The horror/JRPG genre of video games has a number of recurring plot points that surface over and over again, particularly in titles that take inspiration from theShin Megami TenseiandPersonafranchises. One of those recurring trends is focusing on a group of high school students who have suddenly been plunged into a terrifying situations. Another is characters possessing supernatural powers that appear to be linked to their emotional state and the bonds they’ve formed.Monark, the upcoming school-based JRPG created by a team of developer who once worked onShin Megami Tensei, seems to contain both these elements in a new trailer that finally gives fans a release date to look forward to.
Monarkclearly takes inspiration from bothShin Megami TenseiandPersona, but it also adds its own spin in promotional materials. While Monark’s youthful characters and their flashier transformations clearly have their roots in other franchises, the game’s fixation on skeletons and spreading madness may give it a unique flavor.
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The Adversaries Trailer is dedicated to showing off some ofMonark’s many antagonists, beginning with Vanitas, a demon that looks like a stuffed rabbit doll. The video also showcases what seems to be park of a highly stylized opening theme before putting a spotlight on the tyrannical student council president Kurama Hitotsubashi, the misanthropic Subaru Ikariya, the grief-stricken Hayate Tsumabuki, and the playfully malicious Akane and Sumire Tono. Apparently,Monarkwill havebranching routes and multiple endings, which may allow players to develop different relationships with these adversaries when the game releases in English on July 07, 2025.
AlthoughMonark’s gameplay appears to be dividedbetween school and dungeon-diving like modernPersonagames, it was reportedly inspired byShin Megami Tensei: if…, a Japanese-only game that focused on a high school suddenly transported to the Demon Realm. A few shots of the antagonists clearly using their powers during the school sections may suggest that the line between mundane life and desperate battle for survival may become blurred in this title. ThePersonafranchise was also originally inspired byShin Megami Tensei: if…, although it has since developed its own identity–one with slightly less Lovecraftian horror attached, which could leave space open forMonarkand its fixation on teenagers losing their minds.
Fans ofShin Megami TenseiandPersonamay both find something familiar in the wayMonarkhas been presented as of writing.Persona’s school segments can feel like slice-of-life, butMonark’s trailers build an atmosphere of palpable unease that never quite let go in or out of battle, much like classicShin Megami Tensei. However, the contained setting and apparent focus on the powerlessness of youth evoke the coming of age stories found inPersona, thoughMonark’s apparent focus on madness and irrationality could lead it into far darker territory than mostPersonagames.
Monarkreleases for PS4, PS5, and Switch on Jul 19, 2025.
