Geek Review: Monopoly Madness

There are reasons why classics are held near and dear to the hearts of fans, and for the multiplayer economics-themed board game, Monopoly, its 86-year legacy has seen plenty of variations to keep up with modern times. The latest comes via Ubisoft and Engine Software, with Monopoly Madness taking a crazy new direction for the property trading game, for good and the bad.

For a game that is familiar to most, there is still a narrative setup of sorts, with Mr. Monopoly going on vacation and needing to find a stand-in to take care of business. This is where players enter an altered world with twists on the mechanics that have served the board game well.

The overarching goal of being the wealthiest has not deviated in Monopoly Madness, but instead of cold hard cash, it is all about accumulating as many Property Medals as possible. Up to six players can choose from 20 exclusive characters based on the original tokens, and enter 20 different maps of varying configurations, power-ups, obstacles and more to compete with each other. More importantly, the action unfolds concurrently.

That shift from turn-based dice-rolling to real-time action will take some getting used to, especially as Monopoly Madness introduces some interesting mechanics of its own. There are no turns, every player is free to roam around and do their things, and the battle for properties begins with a fight over resources. 

Money bills are generated randomly across the map or at banks, while electricity and water can be found at Electricity or Water Stations at various locations. All of these resources are vital to your success, and they need to be collected using a trusty vacuum.

As the timer for each game begins, it becomes a mad dash to stake your claim on the first few waves of resources, bumping opponents out of the way or blowing them dizzy with the vacuum. The real fun then begins as properties go up for auction, monopolies become a reality, and random events start messing up the proceedings. 

Rather than handing over money to demonstrate their interest, players will have to be physically near the buildings and blow money to acquire said properties. Each new property equates to one Property Medal, and upgrading properties with both water and electricity will yield even more medals. Establishing a chain of properties to complete a monopoly, just like the board game, is also fundamental to winning.

However, instead of passively watching the competition while planning the next strike, Monopoly Madness holds true to its name and unleashes the chaos in the form of randomly generated power-ups and random events. 

This could mean a bulldozer that can destroy upgraded buildings, stealing properties with the help of extraterrestrial beings, or even barricades to prevent others from interfering with your auction big. 

The 18 different power-ups can lead to all sorts of situations, and all becomes fair game when you are trying to win in the dying seconds, jailing the leading player seems like a proper gamechanger and knowing when to use what power-up is just another facet that needs to be mastered as a smart businessperson.

The 20 random events do their part to add to the madness too, with some blocking your view of the map with airplanes, or a birthday celebration for a specific player that sees cash “donated” from the others. 

Combine all of that together, and Monopoly Madness is clearly made for those that prefer action over sitting by the sidelines, but it also contains a fair bit of strategic depth when it comes to navigating the bedlam. 

These can all be seen in the various game modes, be it the objective-based Story mode, the crowd-pleasing Free-for-All mode, or the co-op focused Teams mode, with the action unfolding in a selection of maps in the four distinct environments of City, Night Life, Beach Town, and Cozy Falls. There is a nice balance to how properties are laid out as well as the available paths of progress or obstruction, placing the onus on players to strategise the best way forward.

Monopoly Madness definitely nails the part of a new direction for the beloved game, but whether or not that is a good thing largely comes down to your taste for a faster pace and the randomness of it all. Auctions and bidding can fly by in a haste, and a carefully put-together empire can fall with coordinated efforts by your opponents to outbid you, steal your properties, or just destroy them with a jackhammer.

Trying to deter your opponents while making moves of your own is going to require plenty of concentration, and not all the maps are great at indicating what is going on, which can be frustrating.

Having online play is good, but for those planning to play with a partner at home, it is strange that the Teams mode require four players with no room for the AI opponents seen in other modes. 

Just like any fun multiplayer game, Monopoly Madness is well placed to take advantage of a group of people getting together to have a great time, albeit with a devilishly competitive streak that will frustrate and annoy at times. Experiencing the highs and lows of the property game is par for the course when it comes to Monopoly, but this time, you can take control into your own hands and see where that chaos leads you. 

Monopoly Madness is available on the PSN Store for $39.90.