Monkey Spell PS1 is a video game developed by Idol FX and published by 3DO for the PlayStation 1 console. It was first released in 1999 and is part of the Monkey Hero series. The game follows the adventures of Monkey Hero as he navigates through various levels, battling enemies and solving puzzles. The main idea behind Monkey Spell PS1 is the use of magical spells to aid Monkey Hero in his quest. These spells can be acquired by collecting scroll pages throughout the game. Each spell has a different effect, ranging from offensive attacks to healing abilities.
Kongo begins his journey with only his Kung-Fu to defend hiself, but soon he meets Master Subodeye, who teaches him the four elemental powers: Shrink, Grow, Fire, and Ice. Kongo learns to cast these spells on himself and on others for various effects. These magical powers form the basis for Monkey Magic's many puzzles.
Bullfrog demonstrate once again that they were at the top of their game on PS1 with Populous The Beginning, a god game meets real time strategy that offers a tonne of unique and enjoyable gameplay as you lead a Shaman and her followers to galactic supremacy. Part of the reason for this success is the world-building that takes place this is an ancient tribal universe where wildmen roam free, technology doesn t exist but magic does and belief in bigger deities governs everything.
Each spell has a different effect, ranging from offensive attacks to healing abilities. The player must strategize and choose the right spells to overcome obstacles and defeat enemies. The gameplay in Monkey Spell PS1 revolves around exploration and combat.
(PS1) Populous: The Beginning review
Bullfrog offer an experimental new direction for their storied franchise that works stunningly well, although this PS1 port has a few issues that hold it back.
NA only (incompatible in EU)World-building & Story
In Populous: The Beginning, you take the role of a Shaman who guides her loyal followers through a bloody war across the solar system. By travelling from planet to planet fighting against rival tribes (led by their own Shamans) and stealing abilities and spells, your Shaman ultimately attempts to become a God herself.
Each new planet you reach will have a different enemy – the Chumara, Dakini and Matak tribes – and a different objective for victory. Some will require you to worship a statute to receive a divine blessing from the gods, but more often it will simply be to eradicate all opposing foes to pillage your way to victory. Populous makes no qualms about the fact that this is a title about violent conflict between rival tribes but this works surprisingly well for it – despite the fact that actual plot and story development is fairly sparse here.
Part of the reason for this success is the world-building that takes place – this is an ancient tribal universe where wildmen roam free, technology doesn’t exist but magic does and belief in bigger deities governs everything. It’s not a setting seen often in videogames but is embraced brilliantly here – from the chants of your warriors, the incantations when casting spells and the desolate, feral landscape it truly feels like a different galaxy which does wonders for immersion when playing.
It’s just a shame there’s not more actual story here – something more of a thread than ‘eradicate anyone who stands in your way’.
Presentation & Sound
A title unfortunately too ambitious for the PS1 hardware, Populous has big dreams but stumbles with a number of performance issues.
For the most part, the game looks pretty good. Things like followers, wild men and your troops look pixelated but thanks to their unique designs are easy to tell apart (preachers wave their hymn books around as they chant while fire warriors have obvious cannons attached to their arms). Shamans all look great too – with a coloured aura around their enormous tribal masks, while the settlements are filled with buildings ranging from tiny huts to massive training academies.
It’s the environmental details that begin to cause problems – every area is filled with plain-textured land and water that you can deform using spells your Shaman will learn. Some of these are spectacular – calling down a massive firestorm or tornado from the sky, but this will usually cause a few dropped frames. It gets worse when you cast things like a landmass spell that creates new land in water – the game chugs struggling to render this. If you have a large army of followers at the same time, Populous can turn into a slideshow, which is unfortunate in the later levels. There’s also some horrendous load times, which all feed into the feel of a completely unoptimized game.
Sound wise, the title channels its tribal influences throughout – so when your followers dance around a campfire, they chant war cries that make the whole thing so much more immersive. It’s the soundtrack that’s the real achievement though – a selection of soothing ambient melodies that somehow prove to be stunningly beautiful to listen to.
Gameplay & Content
By mixing god game with real team strategy, Populous: The Beginning provides an outstanding gameplay experience unlike anything else I’ve really played.
The game is structured into a series of 25 levels, each with a specific objective but usually involving eradicating the enemy forces. You start off in control of the Shaman and a handful of followers and need to build up your settlement, defending from enemy attacks until you can go on the offensive. You do this by placing blueprints on the ground that your followers will then slowly construct, chopping down nearby trees for materials and transporting them to the building site. Thankfully, your Shaman has access to a number of spells which makes her a great one-woman-army early on while you’re still setting up.
Buildings consist of huts, which you can place braves in who will produce mana for the spells your Shaman uses, as well as breeding new braves for you to use elsewhere. You can also construct training facilities which will allow your braves to specialist in certain combat abilities – warriors are strong melee attackers, preachers can convert enemy troops, fire warriors can attack from afar and spies can sabotage enemy camps. Finally, there’s transport facilities like ports and landing pads that can be used to create ships and hot air balloons – mixing all these buildings into your settlements is essential.
Most of these buildings and spells aren’t available from the start of the game and instead have to be earned in each level by worshipping at various structures. Vaults of knowledge can only be entered by a Shaman and grand permanent access to new abilities, while stone heads can be worshipped by your followers to grant single-use spells such as powerful volcanic eruptions or poisonous swampland. Then there’s totems, that can be worshipped to change the map somehow – creating a path to the enemy settlement or eroding a mountain range.
Gameplay therefore usually involves carefully managing all of these elements – creating enough huts to have a good supply of braves while creating warriors to defend you, then sending out search parties to worship at the next pillar. It’s incredibly tough at times – made worse by some levels that have timed objectives such as worshipping a specific totem within 15 minutes – but is so rewarding to figure out. There’s a satisfaction to creating a thriving settlement and then crushing your foes that isn’t really offered among many other titles on Vita.
Actual combat is probably the weakest element – although your Shaman is easy to control as she can be selected with triangle and casts spells with square, ordering your troops around is more tricky. You gather then using divine light from the sky, but this is fidgety to use on a dpad and meant that you’ll often just end up not gathering them all up and leaving them to their own devices. This doesn’t work well either as AI is questionable and can end up running back to the settlement for seemingly no reason, or getting completely stuck and dying because they can’t carry out a command.
On Vita there’s other problems with the controls – I bound the build commands to the rear touch pad which seemed the least cumbersome way to do it, but this often meant scrolling past what I wanted to do (this is definitely a title that uses both sets of shoulder buttons to full effect). It can also be difficult selecting individual troops at times meaning the PS1 version just isn’t the optimal way to play – which is a shame, because it’s a pretty one-of-a-kind game on consoles.
Despite all my grievances against it, Populous: The Beginning is a wholly unique title that feels great on Vita since it’s unlike anything else on handhelds – and if you can get past its quirks, there’s an incredibly enjoyable title underneath.
Bullfrog demonstrate once again that they were at the top of their game on PS1 with Populous: The Beginning, a god game meets real time strategy that offers a tonne of unique and enjoyable gameplay as you lead a Shaman and her followers to galactic supremacy. This PS1 port may have control and performance issues but don’t let that put you off what is otherwise a tremendous experience.
Each new planet you reach will have a different enemy – the Chumara, Dakini and Matak tribes – and a different objective for victory. Some will require you to worship a statute to receive a divine blessing from the gods, but more often it will simply be to eradicate all opposing foes to pillage your way to victory. Populous makes no qualms about the fact that this is a title about violent conflict between rival tribes but this works surprisingly well for it – despite the fact that actual plot and story development is fairly sparse here.
The player controls Monkey Hero as he jumps, climbs, and fights his way through the levels. The game features a variety of environments, including forests, caves, and temples, each with its own unique challenges and enemies. One of the standout features of Monkey Spell PS1 is its vibrant and colorful graphics. The game has a cartoon-like art style, with detailed character designs and lush backgrounds. The visuals help create an immersive and whimsical world for players to explore. In addition to its visuals, Monkey Spell PS1 also features a memorable soundtrack. The game's music is a mix of upbeat tunes and atmospheric melodies, adding to the overall charm of the experience. Overall, Monkey Spell PS1 is a fun and entertaining game that combines platforming and action-adventure elements. The use of magical spells adds an extra layer of strategy to the gameplay, making it engaging for players of all skill levels. With its visuals and soundtrack, the game creates a captivating and immersive world for players to enjoy..
Reviews for "Monkey Spell PS1 and the Healing Arts: Using Magic for Mental and Physical Well-being"
1. Sarah - 1/5
I was really disappointed with Monkey Spell for the PS1. The graphics were extremely dated and the gameplay was repetitive and boring. The levels were poorly designed, making it difficult to navigate and progress through the game. The controls were also clunky and unresponsive, making it frustrating to try and perform even simple tasks. Overall, I would not recommend Monkey Spell to anyone looking for an enjoyable gaming experience.
2. John - 2/5
Monkey Spell for the PS1 was just an average game at best. The story was unoriginal and lacked depth, and the gameplay felt uninspired. The puzzles were too simplistic and didn't offer much of a challenge, which made the game feel dull and repetitive. Additionally, the character development was lacking, and I didn't feel any connection to the main protagonist. Overall, Monkey Spell fell short of my expectations and failed to deliver an engaging and exciting gaming experience.
3. Emily - 2/5
I found Monkey Spell for the PS1 to be quite underwhelming. The graphics and sound design were subpar, and the overall presentation felt dated for a game released in that era. The controls were difficult to master, and the camera angles were frustratingly awkward. The gameplay itself lacked innovation and failed to hold my interest for an extended period of time. I would suggest looking for other platformer games with more engaging gameplay and better graphics if you're looking for an enjoyable gaming experience.
4. David - 1/5
Monkey Spell for the PS1 was a complete letdown for me. The game had a promising concept, but it was poorly executed. The levels were monotonous, and the game quickly became repetitive and boring. The controls were clunky and unresponsive, making it frustrating to try and progress through the game. The graphics were lackluster, even for a PS1 game. I regret purchasing Monkey Spell and would not recommend it to anyone.
5. Samantha - 1/5
I was highly disappointed with Monkey Spell for the PS1. The gameplay was incredibly glitchy, with frequent crashes and freezes. The controls were difficult to manage, leading to many frustrating moments while trying to navigate through the game. The levels lacked creativity and felt repetitive, diminishing any enjoyment I could have had. Additionally, the story was uninteresting, failing to captivate my attention. Overall, Monkey Spell was a complete waste of time and money.