Monaco - PC

Whenever you assemble a crack team of criminals to steal a highly prized, if not highly pixilated set of blueprints, communication and patience are essential skills in maneuvering around armed guards and prying security cameras. Somehow when you get four of your buddies on a couch, all of that really goes out the window. Monaco is a top-down action title in the vein of Gauntlet where you and up to four of your cronies must rob and escape from a high security facility. 

The developers added some rather unique twists to the game such as being able to see the whole layout of the building. Guards, security cameras, and places to hide only appear in your field of vision. So you can always see the hallway behind the door, just not the guard walking by. And when you do get spotted, most of the time you’ll end up running. Pixilated blood splatters against the floor as you scramble down the next hallway. Here, you have to take a chance to see if he’s still behind you or run into perhaps another guard. There are very few games where your vision is a liability. No one ever said crime was easy.

Players choose from a variety of classes with their own abilities. Computer hackers, for example, can not only tap into security camera, but they can explode an EMP device, shutting down all electronic devices in an area.  Some classes jump through windows while others can knock out an approaching guard. Along with the class-based system, Monaco looks like an old arcade title complete with chunky sprites. There’s a subtle beauty to the different 8-bit areas lighting up as a full squad of friends dash around picking up loot. The controls are simple enough for anyone to pick up and play. Behind those simple graphics lies one of the most fun multiplayer experiences around.

While there’s no release date for the game or platforms for the game just yet, we hope to get our hands on it very soon.