By far, Monica's Gang is Brazil's most successful comic-book series. Its first publication came in 1959 as a series of newspaper comic strips in Folha da Manhã (now Folha de São Paulo), starring the characters Blu and Franklin. Monica and Jimmy Five appeared the following year and became the main characters.
Beginning in 1970, the strips became standalone comic books, and today nearly 2,000 issues have been published, delighting several generations of children—and, why not, adults as well.
Its great success has naturally produced animated series, several animated and live-action films, a discography, and, of course, video games. With that in mind, we decided to explore the games of Monica's Gang.
Mônica no Castelo do Dragão (Master System - 1991)
Starting the list, Mônica no Castelo do Dragão is a game released by Tectoy in 1991 for Master System, beginning a kind of "tradition" in which the graphics and text of Wonder Boy games were modified to adapt them to Monica's Gang.
In this adapted version, the story concerns Captain Fray and his army wanting to conquer the world and make it dirty, so Monica must stop him by setting out on an adventure. However, a wizard uses his crystal ball to reveal to Monica that this will be an extremely dangerous mission and that if she fails, she will be transformed into a pollution monster.
The gameplay is primarily 2D platforming, with Monica using her stuffed rabbit Samson to attack enemies, but there are RPG elements in which the player must buy equipment, shields, armor, spells, and more health points to become more resistant to enemies. To help promote the title, Mauricio de Sousa Produções released a comic-book issue that loosely adapts the game's story.
Turma da Mônica em O Resgate
(Master System - 1993)
Seeking to repeat the first game's success, Tectoy released Turma da Mônica em: O Resgate in 1993, adapting the game Wonder Boy III. A direct sequel to Castelo do Dragão, it has Monica kidnapped by the villain and her friends setting out to rescue her.
At this point, it differs from the previous game by featuring iconic characters such as Jimmy Five, Chuck Billy, Blu, Maggy, and Angel, each with their own particular characteristics and abilities.
In addition to being more varied than the previous game, it shows a visible graphical improvement in the adapted sprites, and the difficulty level is more accessible than before, although it still offers a measure of challenge.
Turma da Mônica na Terra dos Monstros (Mega Drive - 1994)
The only game released for Mega Drive, Turma da Mônica na Terra dos Monstros is an adaptation of Wonder Boy V. Using the formula of the two previous games, it differs through more sophisticated visuals and sounds because it came to a newer console. Originally released in 1994, Tectoy rereleased the title in 2017 to coincide with the Mega Drive's rerelease.
In this game, the story says Monica went to visit her friends in Fantasyland, but when she arrived, she discovered that the land had been invaded by an army of monsters. An old woman says that Princess Maggy was kidnapped, Smudge became lost, and Jimmy Five hid in Happy Village. To keep the protagonist out of danger, the old woman gives her an elixir and grants her fire magic.
Curiously, the title is known for its high difficulty level, which contrasts with its "cute" visuals. Despite a relatively simple beginning, the final stretch is considered extremely tough, and few players reach the final boss. It was the last game in which Tectoy was officially involved.
Turma do Chico Bento (Facebook e Orkut - 2012)
This was a social game made by Level Up in September 2012, at a time when games in the genre such as FarmVille were popular. It is a title in which Chuck Billy moves to Watermelon Village and must care for the family farm while constantly interacting with the series' other characters.
The game is no longer available. Its updates ended in July 2013, and the game officially closed in December of the same year. At the time, Level Up told the press that it was generating substantial losses because the game was popular with the public but was free, and its users did not feel engaged enough to make microtransactions.
Turma do Chico Bento was available for Facebook and the now-defunct Orkut.
Mônica e a Guarda dos Coelhos (PC, PS4 e XOne - 2018)
The most recent of all, Mônica e a Guarda dos Coelhos was released in November 2018 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One and was developed by the independent creators at Mad Mimic. A variation of No Heroes Here, the game is a "tower defense" title in which up to four players must cooperate to defend the castle where they are located.
Basically, you must prevent enemies from invading the property, and to do so you will have several types of cannonballs aimed outside. Depending on the pedestal on which the cannonball is loaded, the shot has different effects, ranging from killing the enemies outside to paralyzing them, requiring strategic thinking from the players.
There are four worlds across three difficulty levels, in addition to several unlockable characters from the series as missions are completed.
