I feel like there are 3 major things that we need to talk about, before reviewing or recommending Monster Girl Quest Paradox (MGQP).
- The first is the "busy adult", and how much time they have for videogames
- The second is people saying that you can play this, and regard the adult content as optional or an extra.
- The third is the claim that MGQP has better RPG mechanics, than even famous titles or franchises.
MGQP is the kind of game, where I wish I was a kid in summer vacation playing 10 hours a day. By that, I'm trying to convey that the title is very, VERY time consuming. Generally speaking, smug people saying they are busy adults means nothing to me, you make time for videogames because you like them, but this is one of the exceptions to that rule. Expect to play this for dozens or even hundreds of hours, and part 3 hasn't even come out. Know what you are getting into.
MGQP's adult content is locked behind defeats(to an extent, not strictly true) and an "affection meter" with the girls. So it's possible to go through the entire game and just see some monster girl breasts (more like a lot of breasts). So if you want to play this, as a "standard" adult game where 5 mins down the line the virgin heroine is having anal sex like a pro, you got another thing coming. The H does feel optional or an extra, people are right about that. The previous title Monster Girl Quest (MGQ) was really focused on the H-scenes. The mindset changed.
MGQP is a solid recommendation to people who have a lot of time in their hands right now; People who are used to an "old-school" (that's SNES and Genesis to me) mentality in JRPG's; And people who are fine with the adult content not being the main selling point of the title.
Basically, this is a huge time sink, with combat mechanics (character builds) more complex than just about anything you tried before, and there's a multitude of "sexy events" to be unlocked.
I'm going to try and illustrate what kind of a "beast" MGQP is with examples, so that you know exactly what kind of gameplay complexity we are talking about here, and hopefully this clears up any doubts you have on point number 3 of the intro.
1 - There are hundreds of monster girls. All unique in some way and customizable (combat). There are also dozens of human characters. Most characters can be recruited to your party.
2 - All characters have a job, a race, a unique trait, and innate skills.
3 - It's possible to mix skills and abilities from different jobs/races, and these number in the hundreds, with at least ten skills associated with each one.
4 - All races have unique features: Harpies have high evasion, mermaids are good at singing, succubi are naturally seductive, and so on (also equipment restrictions, bonuses, skills, passives and stats).
5 - Jobs also work this way: Nurses provide first aid, prostitutes do whatever your preconceptions allowed for when reading this, being unemployed is a thing, maids serve tea... (also equipment restrictions, bonuses, skills, passives, and stats are different from races).
6 - Due to the adult nature of the game, "strange" attacks, ailments, and resistances join the "standard stuff". You have burns and freezes, along with incontinence and pleasure attacks (they do what you expect). It's not easy at all to figure everything out, and it will take time before you can guess (naturally) the weakness of a particular monster girl (there's a helpful library).
7 - Gear needs to be picked based on all of the above. If you have an "angel race/priest like" character that uses holy damage, then you need high willpower or dexterity, because skills in the game are based on a particular stat. If you pick willpower, angels have basic white magic so it synergizes. If you pick dexterity you can still be a holy caster but it's best to switch jobs, cause priest is not very dexterous. See where I am going with this? And "auto-equipping" only helps so much.
8 - Grinding and being "over leveled" don't save you from learning the game either. At the middling difficulty (hard), characters without health bonuses can get one-shot by inferior enemies. Characters without agility bonuses (speed) will be slower than most weaker enemies.
9 - Not everything revolves around combat efficiency. Some jobs have useful skills that need to be incorporated in your party (drop rates, extra gold, extra experience, higher monster girl recruitment chances...)
10 - There's more, a LOT more. Angels are weak to pleasure attacks', so passives/equipment that reduce said damage, and prevent corresponding ailments are very helpful. That gear from 5 hours ago had a bonus to black magic, and is actually better than what your character has right now. Equipping wands on the aforementioned offensive priest type, can be more effective than a staff with higher stats (because of a proc chance) and more, more, more...
It's crazy! Do take your time learning the game in the initial (optional) temple tutorial section.
You can always play in the easiest difficulty, ignore the monologue, and enjoy the story, but that means we regard videogames in very a different way, and this review is not aimed at you. Buy it and do your thing, the point still stands, MGQP requires a lot from the player. The question is whether you are willing to spend time and brainpower on it. The reward is certainly there in my opinion.
Finally don't expect much in terms of "technicals". Visuals are weak all around, the selling point is ACTUAL monster girls( I have words to some developers regarding this topic, but not here). Their design quality varies wildly (many different artists), but I'm sure you'll have favorites. Having them in your party, and customizing their skills is one of the best things about MGQP.
Sound has no voice acting, and the tracks aren't great or numerous (The "camp track" returns from MGQ, and it's amazing).
Quality of life, convenience, accessibility, and interface are a mixed bag. On one hand you can tweak auto mode battling to deal with enemies quickly (which is a godsend because random encounters will number in the thousands) On the other there's so much information to absorb that you'd need "triple A levels of investment" to make surfing through menus an organic endeavor. Taking notes is still a better option, than all the back and forth.
I try to avoid common places whenever I can in my reviews, but basically:
- MGQP is not a videogame for everyone.
It's still highly recommended if the review left a positive impression on you. Stay clear, if that's not the case.