With Pokémon in limbo due to a string of releases that have not gone as well as expected and the competition that popped up via Palworld, the crown for monster-fighting games is seemingly up for grabs. This rare opening has given a new type of game entering the genre a chance to make its mark with a unique spin on gameplay. That game is Montabi! This game certainly has an unusual look and mechanics that will seem both foreign and familiar to fans of the Pokémon community. The question is, does Montabi have what it takes to make a lasting impact on this genre? Let’s dive in and find out!

Montabi is a monster-fighting game where you must capture and train creatures you find on your journey across the map. While most monster-fighting games now and in the past have you going through an open world or semi-open world, Montabi gives you a path map where you can use various lines to go from one point to another. This invites a whole new layer of strategy as the places you go will determine how difficult it will be to defeat the boss at the end, especially since you can’t go back to any previous point or path. There were times when I had an experienced team that could take down the boss and other times where it was over before it began. Unlike most other monster-fighting games where you have to capture wild monsters, this game allows you to capture Montabi as long as you have a specific treat to take them away. This capturing can only be accomplished at the end of battle, so there is no need to waste precious capture materials while the monster is still alive on the percentage chance that you do capture it.

In the very beginning of the game, you have the choice of playing one of three trainers. Each of the trainers has a unique set of monsters to choose from and special traits to use along your journey. You start with just one trainer, but you gain the others as you keep playing. While each run will have you start from scratch, the knowledge that you gain along the way will accumulate. This is primarily done through the index, called the Montapedia, which stores all of the information known about the various monsters that you encounter. That stored data can be crucial in figuring out your strategy moving forward and for determining what to do in future runs. It saves almost everything from Montabi to Food to Charms to Villain Bosses. The Montapedia will also provide you with a variety of hints that can teach you to best use various cards and other things. My main gripe with this part of the game is that there is no way to go back to previous pages. If you want to do that, you have to close out of the entire thing and start again.

The leveling system in this game is very important, especially as you get towards the boss levels. You can level up both the trainer and the monsters after battle and at a cafe that you may run across during your playthrough. Having high-level monsters is important to stay on the offensive, while having a high-level trainer can often allow you to stay alive longer in harder battles. While most battles will have the enemy focus on your monsters, there are times where they will target the trainer. This is more often done due to poor placement of your trainer, but there are times where there are no good places to be when dealing with certain enemies. This can sometimes be tricky because if the trainer dies or if all of the monsters perish, it is an instant game over and you have to start from the beginning.

Overall, I believe Montabi is a good game with a unique spin on the monster fighting genre. Is this a game that can rival Pokemon and Palworld? Not really, but the beautiful thing is that it isn’t trying to. Montabi is trying to make its own unique stamp in the world of entertainment, and for that I give them all of the props in the world! If you are looking for more interesting games on the Nintendo Switch 2 that offer a variety of different paths to complete your objectives, consider checking out Taylor’s review of The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion Remastered right here. 

A Nintendo Switch 2 review copy of Montabi was provided by Akupara Games for this review.

Montabi

19.99

8

Score

8.0/10

Pros

• Interesting Twist on the Monster Catching Genre
• Unique Monster Designs
• Difficult Fights from time to time

Cons

• Some Design Flaws
• Would Love More Variety