Game: MonCon
Genre: Casual, Indie, RPG
System: Steam (Windows)
Developer | Publisher: Megalithic Mainframe
Controller Support:
Price: US $21.24 | UK £17.84 | EU € 20,82
Release Date: July 11th 2024
A code was used with many thanks to Megalithic Mainframe.
Plunge headlong into MonCon, a surreal convention teeming with social monsters, where your conversation skills must be sharpened to survive.
Joey Meet Social Anxiety, Social Anxiety Meet Joey
Welcome to MonCon, a game in which you play as Joey, who loves video games and comics and is heading to the MonCon convention held on Montondon island to get his Run Boy game box signed by the creator. There is just one problem – Joey suffers from social anxiety, and even daily interactions leave him recoiling into himself.
I can relate. I can so relate. I’ve had social anxiety for over 25 years. It’s tiring when daily interactions can leave you feeling anxious and worn out. I felt like I found a kindred spirit in Joey – the social anxiety and love of video games and all.
Getting to the MonCon Convention
Even getting to the MonCon convention is daunting for Joey. From the crowded train to the now crowded train station, the anxiety just exudes from the screen. Remembering when I went to a board game convention back in May and how anxious and awkward I felt was a reminder of how Joey must be feeling, too.
I’ve played a lot of video games in my 37 years but never has a video game character resonated with me more.
As Joey makes his way through the MonCon convention, he accidentally runs into other attendees. Some of these encounters make him feel uncomfortable, causing him to retreat into himself. In his mind, these people transform into monsters that scare him. To overcome his fear, Joey must improve his communication skills and engage in conversations with them. This is done through a Guitar Hero-like mechanic where he must effectively navigate conversations.
This is where my criticism lies: the button pressing and the registration on the screen just didn’t seem to pair up, and there were quite a few times when my button presses didn’t register at all. I’m hoping that this can be addressed in the next update.
Once defeated, the monsters transform into their real-life personas, showing Joey that they are just regular people and not scary after all.
As you encounter more characters, the silhouettes of the attendees become less and less, as you see less of them being scary the more social encounters you have.
Questing and Shopping
Would a convention be a convention without stalls and the like? Spoiler: It would not! Here, you can spend in-game currency on merch that you can wear around the convention and look your uttermost coolest.
In-game currency can be acquired by completing quests, selling items and, er…rifling through bins. You can also find little amounts of cash on the floor at random spots around the convention.
There are also quests to be had! Whilst walking around the convention, you’ll meet people who need help with something – a mother whose child has wandered off, a store that has “lost” $1000, and you’ll be tasked with completing these quests. Sometimes, you’ll get rewarded with money; other times, you’ll get rewarded with food or merchandise. Food is helpful as it helps you to regain conversation points. There are also benches that you can rest on, which will prompt the game to ask if you would like to save and then recoup some conversation points.
Conclusion
MonCon is a unique game in the RPG genre and one which I think a lot of other social anxiety sufferers will be able to identify with. Joey is a loveable character, and the “friends” he makes along the way after realising that they aren’t monsters are all unique. I love the gameplay and the illustration style. The only letdown for me is the rhythm dynamic of defeating monsters. A great mechanic in theory, but let down by the timing issue. I hope this can be addressed in future updates, as this was the only negative for me. MonCon can be purchased on Steam here.
Final Verdict: I Like it a Lot. 
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