The epic crossover between Shaolin martial arts and a frantic beat’em up gameplay in 9 Monkeys of Shaolin has been one of my most satisfying gaming experiences in 2020. You play as Wei Chung, a fisherman-turned-disciple of the Shaolin Temple in your journey for vengeance. You use these skills to fight off against murderers and take revenge for the loss of your friends and family. Set in medieval China, you get to experience over 25 well-designed stages, with breathtaking environments. Let’s talk about this unique beat’em up in detail!
Wei Chung
The game begins amidst a pirate raid in a peaceful village, and you – Wei Chung have taken up the responsibility of defending the village with a trusty staff. He fights his way through the bandits and pirates only to find his grandfather murdered in cold blood. Your blood rushes in rage, and you decide to avenge your friends and family. However, Wei ends up out skilled by a Samurai, and she leaves you to bleed out. But destiny had other plans as Wei was rescued by a group of monks who heals and helps him get back in shape.
After hearing his painful story, the monks decide to take Wei under their wing but only after he proves himself. The group of monks faces different problems and challenges in their quest to find out the true reason for the invasion. You, as Wei Chung, learn and master the Art of Shaolin Kung Fu with Ground and Southern Elements in your quest for vengeance and put an end to this massacre.
The True Master of Shaolin
9 Monkeys of Shaolin features an amazing combat system, which offers different styles of combat on the go. You primarily learn to use 3 different types of attacks, which include – Slash, Thrust, and Kick. Slash is the most basic form of attack and will be the most used for combos. You can use Thrust to charge and use your weapon at a specific enemy for a greater amount of damage, which may also stun and break their attack charge. However, kicks are the most interesting move in the game, since you can initiate a flying kick attack with a 3-kick combo from a huge distance.
With attacks, come defense which is very straightforward in this game. You can parry most of the attacks and projectiles, except heavy attacks. While projectiles will be sent back to the enemy during a parry, enemies who normally attack you will be stunned briefly which will be your queue to initiate your attack.
You can also dodge or quickstep as much as you want to dodge a heavy attack or to reposition yourself. As you progress through the game you will also unlock the Aerobatic Stance and Magic Stance which will require Qi (pronounced chi). Using Aerobatic Stance, you can perform different forms of attacks including a tornado attack which is good for crowd control. A charged attack, which will smash your staff to the enemy’s head dealing heavy damage. And finally, an uppercut which throws the enemies airborne, making him vulnerable to more combos. Lastly, the Magic Stance will allow you to use Ground Spells which includes – Harmony, which will make enemies slower. The other two ground spells are used to bring enemies closer and lift them in the air, which again provides a good opportunity for attacks.
A Long Journey
Your quest will take you to various levels (Almost 25 Different Levels). These levels vary from dense jungles, villages, a prison, and more. The visuals at first felt pretty standard stuff to me until I started noticing the details and variation in every level. The characters are low poly but very detailed when it comes to their armor, weapons, and stance. Every attack animation is well designed and the environment design throws you straight into actual Medieval China. There might be some annoying elements to the game, but you cannot let down how beautiful 9 Monkeys of Shaolin looks.
In my humble opinion, this game is one of the best beat’em ups I’ve come across since River City Ransom. The enemies utilize the environment well, which adds more depth to the level design as well, creating a more engaging experience for the players. One final thing to mention about the game is that it supports co-op. You can have a friend tag along in this journey either online or local. The experience remains the same in both cases, while the only difference is the number of enemies. While I played a couple of levels in co-op, I had more fun completing the game solo, and hence you don’t need to worry if you’re playing alone.
Real Talk
9 Monkeys of Shaolin has an engaging storyline, a fun-to-use combat system, a smooth co-op experience, and an amazing set of levels. Not just the visuals, but the music of the game will also be stuck in your head long after you complete the game. This game is an easy recommend to any players who have played beat’em ups before and have a craving for it. Even if you are not a die-hard fan, this is a good place to start.
