Gotta Merge ‘Em All!
While Pokémon Sword & Shield were technically financially successful, they still disappointed a number of fans. The disappointment spurred a surge in support for substitutes like Temtem. Of course, most people forgot their displeasure and went back to Pokémon once more details about the upcoming games surfaced. Merge Monster Evolution: Summon & Merge RPG isn’t a complex monster RPG like Temtem, but it doesn’t try to be. Its goal is to be a casual experience. Whether or not it succeeds at that is another story.
Super Awesome Inc. is a Korean developer that seems trustworthy enough. They managed to acquire the license to develop an official Hello Kitty game after all. However, their website is in Korean with no English option. Fortunately, Merge Monster Evolution: Summon & Merge RPG is still in English. One would think that they would put more effort into their website though. Companies looking to expand into other countries typically have language options on their sites for customer accessibility. Super Awesome Inc. just doesn’t seem to care.
All Coming Together
The gameplay in Merge Monster Evolution: Summon & Merge RPG is quite simple. Players summon and mash together monsters to use in battles, which are nothing but boss fights. The objective is to clear the various levels and complete tasks. There’s no plot or dialogue, which makes one wonder if one could even call it an RPG. Eventually, the game gives the player this random human warrior called “the Dragon Warrior.” There’s no reason for why he’s there other than an excuse to add more merging (in his case, merging swords).
For some reason, many developers seem to think that merging stuff makes for good gameplay. There’s even a whole category on the Play Shop for “merge games.” The merging makes sense for games where one must defeat opponents with lower numbers than the player. In those games, there’s a strategic element to the merging, as there’s a specific goal. In Merge Monster Evolution: Summon & Merge RPG, the merging is present just for the sake of following a trend. Of course, without the merging, there wouldn’t be much to do because the game is so passive.
Ads, Ads, Ads
It should be no surprise that Merge Monster Evolution: Summon & Merge RPG has ads. The game has tons of them. While they aren’t mandatory, the game highly encourages them. It gives a fair number of rewards for watching ads. Things like extra gems, summoning crystals and automatic merging. Such things become necessary to cut down on grinding for gems used to buy upgrades that save time merging. It’s just a vicious cycle of suffering. Naturally, the game offers a premium service that gives the perks without the ads and paid packs. Not that it’s even worth it.
Merge Monster Evolution: Summon & Merge RPG is an overly basic game that relies on Skinner box encouragement. The game works as it should, but it’s just so visually unappealing. The monsters aren’t interesting and the game mostly plays itself. Even the whole monster thing is just capitalizing on the desire for Pokémon alternatives. Everything happens on the same screen with even the “dungeons” being just battles in the main area. The slight variations of the main area the game cycles through aren’t enough to keep things interesting. Just play any other monster-based game.
Is It Hardcore?
No.
Merge Monster Evolution: Summon & Merge RPG is yet another merge game. The game’s functional and has lots of content, but it’s ultimately rather dull. There’s no story and monsters aren’t that appealing. Furthermore, the gameplay is quite passive and repetitive. Give this one a pass.
