Monaco 2 Review (static)
I'm a huge fan of Pocketwatch Games and enjoyed years of rowdy heists with the original Monaco. I've been looking forward to the sequel for quite some time, and it finally released today! Here are my initial thoughts on Monaco 2 after completing the first mission and poking around in the game for a bit.
Monaco 2 feels like a delightfully natural evolution from the first game. First of all, it's gorgeous, lush and visually engaging. The intricate 2D maps of the OG Monaco have given way to expansive, 3D multi-level locations. It uses the same color palette as the original game and it just FEELS like Monaco through and through.
Plenty of classic heist tropes and challenges have been incorporated in well-considered ways. The thieves are all smugly competent at their tasks, and the guards are still utter buffoons who think they're much smarter than they actually are. Locks, alarms, laser tripwires and who-knows what else are scattered through the maps, and defeating them feels as satisfying as ever. The sound is entertaining; rummaging around with locks, rustling through air ducts and grabbing loot sounds appropriately cartoonish, and it seems right at home when paired with the classic, adaptive Monaco score that accompanies you everywhere.
The gameplay is very well crafted; the maps feel large and complex enough to pose a real challenge while still offering plenty of potential approaches and strategies. Stealth is always viable, as is confusing the guards and using their behavior against them. And in classic Monaco fashion, chaos is always an option, whether as an intentional choice or as a result of your plan going off the rails. There's an excellent 3D map that can be used at any time, and the game helpfully offers up a group planning session at the beginning of every job.
These days I mostly play on Steam Deck, and have had a couple good years of couch coop hangs with the OG Monaco; it's great on a large TV with friends! Today, I docked my Deck to my TV to test Monaco 2 and it looks wonderful & works perfectly on the big screen. Controllers function flawlessly right out of the gate. I'm already looking forward to inviting my heist comrades over and tackling some of these missions with a crew.
The dev team deserves some serious recognition for Monaco 2; it feels fresh enough to avoid seeming like a retread of the first game, but it still hits all the classic visual, audible and gameplay notes that made the OG Monaco an instant classic when it came out years ago. It's all just dripping with style, wit and humor.
If you're into heist films like The Italian Job, co-op with friends (on the couch or online) and sticking it to those fat cats who hoard all the best treasures for themselves, this is the game for you. Give it a shot, you won't be disappointed.