Gameplay
The game provides a top-down view as players cooperate to perform a heist using a variety of specialized thief characters.
The characters you begin the game with are the Locksmith ( blue colour) who has the ability to pick lock doors, safes open cash registers and ATM’s faster than any other character, The Pickpocket (yellow colour), who ability to send his pet monkey Hector to grab coins and to hide in bushes faster than any other character, The Cleaner (pink colour) who has the ability to knock out unsuspecting enemies and use medi-kits faster than any other character, and the Lookout( red colour). She has the ability to see every NPC in the level when she sneaks, enter vents, open windows and stairs and also runs faster than any other character.
The characters you get to unlock by meeting them throughout the campaign areThe Mole. The Mole’s colour is violet and has the ability to dig through walls, enter secret passages and also break jewel cases faster than any other character, The Gentleman who comes in a teal colour and has the ability to have a permanent disguise on and enter getaway vehicles faster than any other character, The Hacker a green figure that has the ability to make viruses and the Redhead an orange female character who has the ability to attract a single NPC and revive fallen teammates faster than any other character.
The game begins with the initial four characters escaping from prison and seeking help from other colleagues in order to destroy any evidence and eventually escape the city of Monaco. Monaco is a special game, it’s a stealth game that focuses in robberies but there is a big twist that makes the game differ from this type of games as may be possible, yet sometimes very hard, to pass unnoticed from a level, but that is not always the recommended way.
There will be times where you will need to create chaos in order to make your way out, sacrifice precious equipment or one of your characters, or wear a disguise and walking around incognito.There re a lot of variety in your approaches as you can tries many different approaches due to the character specialties.
Stages in Monaco, range from caverns to casinos, and are full of security features and guards looking to keep you from reaching your goal. Controlling your character is very easy as you can move in all four directions. You can move against certain things, and interact with them, such as picking a lock or slinking through a window. There is a sneak button and a button that will use whatever gear you are carrying. At the beginning of every map there are various weapons which you can pick, in the shape of guns, shotguns, crossbow and EMP generators which combined with your character’s special abilities can cause a lot of damage. There are 8 types of gear in total Monaco and each is fairly different from the others.
You will get the most out of Monaco in its co-op mode as the game can also be played with up to three other people and is part co-operative strategy, part chaotic competition. At the end of each stage a top player is crowned for things like collecting the most loot.
Then there are optional objectives, such as playing through a level without losing a single character, collecting every bit of loot (a requirement to unlock the entire story), and finishing a level as quickly as possible. Fans of speed runs will be left grinning ear-to-ear. There is a daily leader board as well as a board that displays all-time best scores.
Conclusion
Monaco is chaos, beautiful and organised chaos. It;s a game that will give you enough trouble but you want mind as it does it in a very entertaining way. The tightly structured gameplay is fast and fluid, and the colorful cast of playable characters are great while the co-op gameplay is on a league on its own.
Everything about the game, from its mechanics to its presentation, to its music and its sound, feels original and fresh. Monaco proves how millions of dollars aren’t necessary in creating something fun and original; on the contrary, the game is important because it shows how so much can be done with so little.
This is one of the best indie games in recent memory that should not be missed.
Gameconnect Rating: 8.5
