Nintendo life – Cassette Beasts Is The Monster-Catching RPG For A Disillusioned Pokémon Fan
Nintendo life – Cassette Beasts Is The Monster-Catching RPG For A Disillusioned Pokémon Fan
by Magenta_Face
34 Comments
digdugnate
> Cassette Beasts [doesn’t *quite* make my top five](https://www.nintendolife.com/features/game-of-the-year-2023-nintendo-life-staff-awards) because, ironically, it’s got some pretty big technical problems on Switch, but I wanted to shout about how good it feels to play a monster-catching game that feels like it’s grown up *with me*. My trip to New Wirral proved to be a learning experience that I’ll never forget.
​
I played this game on release, but has patching helped any of the slowdown or bugs? It’d be nice to dive back in again.
myjumboeggs
Zero interest in any Pokemon clones because they’re always worse than the worst Pokemon game. Have yet to see any cool designs from this game though. All of the ones I’ve seen from trailers and things look very uninspired.
CMA2495
I tried playing this recently and found the vibe to be a bit gloomy and almost depressing – I think it also made me realise I like Pokemon (despite its flaws) because of nostalgia and not for its mechanics.
wuti69
I have yet to finish this game but it doesn’t have that special thing that Pokemon has. It’s fun nonetheless, the combats are fun, a little more RPG, more like a Persona/SMT game (which are amazing monster catching/fighting games).
MrVinny98
I like it but it’s not Pokémon, it’s it’s own thing
CrumbsThatWasAce
I LOVE this game so much and it’s my personal GOTY. Far better than any Pokemon game could ever be. HIGHLY recommend this game, you won’t regret it, plus it’s on sale for switch
Edit: only on reddit do I get downvoted for gushing about my favorite game
vespertina1
I played this coop with my partner and we both loved it – I can only highly recommend it. Saying this as a highly disillusioned Pokémon fan who vowed never to play a other after sword/shield. Pokémon is such a winning formula and it’s so tragic to me that Game Freak seem entirely uninterested in doing anything worthwhile with it (to me at least).
The game is actually tough (but not too tough!), isn’t made for children (though still appropriate for them), and incredibly charming in both its characters and beast designs. I’m likely biased because I’m also a huge Twin Peaks fan and the game borrows a lot from the show, but I love that about it too.
I was pretty over it by the time we finished the game proper, but we caught and evolved all the beasts that were straightforward to do so and did all the major quests – had only a few beasts left to record in the dex and didn’t kill that final optional boss or do all those board quests.
It maybe lacks the replayability of early Pokémon games, but maybe I just replayed those games so much because I was a kid and didn’t have access to other games. It’s also a little janky with the physics but not in a way that broke my immersion or that I thought was serious. It did make me realise how good a coop pokemon game could really be though.
[deleted]
[deleted]
depressedfox_011
I love Cassette Beasts, but I’m not surprised this article immediately devolved into another “i hate pokemon” rant that indirectly attacks people for liking the current entries. (i don’t care about bogus, two-faced disclaimer.) Most people that like pokemon SV arent being brainwashed into liking pokemon SV, just as most people like cassette beasts for what it is rather than just a means to get back at Gamefreak. (Disabling replies since i know this subreddit is pokemon hater central.)
Technical_Echidna_63
Honestly I liked scarlet violet and I really don’t care about the technical problems
Spooky_Blob
Frankly, the game is a bit mediocre, and the monster design Is hit or miss. The fusion system is pretty neat but basic, and the design of the fusions are pretty low quality because of how unhinged they went for the amount. Typical case of quantity over quality.
Irrelevant to the topic but Monster Sanctuary is still the goat.
TheHoboRoadshow
When Dragon Quest Monsters just came out, it’s hard to recommend anything but that to disillusioned Pokémon fans
As a big fan of monster collectors, including Pokémon, this new DQM is really the best monster collecting game I’ve played. The breeding system is so addictive
thredith
I’m a big Pokémon fan since the OG Red version released, and knowing this game follows similar mechanics is what drew me to it during the current holiday sale. I’ve been playing it for these past few days and I haven’t noticed any game breaking bugs, or any performance issues.
Sure, it’s weird to use tapes to copy monsters and have your character physically transform into all these creatures after playing Pokémon for so long, but then you get the hang of it. It does play like its own thing. I really like how elements react to each other, not just for advantages and disadvantages, but also for buffs and debuffs. Not to mention, little things like having fire transform plastic into poison… Now that’s awesome!
fettirriterad
am I the only one who thinks the movesets are boring? it’s about as deep as final fantasy’s three stage rockets of magics, blizzard-blizzaga-blizzaja etc
adorbhypers
If there’s one thing I’m found out about Pokemon fans, they’re a very emotional fan base. There will never be competition cause I don’t think the genre has this massive potential and nobody on this planet is going to spend the necessary 7+ years of game development to even try to tap into the potential people seem to think the monster raising RPG can hit. I do respect Casserre Beast, the genre in inherently flawed but they made a game just as good as Pokemon, a bit better. It’s just you can present gold to a Pokemon fan, but if it’s not Pikachu shaped, it will never succeed cause Pokemon fans don’t want competition or an alternative, they want Pokemon to be better.
WockioSwitch
Don’t care didn’t ask. Bought both Scaelet and Violet plus their DLCs btw.
XylophoneDonger
I absolutely adore this game, I played it non-stop for about a week and 100%’d it, was really addicting and I love the character and monster designs a ton, easily in my own personal game of the year contention.
However, people really need to stop comparing these kinds of games to Pokemon. I love Pokemon a ton, and generally love all kinds of monster collection games, they’re probably my favorite genre. These games can absolutely stand on their own without needing to be compared to Pokemon every time they release.
Pokemon isn’t just the games anymore, it’s a whole media franchise that’s evolved past any other game ever will in their lifetime, and people need to realize that other games won’t reach that level. That’s okay though!
Cassette Beasts is an awesome indie game that is no doubt worth playing if you like the monster collection genre, and can absolutely stand on it’s own without needing to be compared to Pokemon. Once people learn to appreciate games for what they are rather than comparing them to every similar game on the market, gaming in general becomes a lot more fun, especially with indies like this one.
mightbehihi
pokemon took away mega evolves after i fell in love with it and digimon hardly pumps out good games on a bigger scale.
ive looked at cassette beasts and it sounds interesting. im tempted to pick it up on switch or steam, haven’t decided yet. worried about the games longevity/replayability.
SnowingSilently
It really depends on what you’re after. But the magic of Pokemon I think is that Pokemon are really awesome pets. Everything else is kind of set dressing. There are tons of really awesome RPGs that use monsters to battle in some form, including Cassette Beasts, but hardly anyone is directly competing with Pokemon’s real niche.
[deleted]
[removed]
AllinForBadgers
There’s a hundred of these games and they all fail to cast the wide net to Pokemon has. They all scratch one itch and can appeal to people who only like one aspect of Pokémon, but they never scratch the itch of PvP enjoyers, people who enjoy every aspect of Pokémon, and they don’t have the sheer size of the cast of the original games.
I’m sure someone will appreciate this, and temtem and etc, but it doesn’t remotely provide enough for the general fan base.
Lanoman123
60 hours on the Steam version, can confirm this game slaps
FlamboyantGayWhore
it’s good but the designs can be a bit jarring as someone so used to pokemon and yokai watch. very very good tho but im not a big fan of the fusion mechanic, i get it and its a great power up but imo all the fusions look so weird
Independent-Coat-665
Sick of ”
These indie games are better than Pokemon” mentality, and I am not a fan of modern pokemon games.
thorppeed
Dragon Quest monsters is a great option for any disillusioned pokemon fan
TraegusPearze
I really enjoyed this game in the beginning, but after about halfway or three-quarters through the main quest, it just got a bit tedious rather than engaging. I ended up speeding through the remainder of the story and skipping the latter half of the side quests.
I think it’s because some of the Beasts are just so much better than others, especially the early ones being better than the later ones. And the more unique ones not having any evolutions (sorry, I forgot the term).
I’d still recommend this game, but honestly I wish I would’ve played through the first time THEN went back and collected them all or did a randomizer. Instead, I ended up trying to catch every one I came across, max it, and then proceed, which sort of killed the game for me. My own mistake obviously, but in case that helps anyone now playing, there it is.
KazzieMono
CB is so fucking good. Please play it. I’ll shill this game every time it pops up.
Omega_Kirby
97% overwhelmingly positive on steam don’t lie. Games absolutely amazing.
CardcaptorEd859
I haven’t played this game yet, but if you are a Pokemon fan I recommend playing any game from the Megaten series. Most people know Persona which is a spinoff of Megaten which in itself are great games. Most Megaten games have similar gameplay as Pokemon(as well as predating Pokemon), but personally I think they are more challenging, engaging, fun, strategic, interesting, and more mature than Pokemon.
Not counting the Persona games my first Megaten game was SMT IV and that game was an incredibly fun and amazing game to play
marindo
Disagree. Monster Sanctuary is the game for the disillusioned Pokemon Fan.
LeviathanLX
I just want Pokemon with some effort and a hint of maturation. Does it do that? The designs also seemed eh.
oniich_n
I tried the co-op with my girlfriend using Steam Remote Play Together and she ended up getting it on her Switch because of how refreshing it was to modern Pokemon with her being the bigger fan of Pokemon than me.
silvermandrake
another game I’d love to enjoy but here i found crumbs again being absolute shite in the comments
Texas-Kangaroo-Rat
Doesn’t say if the story’s on par with most RPGs or if it’s as simple as the gym games.
Might? Get it??? Aunno the colors are borederline painful so I’d have to play it on a good day (or turn off colors) and I dislike buying games I have to turn off colors for. Aunno maybe I’ll watch a LP of it (if one exists) and decide.
If nothing else, it looks pretty.
Edit: Went through all the comments and not a soul mentioned anything about the characters or the story, so I’m assuming it’s nothing to write home about, but it has co-op so that’s neat.
I play RPGs for the world immersion so if this doesn’t have that then I guess I’ll give it a pass.
34 Comments
> Cassette Beasts [doesn’t *quite* make my top five](https://www.nintendolife.com/features/game-of-the-year-2023-nintendo-life-staff-awards) because, ironically, it’s got some pretty big technical problems on Switch, but I wanted to shout about how good it feels to play a monster-catching game that feels like it’s grown up *with me*. My trip to New Wirral proved to be a learning experience that I’ll never forget.
​
I played this game on release, but has patching helped any of the slowdown or bugs? It’d be nice to dive back in again.
Zero interest in any Pokemon clones because they’re always worse than the worst Pokemon game. Have yet to see any cool designs from this game though. All of the ones I’ve seen from trailers and things look very uninspired.
I tried playing this recently and found the vibe to be a bit gloomy and almost depressing – I think it also made me realise I like Pokemon (despite its flaws) because of nostalgia and not for its mechanics.
I have yet to finish this game but it doesn’t have that special thing that Pokemon has. It’s fun nonetheless, the combats are fun, a little more RPG, more like a Persona/SMT game (which are amazing monster catching/fighting games).
I like it but it’s not Pokémon, it’s it’s own thing
I LOVE this game so much and it’s my personal GOTY. Far better than any Pokemon game could ever be. HIGHLY recommend this game, you won’t regret it, plus it’s on sale for switch
Edit: only on reddit do I get downvoted for gushing about my favorite game
I played this coop with my partner and we both loved it – I can only highly recommend it. Saying this as a highly disillusioned Pokémon fan who vowed never to play a other after sword/shield. Pokémon is such a winning formula and it’s so tragic to me that Game Freak seem entirely uninterested in doing anything worthwhile with it (to me at least).
The game is actually tough (but not too tough!), isn’t made for children (though still appropriate for them), and incredibly charming in both its characters and beast designs. I’m likely biased because I’m also a huge Twin Peaks fan and the game borrows a lot from the show, but I love that about it too.
I was pretty over it by the time we finished the game proper, but we caught and evolved all the beasts that were straightforward to do so and did all the major quests – had only a few beasts left to record in the dex and didn’t kill that final optional boss or do all those board quests.
It maybe lacks the replayability of early Pokémon games, but maybe I just replayed those games so much because I was a kid and didn’t have access to other games. It’s also a little janky with the physics but not in a way that broke my immersion or that I thought was serious. It did make me realise how good a coop pokemon game could really be though.
[deleted]
I love Cassette Beasts, but I’m not surprised this article immediately devolved into another “i hate pokemon” rant that indirectly attacks people for liking the current entries. (i don’t care about bogus, two-faced disclaimer.) Most people that like pokemon SV arent being brainwashed into liking pokemon SV, just as most people like cassette beasts for what it is rather than just a means to get back at Gamefreak. (Disabling replies since i know this subreddit is pokemon hater central.)
Honestly I liked scarlet violet and I really don’t care about the technical problems
Frankly, the game is a bit mediocre, and the monster design Is hit or miss. The fusion system is pretty neat but basic, and the design of the fusions are pretty low quality because of how unhinged they went for the amount. Typical case of quantity over quality.
Irrelevant to the topic but Monster Sanctuary is still the goat.
When Dragon Quest Monsters just came out, it’s hard to recommend anything but that to disillusioned Pokémon fans
As a big fan of monster collectors, including Pokémon, this new DQM is really the best monster collecting game I’ve played. The breeding system is so addictive
I’m a big Pokémon fan since the OG Red version released, and knowing this game follows similar mechanics is what drew me to it during the current holiday sale. I’ve been playing it for these past few days and I haven’t noticed any game breaking bugs, or any performance issues.
Sure, it’s weird to use tapes to copy monsters and have your character physically transform into all these creatures after playing Pokémon for so long, but then you get the hang of it. It does play like its own thing. I really like how elements react to each other, not just for advantages and disadvantages, but also for buffs and debuffs. Not to mention, little things like having fire transform plastic into poison… Now that’s awesome!
am I the only one who thinks the movesets are boring? it’s about as deep as final fantasy’s three stage rockets of magics, blizzard-blizzaga-blizzaja etc
If there’s one thing I’m found out about Pokemon fans, they’re a very emotional fan base. There will never be competition cause I don’t think the genre has this massive potential and nobody on this planet is going to spend the necessary 7+ years of game development to even try to tap into the potential people seem to think the monster raising RPG can hit. I do respect Casserre Beast, the genre in inherently flawed but they made a game just as good as Pokemon, a bit better. It’s just you can present gold to a Pokemon fan, but if it’s not Pikachu shaped, it will never succeed cause Pokemon fans don’t want competition or an alternative, they want Pokemon to be better.
Don’t care didn’t ask. Bought both Scaelet and Violet plus their DLCs btw.
I absolutely adore this game, I played it non-stop for about a week and 100%’d it, was really addicting and I love the character and monster designs a ton, easily in my own personal game of the year contention.
However, people really need to stop comparing these kinds of games to Pokemon. I love Pokemon a ton, and generally love all kinds of monster collection games, they’re probably my favorite genre. These games can absolutely stand on their own without needing to be compared to Pokemon every time they release.
Pokemon isn’t just the games anymore, it’s a whole media franchise that’s evolved past any other game ever will in their lifetime, and people need to realize that other games won’t reach that level. That’s okay though!
Cassette Beasts is an awesome indie game that is no doubt worth playing if you like the monster collection genre, and can absolutely stand on it’s own without needing to be compared to Pokemon. Once people learn to appreciate games for what they are rather than comparing them to every similar game on the market, gaming in general becomes a lot more fun, especially with indies like this one.
pokemon took away mega evolves after i fell in love with it and digimon hardly pumps out good games on a bigger scale.
ive looked at cassette beasts and it sounds interesting. im tempted to pick it up on switch or steam, haven’t decided yet. worried about the games longevity/replayability.
It really depends on what you’re after. But the magic of Pokemon I think is that Pokemon are really awesome pets. Everything else is kind of set dressing. There are tons of really awesome RPGs that use monsters to battle in some form, including Cassette Beasts, but hardly anyone is directly competing with Pokemon’s real niche.
[removed]
There’s a hundred of these games and they all fail to cast the wide net to Pokemon has. They all scratch one itch and can appeal to people who only like one aspect of Pokémon, but they never scratch the itch of PvP enjoyers, people who enjoy every aspect of Pokémon, and they don’t have the sheer size of the cast of the original games.
I’m sure someone will appreciate this, and temtem and etc, but it doesn’t remotely provide enough for the general fan base.
60 hours on the Steam version, can confirm this game slaps
it’s good but the designs can be a bit jarring as someone so used to pokemon and yokai watch. very very good tho but im not a big fan of the fusion mechanic, i get it and its a great power up but imo all the fusions look so weird
Sick of ”
These indie games are better than Pokemon” mentality, and I am not a fan of modern pokemon games.
Dragon Quest monsters is a great option for any disillusioned pokemon fan
I really enjoyed this game in the beginning, but after about halfway or three-quarters through the main quest, it just got a bit tedious rather than engaging. I ended up speeding through the remainder of the story and skipping the latter half of the side quests.
I think it’s because some of the Beasts are just so much better than others, especially the early ones being better than the later ones. And the more unique ones not having any evolutions (sorry, I forgot the term).
I’d still recommend this game, but honestly I wish I would’ve played through the first time THEN went back and collected them all or did a randomizer. Instead, I ended up trying to catch every one I came across, max it, and then proceed, which sort of killed the game for me. My own mistake obviously, but in case that helps anyone now playing, there it is.
CB is so fucking good. Please play it. I’ll shill this game every time it pops up.
97% overwhelmingly positive on steam don’t lie. Games absolutely amazing.
I haven’t played this game yet, but if you are a Pokemon fan I recommend playing any game from the Megaten series. Most people know Persona which is a spinoff of Megaten which in itself are great games. Most Megaten games have similar gameplay as Pokemon(as well as predating Pokemon), but personally I think they are more challenging, engaging, fun, strategic, interesting, and more mature than Pokemon.
Not counting the Persona games my first Megaten game was SMT IV and that game was an incredibly fun and amazing game to play
Disagree. Monster Sanctuary is the game for the disillusioned Pokemon Fan.
I just want Pokemon with some effort and a hint of maturation. Does it do that? The designs also seemed eh.
I tried the co-op with my girlfriend using Steam Remote Play Together and she ended up getting it on her Switch because of how refreshing it was to modern Pokemon with her being the bigger fan of Pokemon than me.
another game I’d love to enjoy but here i found crumbs again being absolute shite in the comments
Doesn’t say if the story’s on par with most RPGs or if it’s as simple as the gym games.
Might? Get it??? Aunno the colors are borederline painful so I’d have to play it on a good day (or turn off colors) and I dislike buying games I have to turn off colors for. Aunno maybe I’ll watch a LP of it (if one exists) and decide.
If nothing else, it looks pretty.
Edit: Went through all the comments and not a soul mentioned anything about the characters or the story, so I’m assuming it’s nothing to write home about, but it has co-op so that’s neat.
I play RPGs for the world immersion so if this doesn’t have that then I guess I’ll give it a pass.