I’ve always been a sucker for a unique RPG. Surprisingly though, even I can be shocked by the wild titles and concepts developers come up with. Monochrome Mobius: Rights and Wrongs Forgotten celebrates the 20^th anniversary of the Utawarerumono visual novel franchise but stands on its own as a pretty solid Turn-Based RPG.

In Monochrome Mobius you play as Oshtor, a young man living in a quiet village. When he is sent to investigate the destruction of some crops, he meets Shunya, a mysterious girl who seems to know his deceased father. According to Shunya, his father is alive in some land called Arva Shulan. Together they set out on a journey to find the truth, which leads to an exciting adventure.

Right off the bat, I can tell you that after doing some research and spending time with the game, fans of the Utawarerumono franchise will get more from Monochrome Mobius than beginners. However, as someone unfamiliar with the series I found that the story and gameplay stood well on its own. The developers took great care in developing each character and the side quests tend to flesh things out a bit more too.

Granted, the side quests and gameplay are standard RPG fare. Instead of a simple linear turn system though, the game uses a ring-based system. By hitting enemies into a stagger state or using various effects, you can knock enemies to an outer ring which makes their turn take longer. On the flip side, you can move into smaller, inner rings to have more frequent turns.

That bit of strategy is the only really unique aspect of Monochrome Mobius. The rest is all basic JRPG fare, and the gameplay isn’t all that in-depth. The strength lies in the storytelling and you can tell that is where the budget went. The writing is solid, the music is good, and the visual design is excellent as well. This does take an investment of time though.

The story doesn’t move very fast, so you have to be willing to put some time in if you’re going to get the most out of it. I didn’t mind that too much, but I know some folks who would lose their minds or simply bounce off of the game based on how slowly it starts.

In terms of technical elements, Monochrome Mobius plays well on PlayStation 5. The game is visually well done, there isn’t any lag to speak of, and the few loading screens are blazing fast. There are a few missing options in terms of accessibility for text etc, but it isn’t anything egregious.

The controls are relatively simple, though navigating menus is mildly clunky, especially allocating BP, the points you get at each level. Overall, though, if you’ve played a JRPG in the last 10 years the controls are relatively obvious.

As a JRPG I’d say that Monochrome Mobius is a little above average. The story and gameplay are decent, but the story is more of the focus here. Uwatarerumono fans will get more out of it than newcomers, but this might be a decent jumping-off point. I’m relatively curious about checking the series out now. If you’re looking for a decent RPG, check out Monochrome Mobius: Rights and Wrongs Forgotten, even if the name is a bit long.

A PlayStation 5 Review Copy of Monochrome Mobius: Rights and Wrongs Forgotten was provided by NIS America for this review.

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Monochrome Mobius: Rights and Wrongs Forgotten

$59.99 USD

6

Score

6.0/10

Pros

• Solid Turn-Based RPG gameplay
• Interesting storyline
• Smooth gameplay performance
• Simple controls

Cons

• Better for fans of the Uwatarerumono franchise
• Slow burn storyline
• Mechanics are average