Today marks the Japanese 1-year anniversary of the Lancarse-developed turn-based JRPG, Monark. To commemorate the occasion, new art was shared alongside a message from the game’s producer, Fuyuki Hayashi.
Our team’s Ryuji has translated his message, which is viewable below:
Hello, everyone. I’m Fuyuki Hayashi, the producer for Monark.
Today, October 14, marks one year since Monark was released*. I would like to express my utmost gratitude for all of the support we have received from our fans for this milestone.
Because of everyone’s word of mouth, we were able to hit over 100,000 copies sold worldwide in the past six months and have been able to attract even new fans from overseas with the release in the West.
This is honestly an achievement that has far exceeded what we’ve expected for this new original title, and we are confident that we will be able to continue to meet new challenges thanks to that.
After all, something completely original like Monark, without any preceding series, requires substantial development time. But even so, the seeds of determination (not to mention insanity) poured forth with great effort and have successfully bloomed into what we know today as Monark.
On behalf of the entire staff, I would like to thank you all from the bottom of my heart. [We have plans] to announce new merchandise and campaigns to celebrate the 1st anniversary of the game.
Now, regarding new developments, I can’t share any concrete details yet, only that it will certainly “take some time”, but I hope you’ll continue to support us as always.
*Japanese release date. The Western release date was February 22, 2022.
You can view the celebratory 1-year anniversary illustration below:
If you missed it, check out our review.
Monark takes place in Shin Mikado Academy, where the player character has just awoken. The academy lies beyond a barrier separate from the real world and is plagued by a Mist that can mentally overwhelm humans. Luckily, Daemonic powers reside in this world that can allow humans to survive, and you’ve just acquired the Authority of Vanity. From here, the player character and four others create the True Studen Council and fight against the darkness.
The gameplay features a balancing act between Authority and Madness, where using Authority will raise your MAD Gauge. When at max, you will attack enemies and allies. Further, players will utilize six characters with a free movement battle system. The academy grounds can be explored to connect to the Otherworld, which leads to solving mysteries.
Monark is now available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.
