In terms of presentation, Monster Kingdom provides quite the treat with good-looking visuals and decent audio. Parts of the game occur in painterly two-dimensional dialogue screens that appear hand-drawn; moreover, characters are rendered in a beautiful animated style that does much to bring them to life. Three-dimensional dungeons aren’t nearly as artistically impressive, but they are relatively nice—just don’t expect the same level of detail as other isometric games on PlayStation Portable like Killzone: Liberation. Regular drops in the framerate are the only thing that mars the presentation. At the beginning of every battle, the screen will momentarily freeze as it tries to load battle data. The voice acting is surprisingly solid, even if the dialogue leaves something to be desired. Original compositions may not be as rousing as a Final Fantasy score, but they are largely enjoyable. Perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of the game’s presentation is the how well it handles all of this data without much loading. That alone sets Monster Kingdom apart from most other PlayStation Portable titles.

Despite having all the makings of a good role-playing game, Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner just isn’t all that engaging. The pleasing presentation and interesting monster management elements are enough to keep you playing, but you’ll constantly be annoyed with the dialogue and the plodding pace of battles. Getting past the slow nature of combat is difficult though, considering how large a role it plays in the game. Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner is far from being a bad game; rather, it simply doesn’t come together for a compelling experience.