9 Monkeys of Shaolin is the new game from Indie team Sobaka Studio. This is the teams second game, following Redeemer, released in 2017 on PC and then on PS4, Xbox and Nintendo Switch in 2019. While the two games share similarities in both graphics and animation – 9 Monkeys of Shaolin takes a side-scrolling 2.5D perspective instead of Redeemer’s more top-down look.
The 2.5D art-style is beautiful though. Characters are stylised, almost like clay animation, but they move with both swiftness and force. Each level is varied in design with a lush colour palette on display. From bamboo forests to fishing villages and plenty in between, I always enjoyed entering a new level for the first time to see where the game was taking me next. Redeemer didn’t look bad by any means, but this second outing for the team is a lot more vibrant.
A good art-style is one thing, but in a side-scrolling beat ’em up combat is king. I am happy to report that 9 Monkeys of Shaolin plays superbly. Timing plays a huge roll in the game as you are often faced with multiple enemies at once. The gameplay is really responsive and players with fast reactions will be dodging blows and dishing out devastating moves in no time.
Your main attacks are all mapped to the face buttons. Kick, thrust and strike – with a dodge thrown in for good measure. At first, these standard strikes are your only weapon, but as the game progresses you unlock the ability to perform stronger versions of each attack by holding the button down. You also unlock different stances later in the game which provides extra damage to stronger enemies.
While the gameplay is responsive, it may take some time before it fully clicks with you. Dodge is mapped to the X button, which didn’t feel natural to me at all. Similarly, attacks with the various stances are performed by using the face buttons while holding down either the left or right trigger rather than actually properly switching stance. A bit of practice and the pieces fall into place, but I didn’t hit my stride immediately. There is also currently no option to re-map the controls.
Each level you complete gives you upgrade points that you can spend back in the hub world. There are various options for what to upgrade including all of your base attacks and elements of your stance attacks. None of these are game-changing upgrades, instead making you a little bit more powerful with each point spent. Increased chances of critical hits, strikes affecting a larger area etc.
The story is well designed, but I never found myself fully connecting with it. You play as Wei Cheng – not to be confused with Sleeping Dogs undercover hero Wei Shen. Sheng is a humble fisherman, who’s parents were killed at the hands of the Wokou when he was just a child. Our journey begins when a fishing village that Wei inhabits with his grandfather is attacked by bandits. Events in the prologue ends with grim consequences and Wei being saved by some Buddhist monks.
As it turns out these were no ordinary bandits that attacked the quaint fishing village, it was the Wokou. Armed with anger and a thirst for revenge, Wei starts his journey to avenge his family. For the most part, the story is played pretty straight, but every so often there is a line or phrase thrown in that makes you pause, as it feels out of place and comical. The voice acting is solid though and our protagonist is played by none other than Daisuke Tsuji who voiced Jin Sakai in Sucker Punch’s latest blockbuster Ghost of Tsushima.
9 Monkeys of Shaolin also comes with a pretty fun and challenging trophy list. You will likely require two playthrough’s to get the platinum as doubling up the likes of completing the game in hardcore difficulty and completing it without a single death may prove troublesome.
-Terry 🦊
VERDICT
Overall I enjoyed my time with 9 Monkeys of Shaolin. I have always had a soft spot for side-scrolling beat ’em ups going all the way back to the original Streets of Rage games. This is a worthy addition to the genre and even though the story didn’t quite click with me, the gameplay is fun, responsive and varied.
Best Price as of review: EU PSN £24.99
A review code for this product was kindly provided by the publisher. Reviewed on PS4 Pro.
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