A monster-taming metroidvania
Monster Sanctuary is a side-scrolling pixel world where you collect, hatch, evolve and train monsters. Your quest starts with a choice of an ancient spectral familiar who guides your first steps and stays by your side as you catch your first of 111 monsters. From there you build a team from across the Sanctuary, each monster with its own abilities and a skill tree to customize as your team grows. The world is built for exploration: your monsters lend their aid both in and out of combat, using unique skills to fly, ride and brute force your way through environmental puzzles and precise platforming.
Strategic turn-based combat
Battles are turn-based and reward planning over button speed. You order your attacks for maximum efficiency, stacking them to deal devastating combos. Different team combinations open up synergies between your monsters, so building the team is as much a puzzle as the fights themselves. You will run into formidable foes and endurance challenges along the way, and training an unbeatable team is the long game.
Playing with friends and optional modes
Monster Sanctuary has online player vs player, so you can face off against friends and foes in a test of skill, with the goal of having the last monsters standing. A recent update also added optional Randomizer, Bravery and Permadeath game modes that you can enable and combine, making every playthrough a fresh and different experience. Keep in mind the game carries a Difficult tag alongside its singleplayer tag, so expect a challenge as you learn the systems.