Monstro Giganto (Pirates of Zanzibar) £35 (Cartridge)
Game title: Monstro Giganto
Game description: Monstro Giganto is a beat'em up where large scale monsters go head to head fighting action. Initially you have access to any one of four monsters, each with their own strengths and weaknesses based on Defence, Strength, Speed and Attack attributes. Each monster has the same 4 sets of moves - standard punch, block, super punch and headbutt. Both attacks and defensive moves need to be used in a considered manner as each monster has a red fatigue bar that increases each time you make a move and so blindly mashing buttons will quickly result in your monster becoming fatigued, unable to fight or defend for a few seconds. Adding to the strategy element of the action - your hits have to land on a specific point of your opponent's nose for it to be effective. The aim is to win 2 out of 3 rounds against your monster opponent and you basically loop through each of the four monsters, including the same monster you have chosen to play, until you lose. When you successfully loop through the monsters twice, a fifth monster (Bogie) becomes available as an opponent and defeating Bogie once will result in your monster’s backstory becoming unlocked.
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Production - 95%
95%
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Fun - 70%
70%
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Depth - 50%
50%
Summary
The production values on Monstro Giganto certainly make the game stand out. Featuring 100% PETSCII graphics, each monster is well defined – giving off a sense of individualistic personality. The game features arcade quality speech that has to be the best ever heard on a C64 and the in game music tracks (each monster has their own) all feel epic and are a great fit for the game theme. Given the limited number of moves available – the fighting mechanic does a good job in including strategy element of the action as your hits have to land on a specific point of your opponent’s nose for it to be effective and frantically throwing punches will only result in your monster becoming fatigued. Ultimately, what prohibits Monstro Giganto from being a hit is that it only include five monsters for you to battle with or against with no real end objective as you continue looping through all the monster until you lose. The decision to include backstories that can only all be unlocked by successfully fighting a couple of round loops with each monster adds a little longevity but this won’t last too long as a single player experience. As a 2 player game then there is little to fault it as this is one of the great ‘party games’ of our generation.
Overall
72%User Review
( votes)Pros
- Arcade quality speech
- Large well defined monster characters
- Unlockable stories
- Some strategy to fighting mechanic
- Fun 2 player experience
Cons
- Only 5 monsters available
- No end objective to the game
- Single player experience may be limited
Game Video Link:
Monstro Giganto is the featured game in the April 2021 edition of RGN C64 Round Up
