This generation has seen loads of creative ideas and the combining of various genres to create experiences that are simply different. Of course, there are plenty of those creative ideas that have come crashing to the ground once they’ve seen the light of day, as well as those that have limped out of the starting gate at best. Thankfully, in my mind Twilight Monk is an example of a title that has simply charted its own path in a number of areas, and while the results may not be perfect they still make for an experience with a few surprises.

Combining longer exploration-based stages that have the feel of old-school action-adventures, and shorter, more intense random encounters that will be triggered in an RPG-like overworld, the game has a tendency to keep you on your toes. In particular, early encounters tend to go pretty badly as you try to get accustomed to a pretty wide number of enemy types that you’ll need to be prepared to fight in a variety of ways. Thankfully, your trusty and versatile primary weapon of choice, the Phantom Pillar, can be surprisingly effective. Capable of smashing through foes when thrown on a chain, as well as acting as a raised platform to jump from to reach higher spots, it’s hard not to enjoy making use of it. Backed up by a growing number of secondary weapons which can also be capable, but will cost you mana, with a little time and leveling up you will start to feel more formidable.

Well, until you hit some challenges that will slap you back down, typically in the form of boss battles or when you’ve pushed your luck a little too far without saving. Most of the time save points are reasonably accessible, but given the random encounters in the overworld there are times when you hit an unlucky bounce or three, and end up getting knocked down, possibly losing quite a bit of progress. Thankfully there are some things you can buy in the shop to try to minimize your risks of this more, but especially early on it can be aggravating, for sure.

Still, if you’ve got a warrior’s spirit or are at least determined not to let the game get the best of you there’s quite a lot to like here. There’s no doubt that it looks fantastic, generally performs fluidly, and simply has a style all its own… and that should count for something. Perhaps if you’re more challenge-averse, the lack of any means of toning it down will be an issue, but otherwise it’s absolutely worth a look.