl 18) or battle gym leaders in the Gym.
Sights & Sounds – The game is pretty much Pokemon with the same characters and motives. I’m sure due to licensing some of the names have been changed, but it’s Pokemon lol. When you first log in, you will go through the tutorial which for me could have been developed better. The concept is not hard to grasp, but the game is very, very busy. There are tons of buttons on the screen and you are just clicking what the tutorial tells you for the most part. Maybe a bit more explanation as to “WHY” you are clicking these buttons would improve my rating of the tutorial. You have fun, cartoony theme music that plays during your game.
Gameplay & Difficulty – This is where I have the most critiques. The game so far is not difficult at all. As long as you upgrade your Pokemon, you can win battles by using the “Autoplay” feature. You can select auto play and as long as you are upgrading your Pokemon regularly, you will advance to the next level. There isn’t much strategy in the game at the moment.
I have also noticed the lack of variety in your first few Pokemon. Everyone receives the same starter Pokemon and a few follow up Pokemon. Granted once you receive other Pokemon, you will be able to change your lineup to one that you are comfortable playing with.
A feature that is cool is that you can set your lineup position. Pokemon in the front sections will be hit first and the Pokemon in the back can only be attacked by special abilities or when the front line of defense is defeated. This leaves room for you to protect your weaker defensive monsters but still be able to use their attacks.
Parks: Once you have unlocked the Parks area, you can battle wild Pokemon and collect “Pokemon Fragments.” The fragments are what you need to obtain that specific Pokemon. So it is different than a standard Pokemon game where when you catch the Pokemon, you own them. You only catch fragments. The fragments are also used to evolve your current Pokemon.
Check out my gameplay here:
Replayability – I am having fun so Monster League has medium replayability. But the lack of variety at the beginning throws me off. My boyfriend and I have played and we received the exact same Pokemon which is a bit annoying. I normally play the game on my breaks at work, but I have randomly picked it up at home to try and continue leveling. So far I have seen Gen 1 and 2 Pokemons so I am interested in seeing what other Generations are included.
With my First Impressions and Game Reviews, I list my top reasons to Play or Skip the game.
Play:
- A quick and easy Pokemon game for your phone
- Challenge modes and different difficulty levels
- A new concept in collecting Pokemon
Skip:
- The game screen is a bit busy
- You prefer more of a challenge when playing Pokemon (although I’m playing on Normal, the other difficulties are Hard and Nightmare)
Final Thoughts: After a week of playing the game I am at Trainer Level 18 and have a good grasp of the game. The mechanics are straightforward and the gameplay (especially during auto play) is a bit brainless. I am sure that this will eventually become a Pay to Advance type game, so I am saving the coins and gems that I receive when playing the instance battles. There’s a social aspect of the game as well where you can add friends and send them gifts daily. There are pop ups on the screen when another player gets an achievement or catches a Pokemon which is cool, but I wish there was a way to turn those notifications off.
I give Monster League 2 out of 5 Power-ups!