Lord Monarch

Infobox VG
title = Lord Monarch


caption =
developer = Nihon Falcom
publisher =
designer =
engine =
released = vgrelease|JP=1991
genre = Strategy
modes = Single-player and multiplayer (up to four players)
ratings = vgratings|CERO=n/a (not rated)
platforms = Super Famicom, Sega Mega Drive, NEC PC-9801, Windows
media = 6-megabit Cartridge
requirements =
input = controller(s) or keyboard(s)

nihongo|"Lord Monarch"|ロードモナーク is a strategy war game by Nihon Falcom. It is the seventh installment in the "Dragon Slayer" series. It was originally released in 1991 for the NEC PC-9801, ported 1992 to the Super Famicom and 1994 to the Sega Mega Drive. 1997 it was remade for Windows as "Lord Monarch Online" and released for free.

Super Famicom Version

The Super Famicom version is similar to the Sega Mega Drive version, except there are more themes in addition to the medieval Europe theme. There is a futuristic theme with robots, a fast food theme with French fries and soft drinks attacking health food, a Three Kingdoms era theme, and a fairy-tale theme. The game is automatically paused until someone press the "Start" button, so there is unlimited time for making alliances in the Super Famicom version—until the start button is pressed. This mode gives the player the advantage unlike the Sega Mega Drive version because he can take his time and find an ally that is strategically proper for him.

The Super Famicom version of "Lord Monarch" was one of the few games to support the Super Famicom mouse.

Sega Mega Drive Version

The object is to destroy all the camps and peasants of all the player's rival kingdoms. The player can play in either campaign (which consists of helping a king eradicate a rebel force) or battle mode (where the player has to take on three rival kingdoms simultaneously while expanding his nation).

Alliances can be formed but only at the beginning of each game. This simplistic diplomacy system can never be used in a match after 5 minutes in the game, making it useful only for delaying war with a neighboring kingdom. However, the alliance is only effective until the enemy alliance is defeated. Then the former allies declare war on each other. Victory through a cunning alliance is impossible because game rules dictate that there can only be "one" winner at the end of the game. That is why the two former allies need to go to war in order to claim the victory.

Human units as well as orcs and demons are used for peasants, soldiers, and knights. Also, a leader can be either a warrior, a magician, or a shaman. Throughout the game, peasants have to do engineering tasks as well as military tasks. For example, bridges, monster-filled caves, and fences can be created or destroyed for the purposes of strategy. With each successful victory, peasants become soldiers and eventually knights. The player even has a leader avatar that must liberate hanged men from the gallows to be his assistant, collect treasure chests from the countryside in order to gain a mass influx of gold, and to force nearby cities to pay taxes.

This turns the city's banners into the player's colors and at a random time, a taxman appears and goes to the player's castle to give him gold pieces to help with the war effort. Taxes must be controlled or else the coffers will go bankrupt and the player loses the game. Even the three computer controlled opponents must control their tax rate. There is a medieval environment to the game in all levels of the game.

Speed Options

* 1 arrow - slow
* 2 arrows - normal
* 3 arrows - fast
* 4 arrows - very fast

External links

* [http://miyabi18.hp.infoseek.co.jp/date/snes2.txt Japanese to English Translations of Super Famicom Games]
* [http://www.falcom.com/monarch/index_e.html Official website]
*" [http://www.mobygames.com/game/lord-monarch Lord Monarch] " at MobyGames