I need to tell you about Monaco.
I’d had my eye on it for a bit now, because anything that says “4 player coop” immediately raises a flag in my book. It finally came out on Steam on Wednesday, so I gathered up some friends to check it out. My verdict is simple: I think it’s one of the most entertaining coop experiences so far this year. Maybe even last year, too.
Players take the role of one of eight heist movie archetypes. The Locksmith, The Mole, The Cleaner, The Lookout, etc. Across thirty or so stages you’re tasked with various robberies, jailbreaks and narrow escapes, all wrapped up in a gorgeous 8-Bit top-down arcade aesthetic. It plays out like a cross between the Thief series and a game of Pac-Man.
Monaco is entirely line-of-sight based, meaning you can only see what your character can see. You can’t even see what your teammates see. Together you must pick locks, hack security cameras, avoid or silence guards and alarms, collect as many coins as you can and complete your task.
Communication with your teammates is key in this game. If you take your time, and talk with your friends, the game is set up to allow crafty and stealthy gameplay with each character contributing his unique abilities towards the success of the mission.
However, if you play with people like I play with, things quickly devolve into mayhem. Hilarious, delicious, mayhem.
Watch live video from timcad on TwitchTV
Either way, focusing on precision execution or sitting back and enjoying the chaos, the game is incredible. Accompanied by a fantastic score and a ton of replayability, it’s worth checking out alone or with up to four friends. You can even match-make with strangers, because Monaco does have in-game voice chat, and like I said, communication is key.