Deep team-building and synergies
Mentioned in ~1 in 3 positive reviews
“it probably has the best gameplay of any creature collection game period.”
Steam review · 49.1 h played ↗
Monster Sanctuary
Worth buying? What 300 Steam reviews say.Worth buying? Here’s what 300 Steam reviews actually say.
Very Positive · 91%Very Positive · 91%moi rai games2020Metroidvania · Turn-Based Tactics · Turn-Based Combat
$19.99
Open on Steam ↗US Steam price, checked 1 h ago · Lowest we’ve seen since Oct 22, 2026: $7.49
The verdict
A deep monster-collecting RPG with 3v3 team-building and light Metroidvania exploration. Skip it if you dislike long battles, grinding, and late-game difficulty spikes.
Great for
Players who love theorycrafting team synergies and skill trees, and want Pokemon with more strategic depth
Main risk
Long, grindy battles and a brutal late-game difficulty spike that demands specific counter teams
What players love
Unique skill tree for every monster
Mentioned in ~1 in 6 positive reviews
“Every single monster type has its own unique skill tree, which means every single time you catch a new one you're encouraged to briefly theorycraft a build for it”
Steam review · 33.6 h played ↗
Charming pixel art and music
Mentioned in ~1 in 6 positive reviews
“this game has no business having the absolutely banger soundtrack that it has.”
Steam review · 77.5 h played ↗
Monsters double as Metroidvania keys
Mentioned in ~1 in 8 positive reviews
“Every monster has different skills for bypassing map obstacles, so you're very incetivized to get and try everything just to explore the world.”
Steam review · 38.7 h played ↗
Great replayability and post-game
Mentioned in ~1 in 10 positive reviews
“there's a ton of post-game content, as well as NG+ modes with a bunch of different, optional modifiers to challenge and entertain.”
Steam review · 46.5 h played ↗
Most monsters stay viable and balanced
Mentioned in ~1 in 12 positive reviews
“Genuinely every single monster in this game is viable with the right combination and setup.”
Steam review · 42.7 h played ↗
What players complain about
Brutal late-game difficulty spikes
Mentioned in ~1 in 3 negative reviews
“you get to the final section and you have to build completely new teams for every encounter designed specifically to counter the enemies monsters”
Steam review · 27.7 h played ↗
Grindy with level scaling
Mentioned in ~1 in 4 negative reviews
“the biggest is that the game is a massive grindfest.”
Steam review · 44.9 h played ↗
Battles are slow and tedious
Mentioned in ~1 in 5 negative reviews
“still ending up in 20-30 minute fights where the enemy just spams buffs and heals so the combat feels like an absolute slog”
Steam review · 5.3 h played ↗
Weak platforming and annoying puzzles
Mentioned in ~1 in 10 negative reviews
“hitting a switch that opens a door offscreen on a 5 second timer, then rushing to it and having it close in my face”
Steam review · 26.4 h played ↗
Star rating system for drops frustrates
Mentioned in ~1 in 11 negative reviews
“The scoring system isn't very fun, and the way it is tied to getting specific eggs makes it more egregious.”
Steam review · 2.5 h played ↗
Overwhelming, homework-like complexity
Mentioned in ~1 in 19 negative reviews
“I wanted to play a game, not study for a degree in mechanics.”
Steam review · 5.6 h played ↗
System requirements
From the Steam store page
Steam Deck: VerifiedController support1 GB
Minimum
OSWindows 7
ProcessorDual-Core, 2.0 GHz
Memory2 GB RAM
GraphicsGeForce 8800 GT 512 MB, Radeon HD 4870 512 MB
Storage1 GB available space
Recommended
OSWindows 10 64-bit
ProcessorDual-Core, 3.0 GHz
Memory4 GB RAM
GraphicsGeForce GTS 450 or Equivilant
Storage2 GB available space
OSWindows 7
ProcessorDual-Core, 2.0 GHz
Memory2 GB RAM
GraphicsGeForce 8800 GT 512 MB, Radeon HD 4870 512 MB
Storage1 GB available space
More games to check
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Mostly Positive · 74%
+ Fast, satisfying combat
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analyzed 3 d ago
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Very Positive · 93%
+ True spiritual successor to Symphony of the Night
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Very Positive · 87%
+ Gorgeous dieselpunk art and world
− Clunky, unresponsive combat
analyzed 4 d ago
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Very Positive · 84%
+ Gorgeous hand-drawn art and music
− One-hit-death, trial-and-error bosses
analyzed 4 d ago
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