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Monster Crew, from BonusXP, is a fun endless platformer that uses one-touch combat. Your goal is to play as Frankie the monster, smashing everything in site to get points that will be used for bonus cards that will upgrade your character.
I think the first thing you’ll notice about this great little platformer is its graphics. Monster Crew has some impressive graphics, and both the characters and the backgrounds look really great.
I was honestly surprised by the quality of the visuals in this game – it just looks fantastic. As it turns out, the graphics weren’t the only surprise – the gameplay is a lot of fun too.
This is an endless platformer, so Frankie runs forward continually. You tap on the screen to jump, which allows you to avoid obstacles and pick up coins. If you tap longer, you will jump higher, which is used for overcoming walls. If you tap to jump and then tap again while jumping you’ll do a stomp, breaking blocks or squashing monsters.
Every so often Frankie will come to an elevator, which signals the next level. At these elevators, you can use cards that you have collected to gain new abilities. Cards may add health or allow you to gather up more coins temporarily, but each one is useful and makes the gameplay dynamic from level to level.
This game is hard, with monsters shooting through floors and aiming to kill. There’s a lot to jump over, and if you miss and hit an enemy, or get shot, it’s game over. You can start again from the beginning or purchase tokens in the app to continue.
Since this is a freemium game, that is how the app monetizes, which is a bit disappointing. This is a great game, and I would have rather shelled out the cash up front than be suckered into paying for extra lives.
I like the gameplay in Monster Crew, and I do recommend checking it out, just be aware that while it’s free to play, you’re expected to pay money to progress.
All in all, this is a game with a lot of content. You’ll find 17 different plot elements, 25 bonus cards, and 36 different upgrades. There are also Game Center achievements to earn and leaderboards to top.
What I liked: Monster Crew has lifelike graphics and fun but challenging gameplay.
What I didn’t like: I thought that Frankie’s jumping was a bit off. He jumps too high with too much lift, almost as if the game takes place on a castle in the moon. This made it hard to predict his movement at times, and I spent a lot of the game wishing the mechanics were more accurate. I also experienced some crashing.
To buy or not to buy: This is a great game that’s been spoiled by in-app purchases. It’s free, though, so it’s worth checking out – you might just like it enough to shell out extra cash.
App Name: Monster Crew
Version Reviewed: 1.0.2
Category: Games
Developer: BonusXP
Price: Free
Score: 
