As children, many of us grew up playing games. No, I am not talking about video games, I am referring to these novel things called tabletop, card, and board games. When outside games like Tag, Kick the Can, I Spy, and Redrover were not able to be played due to weather conditions, there was something else that could occupy the time. On those such days, card games like Solitaire, Go Fish, and War, or board games like Clue, Life, Chess, Risk, and most notably Monopoly could pass the time. Nowadays, many turn to video games to pass the time, but those games live on. Just one example of this is Ubisoft’s Monopoly Madness.
Before the dark days of the pandemic, people would often get together to play games with one another. Outside of Dungeons & Dragons, Monopoly is often one of the most well-known tabletop games. This is partially due to the McDonald’s Monopoly giveaways, but outside of nostalgia, many have been brought to the series through pop culture or video games. So why are tabletop games enjoyable on video game consoles? Easy, they are easy to play party games where most players already know the rules. Unlike previous renditions of monopoly on consoles, Monopoly Madness makes its own rules and throws things into chaos.
So what is different about Monopoly Madness compared to standard Monopoly? Let’s find out!
Gameplay
When players boot up Monopoly Madness, they are asked to sign in to their Ubisoft Connect account. If you do not have a Ubisoft Connect account, if online, you are asked if you want to create one. This prompt does not go away until backing out multiple times; if offline, the player is able to close the prompt and play the game. Once in the menu, players are asked if they want to participate in the tutorial. If you have not already played this game, it is highly recommended.
The game’s tutorial seems pretty simple. Rather than going around a board, players are able to free-roam around the city. You will need to collect resources and money from the ground or its corresponding utilities in order to purchase and upgrade properties; however, it wouldn’t be a video game without something being thrown into the mix.
Holding the most property does not guarantee your success. Sometimes winning an auction or buying a property outright is the wrong move. Unlike standard Monopoly, properties go up for auction for players to bid on. If a property is not bid on in a certain amount of time, the property can be purchased outright. Be aware, just because you purchased the property doesn’t mean it’s safe. Other players can steal property by using community chest powerups.
Players can pick up random community chests by sucking them in. Each map has its own set of community chest power-ups. Sadly, outside of the tutorial power-ups, the other power-ups are not explained. Typically, the player must discover what the community chest pick-ups do. The game does offer the occasional helpful tip when loading into a map but oftentimes, they do not directly relate to the map.
Game Modes
Players can choose between local play or online play. In online play, players can only choose to play either Free-for-All or Teams; however, in local play, players can team up to complete Story Mode or battle it out in Free-for-All or Teams. In any of the game modes, taking on the AI is no easy task. As players progress through Story Mode, they will have to complete one of four sections: City, Nightlife, Beach, or Cozy Fall. The maps and challenges range anywhere from Easy to Hard. If you do not work together in Story Mode, these challenges can be difficult and time-consuming. On a few occasions, we failed a challenge due to time expiring. On other occasions, we failed because the instructions were not clear.
Each map challenge has its own game time, difficulty level, and gameplay modifications. These modifications can range from a tide that comes in to slow everyone down, buying the most expensive property, and even having a helicopter that likes to send players to jail. Yes, it does make each map challenge unique, but it can make it overly chaotic and frustrating. Multiple times, we felt more exhausted completing a map challenge than we would from playing an actual game of Monopoly. Monopoly Madness gives players a variety of challenges but some can be next to impossible if playing solo.
Bonus Objectives and Customization.
Monopoly Madness gives players the opportunity to play as twenty different characters. Most of these characters can be unlocked outside of the Rabbid; the Rabbid can only be unlocked by connecting to a Ubisoft Connect account. In order to unlock the characters and special outfits, players will need to complete challenges. These challenges can range anywhere from stealing 20 properties, collecting enough money, and even sending another player to jail. In order to unlock all the characters and gear, players will need to grind levels and aim for certain things.
Thankfully, when playing in Classic, players can choose to use assist or not. If the player chooses to toggle the assist on option; they will receive additional money, have a bigger inventory, and move faster. If players want custom rules on a map, they can create a custom game. In the custom game, the player is able to adjust the match length, starting money, bonus medals, event timer, and community chests.
Monopoly Madness can be played either online with others or by using multiple joycons/controllers on the same switch.
Gameplay Takeaways
When I first heard of Monopoly Madness, I was interested in the idea of Monopoly with a twist. As someone who loves Monopoly, I was hoping it would scratch a certain itch. Sadly, even after hours of playing it, the itch is still not relieved. Overall, the core gameplay of the game is solid. Once you understand the game’s mechanics, you should be able to beat the Easy and Normal difficulty AI; hard on the other hand can still be a daunting task.
What we do not appreciate is the fact that there is such limited explanation. While playing, we would have to figure out things on our own and we still were not always correct. For a game that is targeted at all ages, it is not all-ages appropriate. There is nowhere players can go to look up what each thing does, they are stuck figuring it out for themselves and choosing whether or not to share it with others.
As a party game, Monopoly Madness could be fun for teenagers/adults who have experienced the game already but for newcomers and small children, it is way too complex. The AI can be abusive and decide to bully a single player, even if they are not winning. If you are looking for a traditional Monopoly experience it is better to go with one of the other Monopoly games.
Don’t even get us started on the aggravating character selection.
Graphics
Overall, Monopoly Madness‘s graphics are polished. Only on two occasions did we notice any visual issues; both of these issues game when using some of the community chest power-ups. Some of the game’s effects can cause issues for those with photosensitivity and even those who are not. After two or three matches, we often felt tired and had a slight sensitivity to light. For someone who does not typically have these issues, it was rather frustrating and sometimes nauseating. While playing on each map, there can be too much going on. On the bigger maps, it is often easy to lose sight of something. So sticking to one section and defending it can be your friend.
Our biggest gripe with graphics came in the character selection screen. Depending on which player selected the game mode or map, they would become player 1; it did not matter if all four players were signed in. This meant each players’ character would be a different color. This made each map more difficult because you could very easily lose your character. Yes, each player could customize their character however they wanted. Sometimes that was not enough, especially if someone chose your previous character and put on a similar outfit.
Music/SFX
The Narrator’s voice (Mr. Monopoly) always sounds like he was reading lines one after another. Voice lines were rather repetitive on each level which will make you want to turn down the game’s volume entirely. Thankfully, all the sound effects for community chest have their own sound and you can tell what is being used. The game has fourteen languages for players to choose from. Players can adjust the master volume or individually adjust the music, SFX, and voices. The game does feature subtitles that can be turned on and off.
Controls
If you are expecting easy-to-use controls, think again. Try not to blow your lead while trying to suck in the goodies. On numerous occasions, we attempt to suck in the resources only to realize we were blowing them away. As previously discussed, figuring out what player color you are can be complicated due to controllers not being fully assigned despite accounts being logged in. Once you master the controls, Monopoly Madness is relatively easy to play unless facing the hard bots.
Replay Value
Monopoly Madness can be a fun party game for those who have played the game, but it has a strict learning curve. New players thrown into the game without the tutorial will have a lot of questions. With a variety of characters and cosmetics to unlock, perfectionists will get hours out of the game. For casual players, the game is fun for a few rounds but exhausting as a whole. The game is fun to pick up and play for a short amount of time, but not something you marathon through like Pokemon Legends: Arceus or Dying Light.
Verdict
Overall Monopoly Madness can be a fun game when playing with friends; however, playing the game solo can be an infuriating task based on how the AI plays. Rather than feeling fair and balanced, it seems like the AI has a vendetta against humans. Is Ubisoft secretly programming the upcoming terminators? Mr. Monooly’s voice lines will make you want to stop playing the game. The game would be better off without him or with more dialog lines.
As a whole, the game is fun but not meant for all ages. Even those that love Monopoly will grow tired of this game after two hours. The game is fine to play for a short amount of time but it is a good idea to take breaks.
A review key was provided for Monopoly Madness on the Nintendo Switch
