Monaco 2 PS5 Review. Stealing its way back to our attention after the hidden curio Monaco: What’s Yours Is Mine came out way back in 2013, Monaco 2 sneaks its way onto modern consoles to remind gamers there was a first, whilst moving forward with new ideas and tweaks to its own formula. Can Monaco 2 bring this franchise back in a way that’ll steal our hearts, or is it destined to be just as forgettable as its predecessor?
Monaco 2 Review (PS5)- A Fortunate Sequel
The thrill of the heist is what fuels Monaco, and this sequel has no shortage of robberies and thievery to keep you hogging all the bling and swag that you can, but when you cross a certain boss who happens to be Monaco’s powerful crime overlord, then you can no longer pinch and filch for your own personal gains, but instead be subjected to the demands of the crime boss who caught you red-handed trying to steal from him. For a frisky foursome, your posse is sharp and adept with precise skills for heisting, but they are little fishes who have now alerted the attention of the great white shark in the principality’s swimming pool, but don’t worry, this great white isn’t swallowing you whole yet.
As a four-thief team-based heist experience, you’ll control a set of diverse thieves with a range of skills in the art of pilfering. Standouts include the hacker Gibson can shut down security systems with his trusty drone, which indeed comes in handy to prevent alarms from sounding off and guards from chasing and flogging you. An elegant and manipulative socialite sporting glittery attire and an adorable doggy-woggy, Cosmo brings her deft distraction abilities into the fray, which aptly includes her adorable Chihuahua Gimlet she can utilize to keep sentries at bay as they suffer from repeated cases of distractible doggy doting.
The skulking stealth skills of the characters are well-implemented into the business of grabbing ill-gotten gains and scrambling away before calamity ensues, though they aren’t particularly outstanding, save for the examples given above. Evading roving guards, ensuring a safe route to the loot, and getting out of dodge before the heat starts to burn is all you truly need to worry about, and each member of your crew possesses a specialty in-line with reducing the hassle and pressure of the jobs you undertake. As such, there’s nothing truly remarkable about these skills and what with Monaco’s niche indie appeal, keeps itself burrowed inside of this realm. This isn’t a bad thing as such, but Monaco 2 deserves to break out as well as it does breaking into establishments to snag spoils.
Stealing Your Time
Teamwork makes the dream work, and such sayings apply directly to Monaco 2. You can dive into Monaco 2 alone and take control of all the characters and their skills, but when you partner up in co-op with friends, you can witness the true Monaco 2 experience, along with the intensity and planning intricacies you don’t get a whiff at if you go solo. It’s a shame the solo play can’t measure up to co-operative play, but at least single-player is still there for those who want to go at it alone.
Monaco 2 provides an accessible gateway into learning ye olde sneak and swipe. Blueprints and points of interest can help you get the lay of the land of larceny, so planning and executing is a synch to maximize heist hijinx. Golden coins are breadcrumb-trailed throughout each mission, and collecting them allows you to gain access to new tools to give you the edge over security both in human and electronic forms, such as smoke bombs which can veil you in a billowing cloud of smoke, giving you time to scuttle away to continue stealing swag. Lockpicks and health items can also be bought with these coins, increasing the chances of allowing you to conduct your heist proceedings without a hitch.
All the tools Monaco 2 hands you are serviceable-if-predictable, and while it’s a pleasing and fun romp, it could use more imagination to let itself loose and become more prominent in the co-op and stealth genres.
Accessibility is fair and generous, dolling out multiple lives to use, and allowing you and your team to recollect precious items dropped if you’ve snuffed it. Another good addition here is the ability to swap out characters at checkpoints, something the original game wouldn’t give your the courtesy of doing. This means you won’t need to reload entire missions, and you can continue playing missions unimpeded with the characters you want, further granting you more control over mission strategies instead of punishing you for picking the wrong character.
A Stealthy Upgrade
One of the most significant changes Monoco 2 has made over its predecessor, is that it’s no longer centered around a 2D birds-eye perspective, but an isometrical camera you can rotate 360 degrees, which is a commendable change because you can now incorporate your stealthy strategies in closer detail by turning the camera and zooming in to survey your environment. This perspective change is a welcome upgrade to the Monaco robbery experience that fits more snugly into the framework of the gameplay.
The camera isn’t the only noteworthy change. Monaco 2 trades in pixels for polygons, enhancing and emboldening the look of the original game, a capable transition falling in line with modern console standards. And yes, you should remember that the first game was available on seventh-generation consoles and later ported to Nintendo Switch. Amplified visual details and character models and expressions give new life to a twelve year-old franchise, and the overhauled artistic identity of Monaco 2 is an impressionable indication that change and evolution is a high priority for the hypothetical future of the series.
The music keeps the ambience blooming from the first game, with lovely jazz arrangements and an aura resembling the high-stakes robberies taking place inside the glitz and glam of Monaco. The voice acting and cast is very European, with dialogue representing the numerous unique flavours of various countries, especially the French. All the unique voices mesh well with the heist settings and the short, snappy and satisfyingly moreish gameplay sessions that define Monaco 2.
By retaining the qualities of the old and bringing in new flourishes, Monaco 2 will please the virtual money-stealer within you. Co-operative play has been enriched with more strategic nuances than ever before, the levels brim with a classy glamour that’s hard to resist, and the fun-yet-short play sessions make each mission digestible without getting overbearing or tedious. There is a pervading sense not much has changed here besides the alluring graphical overhaul, and single-player doesn’t do Monaco 2 justice, but as a co-op game it glimmers like a crystal inside a display case ready for snatching up. If you have some pals go and raid Monaco of all its glitter, just don’t expect to break the bank.
Monaco 2 is out now on PS5, Xbox Series S/X and Microsoft Windows.