Monaco
Before I ramble for several paragraphs about some neat little game, let me ask you a question: When you hear the phrase "co-op heist game", what do you think of? Maybe you see a series of dark hallways and rooms as you and a partner sneak through, avoiding and distracting guards to get the stash. Perhaps you imagine a high-stakes, full-out action game with guns blazing and know I'm talking about the new Payday game. Well, you caught me; you're absolutely WRONG! Instead, I'm going to be talking about a nifty little indie title that is one part heist movie, another part 80's color scheme, and three parts variety: Monaco.
If you've seen heist movies, a common trope in each is a team; nearly every heist movie I can think of has a team in which every member has a special role to play. Monaco feels like one of these movies with it's eight different classes to play as, each a mildly interesting personality in the (albeit very light and skippable) story. Every job from the Lookout, which reveals NPS's on the map, Hacker, an ace at disabling electronic security, and Mole, a brute with a sledge hammer to demolish walls, feels incredibly unique mechanically. The levels are designed to let all classes have enough to do in a team of up to four players so that you feel valuable. Rarely have I ever felt that my character's unique skill was wasted or gone appreciated.
To further add variety, the game can be played in numerous very different styles. Initially, the game seemed a sort of strategy and stealth hybrid, using your classes to disable or navigate around security systems and guards. Once you get caught, a large dose of action enters the mix as guards chase you down, trying to apprehend you. You can even forgo stealth entirely and pick up one of the couple of weapons in the game and storm the building, taking out guards and clearing the area of any threats. The weird combination of stealth, action, and strategy is an interesting mix, with things almost never calming down once the guards have been alerted to your presence.
As quickly things can go wrong, as much there is on the screen, and as colorful as the palette is, you might imagine that there's no possible way to make a bunch of vibrant colors coherent. Thankfully, the design is superb and I've rarely been lost or confused once I began understanding the game. The level is general colorful so that it's not dull, but the colors are often quite muted in comparison to the eye-catching neons of the players. Flashes of red attract your eye to laser trip-wires, guards chasing after a player, or dogs hunting you. The minimal design means things on screen are more symbolic (gold diamonds for money or valuables) and once you learn them, you can glance at the map and know what's going on, even when chaos reigns on the map.
Monaco is a usually unique game with gobs and gobs of variety and replayability derived from team composition, open-ended levels, and the challenge to make it higher on the leader-boards. While the price does seem a bit high, even if you buy the four pack (for yourself and three friends), sales are assuredly in its future. I highly recommend the game to anyone who enjoys a challenge and loves to think on their feet. No matter how well you plan, something will go wrong but the experience will be exhilarating.
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