Monster Tale

by Majesco

• Developer Pedigree: From the key leads of the critically acclaimed DS game Henry Hatsworth and the Puzzling Adventure (IGN's Platform Game of the Year).
• Genre Mash-Up: Platform adventure on the top screen mixed with a deep pet raising game on the Touch Screen.
• Raise & Evolve Chomp: Train your monster companion in the Touch Screen Pet Sanctuary. Give Chomp food, equipment and toys so that it grows, evolves and gains new abilities to assist Ellie's adventure.
• Chomp Will Do Your Bidding: Ellie can summon Chomp from the bottom screen to the top screen at any time. Use Chomp to help fight enemies and leverage his abilities to access new areas.
• Explore Monstrous Worlds: Battle through 5 non-linear worlds and face off against a menacing kid-monster duo at the end of each.

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B003OQ4AHQ
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 5 x 5 inches ; 1 pounds
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: March 15, 2011
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,151 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

A group of nasty kids have snuck into a secret world inhabited by monsters and enslaved them as their pets. This ragtag pack of kids is using the monsters to do all sorts of selfish, destructive things that will ultimately result in the downfall of the Monster World. That is, until little Ellie discovers the Monster World and befriends a mysterious young monster named Chomp. This dynamic duo sets out on a fantastic adventure where our Monster Tale begins.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun for all ages March 24, 2011

By weemadarthur

Amazon Verified Purchase

Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

I would like to provide details about how this game works for readers. (I have not completed the game, but have progressed to about the 2nd boss.)

Saving
This game has 2 save slots. Saving must be done at predetermined save points. There are plenty of save points, but you may still need to redo a couple of rooms if you die.

Gameplay Mechanics
Your character, Ellie, begins the game with a melee attack. Very early, you learn a ranged (shooting) attack and find a friend in Chomp. You cannot rename either character.

Levels are divided into multiple rooms; enemies will respawn as soon as you exit/re-enter a room. Rooms are both vertical and horizontal, allowing a nice variety in the feeling of exploration. The map will show you which rooms you have entered, and how much of the room you have explored. This is helpful as there are certain portions of rooms that you will not be able to access until you learn a new skill. Generally these spots are quite clear - for instance, you will see a wall that looks breakable, but you cannot break it until you learn a stronger melee attack. Skills are found in statues and look like spheres. Since you learn multiple skills in a level, it is often necessary to backtrack through new sections of rooms that you have partially explored. (I am not certain whether it is necessary to backtrack to a whole previous level; I have not yet had to do that though.) The map also displays a Goal for you to help you know the best place to head toward. You can avoid going to the goal, but you may find yourself stuck behind a barricade and needing a skill - or just going the long way around and staying farther from save points.

Chomp is able to help you fight on the top screen; however his health slowly degenerates over time and you will need to send him to the bottom screen to recover. Enemies will randomly drop Chomp items that help him gain EXP in various categories. Ellie needs to walk over the item, and it will automatically be sent to the bottom screen. These items will disappear if not picked up soon enough. Chomp needs time to use the items, but it is fairly easy to keep track of both his health and his training. It takes a while for Chomp to learn new forms.

Platforming in this game is very tight, the controls are responsive and easy to use. I did not run across any particularly difficult platforming sections so far; mostly the jumps between platforms have some leeway and don't set you back far if you miss.

It is almost unnecessary to ever use the stylus; occasionally on the bottom screen you may wish to tell Chomp which item to use first. This is done by clicking on it, and it's quite easy to do with a spare finger.

Shops
You will find a recurring item shop, where you are able to buy Training items for Chomp and permanent upgrades for Ellie. The Chomp items are affordable and allow you to select which attribute you wish Chomp to train on. The Ellie items are quite expensive. Money is dropped by monsters and I have never felt like I had a lot of money.

Story and Music
The sounds and music are appropriate and not jarring.

The story has Ellie and Chomp traveling through the Monster worlds to right the wrongs done by various Kids who have enslaved the Monsters. These Kid Bosses show a very mature tyrannical nature and are protective of their power. They will do anything to keep it, so your job is to defeat them by force.

Summary
This game is fun to play and is a very solid platformer. It is suitable for adults to enjoy as well as kids.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Myes, quite. March 30, 2011

By Samantha Poslinski

Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

Let me start by saying I am a tad biased.

The premise alone had me jump into the game really wanting to fall in love with it.
I punched it in, flipped on the power, and that is exactly what happened. To my delight the game reminded me heavily of Henry Hatsworth (A fantastic puzzle platformer made over at Tiburon), with a seductive combination of Metroidvania, and a dash of a Digimon into that mix. (The familiarity for Hatsworth was in the graphics, the blasts and abilities, the way enemies rotated once you hit them, little flying eyeball monsters... When I didn't realize the same people made it, I was wondering if they were enamored with the game as much as I was.)
The rating I gave is because my experience through and through was fun, and I enjoyed myself heavily. That isn't to say the game is without its flaws.

Let me present my negatives:
Unlike the Castlevania series, there aren't any teleportation or fast travel systems present. I can't help but feel this was done on purpose in order to push your Monster (Chomp) into leveling. There is a bit of back tracking to do. You'll be going from one area to another to receive an ability, and find yourself needing to go all the way back once more. Again, the purpose seems like getting some combat experience for leveling in the end. The pacing is fairly quick, and Chomp obtains stronger forms surprisingly early. I was filling out his youngest branch of forms when I was notified that the second branch was available now. If you adore completing something, this might throw you off as it did me, but you're able to switch any time you please between unlocked forms. It's also optional if you're not at all interesting in it!
Other than that, the only thing that was truly bothersome was when Chomp levels. The screen pauses and notifies you with a fanfare tune, then continues onward. It just seems like a better leveling notifier could have been implemented, without losing a few seconds and silently wishing Chomp learn the definition of humble.

Despite that, I didn't really find it detracting from the experience. The visuals are plenty bold and it is aesthetically adorable. Even with a style that seems kiddish, the game balances safely in difficulty. I believe another reviewer already pointed out that new players won't be struggling, and veterans won't be turned away from this.

While I can't guarantee YOU will love the game, or even like it, I can say my own experience was damn phenomenal. Huzzah!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars What more can I say than it's a lot of fun? March 23, 2011

By Taco Mike

Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

This is one of the first platform-style game I've played on my DS since the last Castlevania came out, and it's great fun. I've not quite made it to the first Kid King (boss battle), but, from what I can already tell, it's going to be a fine game.
At first I was concerned that it would be too simple-a kid's game-but the difficulty is fairly balanced. It wouldn't frustrate a young gamer, but I don't think it would be boring to an older gamer.
The play is similar to Castlevania and Metroid, where you gain abilities as you explore, which open paths to other areas, and there's a store system to buy upgraded skills, but the interesting twist is your pet monster, Chomp, whose talents change as his levels increase; he achieves different stages of evolution with different, useful abilities.
Chomp can be assigned to stay on the top screen, where the main character, whose name is Ellie, progresses through the story. Chomp can also be assigned to the bottom screen, where he can recover HP, and use the Chomp-specific items that enemies occasionally drop to increase his stats.

As I said, I've not completed the game, but it is shaping up to be one of my new favorites. It's not too simple, and it's not too difficult, and it puts an interesting and fresh spin on a familiar game style.