Meg’s Monster review - “A charming and imaginative RPG”

• Engaging combat with a distinct heart mechanic
• A sweet and humorous narrative
• Unlock side events for more content

Meg’s Monster, the darkly adorable RPG from Odencat, has made its mobile debut. Golan thinks he’s found his next snack when he and his friend Roy find Meg, a young human girl lost in the underworld.

However, Meg’s cries threaten the very existence of the underworld. When she whimpers, the sky turns red and the ground shakes. Not sure what else to do, Roy takes it upon himself to protect the young girl as he attempts to reunite her with her mother.

Meg's Monster Features a Heartwarming Narrative

The narrative blends heartwarming moments, dark undertones, and delicious wit into a cohesive tale of unlikely friendship. You’ll get a chuckle out of the quirky residents of the underworld.

You’ll encounter the inept monster council, a guard who is perhaps too loyal to them, and a creepy child-eating monster as you explore. And of course, Roy has his quirks, like only eating Magic Tar, which is apparently so unappetizing that no other monsters will touch it.

The controls are incredibly simple and easy to pick up. Tap the screen to move Roy or an individual to get Roy to interact with them. Tap the screen during a conversation to move the dialogue along.

This is also how you interact with objects like the toys you and Meg will play with as you build a deeper bond. In combat, you simply tap the action you want to take and select your target. The simple, intuitive controls make it easy to dive right in.

Combat in Meg's Monster is All About Heart

Combat is simple and engaging with a distinct mechanic. As Roy, you have a large health bar. Meg can only handle Roy getting hurt so much before she breaks into world-ending wails. To keep the apocalypse at bay, you’ll need to prevent Meg’s heart from reaching zero.

Luckily, you’ll find toys throughout the underworld that you can use during battle to play with Meg and restore her heart. It's a novel concept: playing as a near-indestructible monster who’s reliant on a young girl’s bravery to survive. Of course, as you go on to battle tougher foes, you’ll need to keep an eye on Roy’s health. Luckily, Roy always has some Magic Tar handy, which heals him.

Besides using toys, Roy has several punch attacks he can use to take enemies down. His basic attack can be used anytime, while his stronger punch attacks take two to three rounds to charge up.

Sometimes an enemy will hint that they’re about to use a strong attack. This is when a guard comes in handy. You can only take one action per turn, so while it may be tempting to just pummel your foes, it’s important to keep Meg’s spirits up.

Meg's Monster Features Fun Side Events to Unlock

Aside from the main storyline, there are some side events to unlock. Each side event can be unlocked by watching an ad. Alternatively, you can purchase the Complete Pack for $7.49 to unlock all side content and remove ads from the game. The ads are pretty short, so I didn’t find needing to watch them to unlock events to be too inconvenient. 

The side events carry the same dark humor as the RPG's main narrative. For instance, a robot will task you with getting ingredients for a hamburger to please his human friend, who has long been trapped in the underworld. While the end result may not be fit for human consumption, the burger does end up making someone’s day.

Meg’s Monster is an utterly adorable journey focusing on the bond between a girl and her monster. The charming graphics, simple yet engaging combat, and compelling narrative make for an overwhelmingly positive experience. An undeniably heartfelt and humorous RPG, Meg’s Monster is a beautiful little adventure you’re sure to love just as much as Roy loves his Magic Tar.