Monster Strike (モンスターストライク, Monsutā Sutoraiku), often abbreviated to MS (モンスト, Monsuto), is a free mobile game for Android and iOS developed by XFLAG. On July 10, 2022, a collaboration with the anime JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean was announced. The collaboration began on July 15, 2022 and ended on August 2, 2022.
On October 12, 2023, XFLAG announced their second collaboration with JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, particularly Stardust Crusaders. The event will begin on October 15, 2023 and ends on November 2, 2023.
Monster Strike was originally released in Japan on August 8, 2013. It is a physics game with gacha monster-collecting role-playing and strategy elements. By October 2018, it had surpassed Puzzle & Dragons as the highest grossing mobile app of all time, having then grossed US$7.2 billion worldwide. A North American version of the game was released in October 2014, but by August 2017 service was closed.
In Monster Strike, players collect monsters through various means to create teams to take on dungeons called Quests (クエスト, Kuesuto) with three of their own monsters and a fourth from another player; online and local multiplayer is also available with up to 4 players. In the quests are enemy monsters scattered across the field. Players then slingshot their own monsters into them to inflict damage. Player monsters come in two types that reflect how they interact with enemy monsters: Bounce (反射, Hansha) and Pierce (貫通, Kantsū). Each monster also has an Element (属性, Zokusei): Fire, Water, Wood, Light, and Dark. The main statistics in Monster Strike are HP, Attack (ATK), and Speed (SPD), the last of which determines how far the monster will travel across the board; there is also a Luck (運, Rakku) mechanic that improves the rates of enemy monsters being obtained from Quests and activates some passives on certain monsters.
Monsters possess Abilities (アビリティ, Abiriti) that are passive that determine how the monster reacts to various stage hazards or other monsters on the board such as having an immunity to enemy Gravity shields or Warps or are a "Slayer" of a certain enemy Class (種族, Shuzoku), generally the design motif of the monster. Some monsters also possess Gauge Shots (ゲージショット, Gēji Shotto) that if successfully activated increase their ATK and SPD as well as activate Gauge Abilities. When hitting ally monsters on the field, it activates their Bump Combo(s) (友情コンボ, Yūjō Konbo), which can have multiple effects such as inflicting damage with homing missiles or laser beams or increasing the active monster's speed. After a certain number of turns have passed for any monster they are able to activate their Strike Shot (ストライクショット, Sutoraiku Shotto), their special move that initiates a zoom in, a voiced soundbyte, and additional effects as the monster travels across the board.
Monsters are either obtained from Quests (run by spending the player's Stamina (スタミナ, Sutamina)) or from the Hatcher (ガチャ, Gacha) by spending Orbs (オーブ, Ōbu). Monsters can also be enhanced through Evolution (進化, Shinka) and Ascension (神化, Kamika); Evolution only requires items gathered throughout the game known as Stoans (獣石, Jūseki), Sharls (獣玉, Jūgyoku), and Divine Sharls (獣神玉, Shinjūgyoku) while Ascension requires the collection of other monsters from Quests. An Evolved or Ascended monster can also undergo Transcension (獣神化, Jūshinka) through the use of Dragon Gems (獣神竜, Jūshinryū); Transcended monsters are often a combination of the Evolved and Ascended's best features and have a second tier of their Strike Shot that is stronger. Certain Transcended monsters can also undergo Transcension: Kai (獣神化・改, Jūshinka - Kai) to further boost their stats, increase their level cap from 99 to 120, and gain a Connect Skill (コネクトスキル, Konekuto Sukiru), an additional ability that only activates if certain criteria are met for the team. Both Transcension and Transcension: Kai units can be further upgraded through True Transcension (真獣神化, Shin Jūshinka) through the use of the True Transcend Orbs (真獣神玉, Shin Jūshingyoku) and possess Shot Skills (ショットスキル, Shotto Sukiru) which activate during the unit's turn and Assist Skills (アシストスキル, Ashisuto Sukiru) which apply to other units in the team on their turns.
All monsters can have their stats improved through the use of Ableberries (わくわくの実, Wakuwaku no Mi) which apply any number of passive abilities and stat buffs throughout the stage; monsters at the Transcension form and up can be given two Ableberries.
In addition to monsters based on mythological figures, historical figures, locations, and in some cases abstract concepts, the game also features crossover content with famous franchises, including Final Fantasy and Star Wars. Some of their anime collaborations in 2022 included Spy x Family, Detective Conan, and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.
Franchise
Monster Strike has also spawned its own multimedia franchise of other video games and media:
Monster Strike Stadium, a companion app that links up to the main app for players to transfer monsters over to participate in time-attack challenges. This application is used in the Monster Strike esports competitions the Monst Grand Prix.
Monster Strike MULTI BURST, an arcade game published with assistance from Konami. Up to four players could participate in a 2-on-2 tag team battle against each other and earn Skill Cards to use in the game. It could also connect to the mobile app to transfer over limited edition characters over. Online support ended on July 20, 2017.
Monster Strike: The Animation, an original web anime series released on YouTube in which Monster Strike the mobile game connects to a parallel world where the various characters from the game live. Initial character designs were by Tatsuro Iwamoto, known for his art design on the Ace Attorney franchise. The third season is an anthology series of stories featuring the monsters Lucifer (otherwise known as Lucy), Pandora, Arthur, Solomon, and Noah, and their interactions with a group of ten fallen angel monsters seeking to destroy the Monster Strike universe. It is accompanied by four feature length anime films released in theaters as well as several original net anime films released on the XFLAG Anime YouTube channel which later had tie-ins with the mobile game.
Monster Strike for the Nintendo 3DS, an action RPG incorporating the characters and plot of the anime's first season.
Monster Strike Card Game, a collectible card game featuring characters from the mobile game originally released on March 2, 2018.
Monst Dream Company, a spin-off mobile game released on September 6, 2019. It featured characters from Monster Strike and combined elements of business simulation, dice, and resource management games. Service of the game ended on May 29, 2020.
Monster Strike Ghost Scramble, a spin-off mobile game originally released on July 19, 2022. It is a multiplayer co-op game where players take the roles of a squad of ghost hunters, with three actively fighting ghosts on the field and a fourth operates a drone to support the other players. It incorporates characters from the original mobile app as both weapons the player wields in the same fashion as the monsters in the original game and as boss characters.
Stone Ocean Collaboration
On July 10, 2022, XFLAG announced a collaboration between the anime JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean and their mobile game Monster Strike that began on July 15, 2022, for a limited time.[1] By purchasing the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean collaboration starter pack, players could get an exclusive unit featuring both Jolyne and Jotaro. This unit was limited to one per person and was also only available from July 15, 2022, to August 2, 2022.[2] The collaboration also featured five limited quest events against minor villains from the anime. These include Lang Rangler, Thunder McQueen, Gwess, Johngalli A., and Miraschon.
On July 14, 2022, it was announced that the character Enrico Pucci and the guardian beast Stone Free would be obtainable in the game from July 17, 2022 to August 2, 2022 by completing quests in-game. It was also announced that the collaboration would introduce a "Dollar" currency system could be earned from completing quests during the collaboration period. Players would then be able to use these Dollars on "G.D. St. Prison Missions" and redeem unique items from the "G.D. Store" until August 4, 2022. Completing these missions rewarded the player with a unit featuring Jolyne, Ermes and F.F., as well as unlocking various stickers including Emporio, Gwess, Pi-chan, Charlotte, and Pucci. Once all missions were completed, the player was rewarded with the "Jolyne’s Butterfly" medal.[3]
On July 21, 2022, XFLAG made a second update to their collaboration, announcing a new unit featuring Emporio, Weather and Anasui that would be available from July 22, 2022, to August 2, 2022. The unit would be obtainable by spending 5 Dollars to make a phone call with your "mother" at G.D. st. Prison. Once a phone call was made, the player would've had to wait 24 hours before they were allowed to make another. Alternatively, players could spend an additional 10 Dollars to reduce the wait time. The update also introduced a system where players could earn "Ora Ora Points" as a log-in bonus, or by clearing the "Ora Ora Rush" collaboration quest. Players could then choose to spend their points on either Jotaro or Jolyne to get different rewards.[4] On July 29, 2022, the option to call the Speedwagon Foundation was added to the phone booth, which unlocked a hidden "Operation Savage Garden" boss quest against Pucci. Beating the quest rewarded the player with the "Savage Garden" medal.[5]
Stardust Crusaders Collaboration
On October 12, 2023, XFLAG announced that the collaboration with JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: The Animation would return for a limited time starting on October 15, 2023; this time focusing more on characters featured in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders.[6] By purchasing the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: The Animation collaboration starter pack, players could get an exclusive unit featuring Iggy and The Fool. This unit was also limited to one per person and was available from October 15, 2023 to November 2, 2023.[7] The collaboration also featured five limited quest events against minor villains from the anime. These include Telence T. D'Arby, Pet Shop, Oingo & Boingo, Anubis, and Mariah.
It was also announced that the guardian beast Star Platinum would be obtainable from October 15th, and that Vanilla Ice would be obtainable in the game from October 17th by completing quests in-game. Alongside the new units from Part 3, the Hatcher for Stone Ocean was also revived, with Jolyne, Jotaro, and Weather Report receiving new Transcension: Kai forms featuring new art. All of the "Jotaro" units in the Stone Ocean Hatcher also their names retroactively changed to include Stone Ocean in the title. There was also a minigame where players can raise Iggy's favorability by giving him coffee gum. Depending on the favorability level and the number of times he’s been given coffee gum, players could recieve rewards. Coffee gum could be given to Iggy up to two times per day with players receiving random items as rewards, including a unique unit featuring Jotaro and Iggy.
On October 19, 2023, it was announced that DIO would be added to the game on October 20th by completing the DIO's Mansion quest. It was also announced that Hol Horse would be added to the game, who could be bought using "JoJo Coins", which could only be earned by beating his quest and capturing Boingo with multiple players. Similar to the previous collaboration, players would also then be able to spend these coins at the shop to redeem unique items and stickers until November 5, 2023. On October 26, 2023, it was later announced that players would be able to evolve DIO into High DIO by completing the DIO's World quest. However, this quest could only be attempted during the night.
