The hook that set me on Monster Lab can be paraphrased as, "Do you remember your chemistry sets when you were little? Don't you remember combining stuff, but nothing good ever happened, because nothing in there could possibly blow up? Monster Lab tries to revive that chemistry set, and let you experiment with things that COULD blow up!" Obviously, this caught my attention. I enjoy the blowing up of things, largely when I am responsible for it, but this isn't really necessary, as destructive fun is — generally speaking — a hoot. But what, specifically, could a very cool-looking (if oddly cute) cartoon game with junior mad scientists have to offer in that field? More than you'd expect, really, with a host of other features to create an appealing game for kids and adults, alike.
The basic premise is that you are a new recruit of the mad scientist's union, and you have much to prove! Like all mad scientists, you will have a monster (or monsters) of your own creation to do your works, and exercise your will in the world. This monster will be a creation that reflects your skill in the areas of Alchemy, Mechanics, and Biology, and will improve through your experiments in mad science, where you tinker with spare parts discovered and won. Each branch of science has an appropriately themed master to teach you, and each monster part is ALSO themed in the above genres, leading to a specific interplay between parts, monsters, and the experiments that influence their abilities. You see, mechanical monsters and parts will tend to beat up on biological ones, which in turn beat up on alchemical monsters and parts, and which (rightfully and predictably!) beat up on mechanical critters to complete the circle. With 156 parts available, there are TONS of possible monster creations, and you can synergize your parts for maximum effect within one branch of mad science, or you can diversify for greatest flexibility; there are benefits and drawbacks to both approaches, and the player is free to follow either path.
But wait — what's all this about battling? Monster Lab takes part in three real arenas of action, which are: fights between monsters, experiments in your mad science laboratories, and errands about town - which seem to involve minigames. Very cool minigames, from what I can see! Regardless, here's a generic spin around town....
First, a crisis strikes and a town's mayor may call for help from the mad scientists. You're put on the job, and you send in your avatar of mad science (your monster!) to take care of business. He fights a battle against a malicious monster or two (in turn-based combat, much like a monster professional wrestling match ... with fewer rules!), gathers up some spare parts, heals himself up in the local mad science chop-shop (minigame!) and eventually cleans house for you. He returns to the castle with his bounty, and you take to the lab to create him some new goodies. The great part is that you can have multiple tasks going at once, and the little rewards you get from them flow in a constant tide of approval, increasing your skills and your rank within the halls of mad science. As you grow, you collect badges of achievement that reflect your skill as a mad scientist, as well as newer, more powerful, and cooler monster to do your bidding. In essence, there are trophies to be found all about, and with online capabilities expected, you'll be able to show off all coolness to anyone you care to play with.
Since I keep mentioning experimentation, let me describe a typical experiment. You, as the scientist, decide to combine some spare parts and see what comes out. It turns out you can probably guess what SORT of thing will be called forth, but since you never know, you combine some random parts to see what happens. You play a minigame that asks you to weld the parts together, and you do so. Depending on your skill in the minigame, you get a good or a bad result, and the monster equipment that results from your welding adventure is now available to use on your monster stable. Hooray for mad science!
As you push through the adventure, you'll make your way through many towns that serve as action hubs. You'll gain skill, reflected in the quality of monster parts, and you'll increase in rank among the mad scientists, allowing you to attempt newer and more fantastic experiments in your lab. You'll constantly be rewarded for doing things, and your trophy case will swell with goodness. Eventually, you'll discover the lost branch of mad science, and do battle with its master, and all of this work will be tracked online so you can share, compare, and compete with your friends. If that's not wholesome fun, I don't know what is. Now, if you'll excuse me — I have to dig out my chemistry set and try to make something blow up!
I'm a volleyball playing nomad who's been blowing up aliens, scoring touchdowns/goals, dogfighting, slaying dragons, mowing down hordes of enemy tanks, headshotting, and saving damsels in distress since my dad brought home the very first Atari system. My game-tastes are very diverse, as I enjoy street racers, sports games (especially "hyper" sports games like, say, NFL Street), shooters, RPGs, a good MMO here and there, and pretty much anything else that doesn't involve a Pokemon!
