Journey of Monarch takes you on a cel-shaded RPG across a fantasy world, out now

• Journey of Monarch is a brand new open-world MMORPG out now
• Available on iOS and Android, it sees you trek the medieval fantasy world of Arden
• Customise your monarch and meet, befriend and battle alongside a cast of colourful characters

If you’ve been keeping an eye on the site over the past few weeks, you may have noticed one name frequently popping up. NCsoft’s Journey of Monarch accrued over four million pre-registrations, and looks set to be a major release… Wait, did I say looks set to be? I meant it’s out right now on iOS and Android!

Journey of Monarch sees you taking on the role of, well, a monarch. This infinitely customisable character is accompanied on their journey across the fantasy-medieval world of Arden by an equally colourful cast of characters. You can find it now on the iOS App Store and Google Play, and leap into the journey for yourself.

Boasting wide open combat, and being built in Unreal Engine 5, Journey of Monarch looks to be a treat not just for the fun of the gameplay, but also in the visuals themselves. Of course, how well the battles hold up could make or break Journey of Monarch, no matter how beautiful it may look.

Nothing to do with butterflies it seems

Speaking personally, what really impressed me seeing the previews of Journey of Monarch is not necessarily the gameplay (I think we all know what to expect) but the actual visuals. The mix of medievalesque 2D art, cel-shaded models and use of perspective makes it seem as if you’re traversing a miniature TTRPG map with your character.

However, as I said whether it stands out gameplay-wise is another question entirely, and while it does look quite high I can’t help but think of other releases like Dragonheir, and wonder if it’ll do enough differently to stand out from the crowd.

And if you’re looking to try out more top RPGs on mobile, we’re the best place to start! Have a look at our newly updated lists of the top RPGs for iPhone and Android!