Pokémon’s 25 Year Influence on Indies
With the 25th Anniversary celebration of Pokémon in full swing, it’s no surprise that these pocket-sized creatures have been permeating themselves in pop culture for decades. The once bright-eyed kids enjoying the days of Pokémon Red and Blue are now awesome adults that can use their love of the series towards creating something new. Whether it’s remixed a math lesson to involve some cute creatures, an artist mashing up Peruvian art styles with Pokémon, or game designers putting their own spin on the Pokémon-experience - it’s always amazing to see what people can come up with. Check out five indie games that we found that just ooze Pokémon.
Temtem
After what feels like millennia a bonafide 3D-world Pokémon-inspired MMORPG has emerged from the Sacred Ash. Temtem lovingly calls itself a massively multiplayer creature-collection adventure where ‘tamers’ can battle, train, trade, and explore the Airborne Archipelago with their creature squad. Tamers need to also defeat Clan Belsoto, an annoying, yet destructive group that’s hell bent on ruling the Archipelago….all while you’re challenging the eight Doko Leaders to become the top Temtem tamer. (Sounds super familiar right?)
If that elevator pitch doesn’t convince you, then maybe the over 100 Temtem creatures, breeding capabilities, intricate stats, or housing customizations can allure you. All of this oozes Pokémon lore and love. The Archipelago mirrors the Orange Island days in the anime, the housing customizations are analogous to the secret bases from Pokémon Ruby/ Sapphire, and Clan Belsoto just screams bad-groups-that-aren’t-bad-but-rather-exist-to-advance-the-plot. Even as I’m writing this, I’m excited to explore the Early Access game on my PlayStation 5. If any of this intrigues you, take the chance and enjoy the experience!
Coromon
The upcoming game, Coromon, Screeches inspiration from Pokémon. The game, set to release in June 2021 on mobile and Steam, challenges players to stop an evil organization with the assistance of their custom team of curious creatures called Coromon. The art style is reminiscent of Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire with some modern details to bring it into today’s gaming sphere. However, Coromon elevates the gameplay with a few more Soothe Bells and whistles. With a difficulty mode, character customization, and multiple save slots, this game can offer a fresh experience for Pokémon fans looking for a Rapid Spin story to explore.
Cassette Beasts
Cassette Beasts offers an open world RPG where you’re thrown into a strange island with mysterious creatures, and you need to find your way home. By collecting monster forms, you’re able to transform into them and fuse with other creatures to form more powerful ones. Not only this, but there’s a social-link aspect, where your character can form deep bonds with other human companions to increase your skills in turn-based battles. The visuals of the game remind me of Pokémon Diamond/Pearl and the music absolutely matches the vibe of the aesthetics and cassette theme. The mashing of different RPG’s like Digimon, Persona, and Pokémon, crammed into this game just excudes Harry-vibes and I can’t wait to delve into more news once it’s shared by the small, yet wonderful, Bytten Studio.
Nexomon: Extinction
Boasting over 380 creatures, Nexomon: Extinction boasts a “a return to classic monster catching games” that is shamelessly aware that it’s inspired by Pokémon. Players will need to collect creatures, battle other trainers, and explore the world that’s on the brink of extinction. Dynamic difficulty in the game will allow for gradual increase in levels and challenges throughout the world; reminiscent of The Wild Area in Pokémon Sword/Shield. The 2D world reminds me of Pokémon Black & White with a tinge of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, while the battle aesthetics are straight-up Pokémon battle-ized. This game is on my ever-growing backlog, but I’m hoping to Dive into it soon!
Bugsnax
In what took abstractness to a new level, Bugsnax surprisingly invokes much of the Pokémon collectathon in a whimsical world of food-based creatures. While collecting the 100 half-bug half-snack creatures, you’re also exploring the mysteries of the island while progressing through the story. A nice spin to all these characters, is that you’re able to customize their looks, a staunch difference to when one Pidgey looks like all the other Pidgey. Even more intriguing is that Bugsnax also encourages observation of these creatures in their natural habitats. Filming, documenting, and analyzing their behaviors invokes some Pokémon Snap vibes and with the New Pokémon Snap coming in the future, is the perfect appetizer for it.
So here’s our list of some Poke-inspired indie games. What other indies can you think of? Be sure to share your favorites with us on Twitter!
