The longevity of Pokémon as a series is incredibly interesting to me. It’s one of the few franchises which has survived since the very beginning of gaming as we know it, and continues to be an absolute juggernaut to this day. For every underwhelming release, GameFreak will respond a few years later with a game which blows everyone out of the water — Pokémon Z-A is the latest as of writing and is nothing short of spectacular.
But with the monopoly Pokémon has over the creature collecting genre, it can be hard for other developers to release games in that space. Whenever they do, they’re met with accusations of copying Pokémon, or doing little to justify making another creature collector game.
As someone who loves the genre, I’ve played my fair share of creature collectors and want to shine the spotlight on some great titles that didn’t quite garner the same level of success as Pokémon.
9 Yo-Kai Watch
The ‘Would Be’ Pokémon Killer
Yo-Kai Watch will probably be the game on this list which came closest to being a true “Pokémon Killer”. First released in 2013 in Japan, Yo-Kai Watch was something of a slow burner at first, but with the release of the anime, it exploded in success and rivaled the viewing figures of Pokémon’s very own anime series. It then went on to get a western release in the lull between Pokémon titles in 2015, which further cemented its success.
If you’ve played any Pokémon game, you already know what you’re getting into with Yo-Kai Watch. You play a young child who travels around their local town collecting spirits known as Yo-Kai, solving town problems and facing off against sinister Yo-Kai. What made the game unique is it felt so distinctly different to Pokémon, which had arguably gotten too used to its success. Smooth animations, cute and creative creature designs and a great story — it sounds simple, but it really made Yo-Kai Watch feel new and exciting.
Unfortunately, the success of Yo-Kai Watch wasn’t sustainable. While it was released in the west, it did not perform as well as the Japanese release, and sales numbers gradually declined. Add to this the renewed interest in Pokémon thanks to the Pokémon Go buzz of 2016, and Yo-Kai Watch has never really been able to get a foothold outside of Japan. It’s still a blast to play, however, and worth checking out the could-be Pokémon killer.
8 Monster Hunter Stories
A Monstrous Spin-Off
Monster Hunter Stories represents a massive shift in the Monster Hunter franchise. Distinctly different from the mainline Monster Hunter games which focus on hunting and preparation, Stories is a slower-paced, turn-based creature collector. Despite its moderate success and sequels, Monster Hunter Stories is still rarely spoken about in the same breath as Pokémon.
Where Monster Hunter Stories shines in my mind is how the game encourages a bond between the player and their monsters — the cute name for your monstrous companions. Pokémon games love to talk about the bond between a trainer and their ‘partner Pokémon’, but by removing the catching mechanic and replacing it with hatching and raising, Stories makes it feel as though you’re raising a friend who will become your partner (a nice change to ripping a Pokémon away from its home and storing it indefinitely inside a PC).
From what I’ve gathered during researching and speaking with friends who are Monster Hunter fans, the reason Monster Hunter Stories isn’t more well known might be down to who it’s marketed for. Monster Hunter fans are looking for a Monster Hunter game, which Stories just isn’t (it’s its own separate beast). On the flip side, people who are unfamiliar with the Monster Hunter series could be put off Stories because of its association with Monster Hunter — it’s a difficult situation to juggle, which is a shame as there is a lot to love about Monster Hunter Stories.
7 Bugsnax
Everyone’s Talkin’ ‘Bout Bugsnax
Bugsnax is such a fascinating oddity of a game. Everything from its concept to presentation just works in such a quirky and cool manner. When the game was announced during the 2020 reveal of the PlayStation 5, its colourful and just bizarre feel matched with an absolute belter of a theme song was intriguing. It’s safe to say that everyone really was “talking ‘bout Bugsnax” as the song suggests.
You play as a weird muppet-looking journalist sent to a place called Snaktooth Island on the hunt for unusual bug creatures which have merged with food. Like Pokémon, your job is to roam the island and catch as many as you can, but where it differs from Pokémon is how you do this. Instead of battling, each Bugsnack (Bugsnax? What’s a singular bugsnack called anyway?) has some sort of puzzle attached to it the player must solve to catch the little critters. It’s a fun shake up and definitely keeps the player on their toes.
Unfortunately for Bugsnax, I think they went a bit too hard during their marketing campaign. The game looked so good and so wacky that the reality just couldn’t match it. While the game oozes creativity and wonder, that doesn’t do much when the actual gameplay is fairly monotonous and repetitive. It’s a good puzzle game, but can be a bit directionless at times, which can make it hard for the average gamer to get into.
6 Ooblets
Cute Little Dance Battles
Ooblets is a game I followed extremely closely as it ticked every box a game could to capture my interest. Creature Collector, check. Farming Simulator, check. Adorable little creatures doing cute things, check. The existence of the forever angry looking Clickyclaws and inbuilt shiny mechanics? This game has me all over.
Aside from its basic concept, Ooblets couldn’t be any more different from Pokémon, but is still clearly inspired by it. Instead of catching and battling Pokémon, Ooblets sees you literally grow them and recruit new friends via dance battles. These dance battles play out closer to a card game than a traditional Pokémon battle — some of the moves and animations are so incredibly adorable too. It’s nice to see that they’re not just beating themselves up in 1v1 brawls.
While Ooblets can now be played on almost every platform (barring PlayStation for some reason), the game was not without its controversies, which may have impacted its success. Ooblets was one of the games which got swept up in the myriad of Epic Games exclusives as the company wanted to become more of a powerhouse in the gaming space — this decision soured many people on the game due to Epic’s reputation at the time. It’s a shame, because Ooblets is such a delightful little game and never fails to put a smile on my face.
5 Digimon World
An Old Rival
Digimon is a franchise which has been around nearly as long as Pokémon itself, and yet still very much feels like Pokémon’s younger brother who can’t fulfill their full potential. Sure, the franchise is still chugging along to this day, but it’s never quite hit the heights of Pokémon, despite taking a harder, more edgy approach to appeal to an older audience.
Digimon World was Digimon’s first step into the video game world, and it’s safe to say it didn’t make much of a splash. While the Digimon franchise is often compared to Pokémon, Digimon World focused more on the digital-pet aspect of the series, and added battling on top of that. Much of your time in Digimon World was spent raising, caring for, and training your Digimon pal, rather than just battling constantly.
Combat in Digimon World was widely panned at the time of release due to being largely unengaging and almost random without clear instructions. The visuals were nice but nothing particularly special when compared to its rivals.
4 Moonstone Island
Stardew + Animal Crossing + Pokémon
We’re fully in indie territory now, and with that comes a unique combination of Stardew Valley, Pokémon, and a TCG collector. Moonstone Island juggles all three spectacularly well while still pushing forward and creating its own distinct identity.
In Moonstone Island, your overall goal is to become a world-renowned alchemist — a person who can bridge the gap between humans and spirits (think Avatar, but with less element bending). As such, you’re responsible for learning and connecting with the world around you through exploration, farming, and most importantly, battling. Unlike other creature collectors, Moonstone Island’s turn-based battles are card-based, and decks can be edited or improved by capturing new and different creatures — it’s a unique shake up to the formula, and creates a deceptively deep combat system.
It’s not all about the creature collecting; Moonstone Island is also part Stardew Valley as I said earlier. This means there’s romance options, NPC relationships, mining, and farming you have to consider when playing, and it compliments the creature collecting aspect very well.
While Moonstone Island is great, it’s got something of an onboarding problem. The early game, in particular, has some pacing issues, and the tutorials can be quite restricting. For example, early on, you’re encouraged to go out on your own and explore, but you’re unable to do this fully until you’ve built a spirit barn and its accompanying tutorial — it very much feels like Moonstone Island gets in the way of the player exploring and experiencing the game for themselves.
3 Temtem
Pokémon As An MMO
-
- Released
- September 6, 2022
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ due to Language, Mild Fantasy Violence, Use of Alcohol
- Engine
- Unity
- Cross-Platform Play
- PC, PS5, Switch & Xbox Series X|S
- Early Access Release
- January 21, 2020
- PC Release Date
- September 6, 2022
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- September 6, 2022
- PS5 Release Date
- September 6, 2022
- Nintendo Switch Release Date
- September 6, 2022
- How Long To Beat
- 60 Hours
- Metascore
- 80
- Platforms That Support Crossplay
- PC, PS5, Switch & Xbox Series X|S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
The idea of a Pokémon MMO is one which the internet cannot let go of. Fan projects have risen to the occasion, and some have been fairly successful. But under the watchful gaze of Nintendo, they’re never destined to become smash mega-hits. Well, in came Temtem, who set out to corner the market with a fresh IP and a new look at what a creature collecting MMO could be.
Taking heavy inspiration from Pokémon, Temtem is as close to a Pokémon MMO as you could imagine, the only caveat being that battles are exclusively double-battles — like the classic Pokémon Colosseum games. When I played, I chose Crystle, the cute green gem-studded turtle, as my starter and had a blast learning about Temtem’s unique type dynamics. The world itself is also incredibly interesting and well-designed — taking place on a floating archipelago, it’s the perfect setting to get the imagination running wild.
Temtem saw moderate success and was definitely something of a powerhouse within the indie space. Unfortunately, the game ceased receiving new content as of June 2024, but the servers have luckily remained online — which is great, because Temtem is a blast to play, and it’s unlikely we’ll get another Pokémon-style MMO while Nintendo still holds a monopoly on the genre.
2 Nexomon
A Clear Passion Project
Narrowly missing out on the number one spot on this list, Nexomon is probably as legally close to Pokémon as any game on this list. It has the feeling of a fan-made ROM hack, and I don’t mean this as a criticism. It’s so clearly full of passion and love for the genre and is a fun Pokemon-like to jump into.
Describing to you what Nexomon is like would be like describing how Pokémon Emerald feels to play. Just from looking at the screenshots on Steam, you’ll know whether this game is for you or not. But, I think what makes it worth talking about is its presentation. Every inch of this game feels slick and well-made — the creatures look adorable and unique, the battle animations are engaging and superbly animated, and the world itself is a joy to explore with many dynamic events happening throughout the games’ story.
Perhaps it’s due to just how similar Nexomon is to Pokémon, or maybe it’s down to its general mobile-game-like feel (from UI, to balancing decisions), but Nexomon hasn’t yet hit the mainstream despite being beloved by those who have played it.
Nexomon performed well enough to receive a sequel in Nexomon: Extinction which brought in even more Pokémon staples like Cosmic Nexomon (the equivalent to shiny Pokémon) and many quality of life additions — the series is worth checking out if you’re looking for a well-polished Pokémon clone.
1 Coromon
A Modern Take
The number one spot on this list goes to one of my favourite non-Pokémon creature collectors, and one I wish received more love: Coromon. The developers of Coromon have somehow managed to take a golden age Pokémon game (I’m talking Emerald to Black 2 era) and make it feel modern and new.
Everything, from the way Coromon looks to how it plays, feels like someone who has played Pokémon their entire life and has been looking for ways to improve the experience. The customisation options when loading a new save are massive, with options like randomisers, nuzlockes, and difficulty settings built into the game itself. ‘Shiny’ Coromon are now more than just aesthetic changes, as each Coromon has a ‘potent level’—essentially combining the shiny mechanic and EV/IV mechanic from Pokémon into one, which makes team building so much more dynamic.
Instead of having a finite number of moves, Coromon uses a stamina system in battles, meaning you can only use as many moves as your Coromon has stamina — this means you can rest during battle to recover health and stamina, and crucially, your opponents may need to as well, adding another layer to the complexity and strategy of Coromon.
While Coromon is a fantastic game, it didn’t do much to market itself outside the pre-existing Pokémon community. Sure, it looks great to a Pokémon fan like myself, but there wasn’t enough there to pull in a wider audience. There was also not much post-game support, meaning no DLCs, or big updates which, while not necessary, could definitely have helped Coromon maintain its own steam for a little bit longer.
If you haven’t figured it out by now, I could gush about Coromon for hours as it is such a well-crafted and fun game to play. Coromon: Rogue Planet is a sequel which has been teased for a while now and seems to be taking a slightly different approach than the original, but I cannot wait to hear more and get to give it a go myself.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
