The horror/JRPG genre of video games has a number of recurring plot points that surface over and over again, particularly in titles that take inspiration from the Shin Megami Tensei and Persona franchises. One of those recurring trends is focusing on a group of high school students who have suddenly been plunged into a terrifying situations. Another is characters possessing supernatural powers that appear to be linked to their emotional state and the bonds they've formed. Monark, the upcoming school-based JRPG created by a team of developer who once worked on Shin Megami Tensei, seems to contain both these elements in a new trailer that finally gives fans a release date to look forward to.

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The Adversaries Trailer is dedicated to showing off some of Monark's many antagonists, beginning with Vanitas, a demon that looks like a stuffed rabbit doll. The video also showcases what seems to be park of a highly stylized opening theme before putting a spotlight on the tyrannical student council president Kurama Hitotsubashi, the misanthropic Subaru Ikariya, the grief-stricken Hayate Tsumabuki, and the playfully malicious Akane and Sumire Tono. Apparently, Monark will have branching routes and multiple endings, which may allow players to develop different relationships with these adversaries when the game releases in English on February 22, 2022.

Although Monark's gameplay appears to be divided between school and dungeon-diving like modern Persona games, it was reportedly inspired by Shin Megami Tensei: if..., a Japanese-only game that focused on a high school suddenly transported to the Demon Realm. A few shots of the antagonists clearly using their powers during the school sections may suggest that the line between mundane life and desperate battle for survival may become blurred in this title. The Persona franchise was also originally inspired by Shin Megami Tensei: if..., although it has since developed its own identity--one with slightly less Lovecraftian horror attached, which could leave space open for Monark and its fixation on teenagers losing their minds.

Fans of Shin Megami Tensei and Persona may both find something familiar in the way Monark has been presented as of writing. Persona's school segments can feel like slice-of-life, but Monark's trailers build an atmosphere of palpable unease that never quite let go in or out of battle, much like classic Shin Megami Tensei. However, the contained setting and apparent focus on the powerlessness of youth evoke the coming of age stories found in Persona, though Monark's apparent focus on madness and irrationality could lead it into far darker territory than most Persona games.

Monark releases for PS4, PS5, and Switch on February 22, 2022.

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