A Toaplan turn-based strategy with monsters as units, in the Master of Monsters style. Original, deep, worth discovering for genre fans.
Your verdict
Category
Strategy1 player7+
Description
The player commands monster and creature armies in this System Soft fantasy strategy game for Mega Drive. Published by System Soft, released in the United States in January 1991. Turn-based strategy with monsters to recruit and command, tactical battles and territory conquest.
Master of Monsters review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
3/5
Music
★★★★★
"Memorable"
3/5
Story
★★★★★
"Solid"
The hexagonal map is treated with deliberate sobriety, each terrain identifiable by its texture, plain, forest, mountain, marsh. The summoned creatures, drawn like bestiary vignettes, are clearly told apart, and the successive evolutions of a single unit read at first glance.
Gameplay
"Solid"
Fun
"Mild"
Addictiveness
"Captivating"
Difficulty
"Balanced"
Lifespan
"Massive"
Commanding armies of monsters and summoning creatures unfolds a turn-based strategy where controlling the terrain and powering up your units decide everything. The demanding maps reward patient planning and experimentation. That tactical depth, in a fantasy setting, earns the title a longevity appreciated by genre fans.
Technical info
💾0,29 MB📅11/01/1991
Published by Renovation
Master of Monsters (Mega Drive) price, value & rarity
A System Soft turn-based strategy brought to the Genesis by Renovation in 1991, Master of Monsters tasks players with commanding creature armies across hex maps. Fantasy wargaming stayed niche on 16-bit, and its US run under a smaller publisher was limited. Steady demand from console strategy fans and the scarcity of complete copies put CIB value at roughly triple the loose cart.
Is Master of Monsters still worth playing in 2026?
A turn based strategy from System Soft, Master of Monsters has you command armies of fantastic creatures that you summon, evolve and deploy on gridded maps. The class system, mana management and tactical clashes offer a remarkable depth, close to a fantasy chessboard. The production stays plain and the pace measured. For a fan of retro tactical RPGs or someone curious about fantasy wargames on 16 bit, the title keeps a real strategic richness and a real replayability.
