‘Monaco: What’s Yours Is Mine’ Review Roundup

Monaco: What’s Yours is Mine was released April 24 for Xbox 360 and PC. Here’s what the critics had to say.

Monaco is a four-player heist game featuring very old-school graphics, and proves the theory that a game doesn’t have to be in high definition to be enjoyable. Back in the Atari days, we didn’t have graphics cards, Blu-Ray drives and motion sensor controls. We had fun. Even Nintendo knew there was something about simpler games that drew an audience. The imagination can be a wonderful thing if you let it play.

Monaco: What’s Yours is Mine follows the story of four archetypes who break out of prison and have to find their way out of Monaco. You can use up to seven characters of various kinds, but you start with four, and each has different skills. Along the way, you collect coins which can unlock a second campaign and various cheats such as extra ammo. It’s a little like Metal Gear, only you’re the bad guy and you’re evading the good guys.

Your vision in the game is restricted to line of sight, adding a subtle challenge of not knowing what’s around the next corner. Also unlike most games, it takes time to unlock doors and recover your health, so you need to make the most of what you have. Among the types of characters to choose from are the Lockpick, who can open doors and safes faster, the Pickpocket, who can collect coins more easily, and the Mole, who can dig through walls. Strategy plays a heavy role in making it through each stage.

Monaco will remind you of such influences as Pac Man, Ocean’s Eleven, Gauntlet, Metal Gear, Clue, and Wizards of Wor, and you’ll have fun the entire way.

The difficulty in Monaco: What’s Yours in Mine is especially punishing in single-player mode, where the type of character you choose regulates your only skill as you navigate laser sensors and evade guards. The replay value comes into play as you try to make your way through the stages with characters who aren’t as easy. You don’t have lives so much as you just have different characters to attempt the stage with.

Monaco: What’s Yours is Mine is fun, but a challenge for even the most seasoned stealth fanatics.

What do you think of Monaco: What’s Yours is Mine?