When they said “Pokemon! I have to catch them all”, we all assumed they meant catching all the pocket monsters. But really, what they were talking about was catching all the Pokemon and Pokemon-like games out there, of which there are plenty. And now, at last, we have caught them all and discussed them all in this very article.
If you’re the kind of person who hates waiting for the next Pokemon game, even though they’re currently coming out at the rate of two or three a year, then these are the games to keep your eyes on the Poké Ball for training. your smashing fingers and to help you until the next Pokémon Thing and Pokémon Different Thing.
Now, let’s make like a Wailord and dive into…
Note. Yes, we know that Temtem is available on Switch! We are working on our review at the moment and will add it to this list in due course. If it’s tobacco, of course.
Editor: Freedom Games / Developer: TRAGsoft
It’s Pokemon, but: With built-in Nuzlocke modes and simpler type matching!
If imitation is the highest form of flattery, Coromon is the greatest love letter ever written. It’s no secret that it has drawn inspiration from classic Pokémon titles, particularly those from the Game Boy Advance era. It falls short of being a direct imitation of those games, but it was clearly created to cater to fans who loved those generations and craved more of them.
Editor: bandai namco / Developer: Witchcraft
It’s Pokemon, but: It’s a visual novel!
Digimon Survive is one of the best visual novels of 2022, with plenty of heart and tension to carry you through to the final act. Fans looking for an engaging story with well-written and featured characters tackling life-or-death situations will enjoy the ride, while combat-focused gamers will likely find the game falls short.
It’s certainly not a traditional Poké, but if you want more time to hang out with your animal friends instead of fighting, you’ll find it here.
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Editor: Soedesco / Developer: Aurum Studio
It’s Pokemon, but: With contracts!
Monster Crown is set in the wild world of Crown Island, where humans and monsters do not live together in harmony but reluctantly agree. Catching monsters is as simple as offering them a pact, which they then read mid-battle and then accept or reject based on factors like level and health. It’s also designed to look a bit like an 8-bit Game Boy Color game, if you like!
Editor: PQube / Developer: VEWO interactive
It’s Pokemon, but: With more complex battles and non-linear exploration!
Nexomon: Extinction unapologetically wears its influences on its sleeve. You are a boy who becomes a Nexomon tamer (not trainer, that’s a different word, see?), you must travel the land going from town to town while catching and training (sorry, taming) plus Nexomon and of course eventually saving the world. It’s the same idea, the same formula, and it even has the same battle UI. It’s a bit more difficult than Pokémon when it comes to battles, which can be both a blessing and a curse, as the difficulty goes up a notch. However, it is reddish beautiful.
Editor: bandai namco / Developer: bandai namco
It’s Pokemon, but: It’s Digimon!
Come on, you know the deal with Digimon: they can talk and devolve, unlike their simpler (stupid?) Poké equivalents. As a result, the evolution is also more complicated, and most of the battles are also 3v3 instead of 1v1.
Unlike the other Digimon game on this list, Cyber Sleuth is more like what you’d expect from a Pokémon, though it still leans toward the “visual novel” side with long dialogue scenes. There’s a bit of grinding, too, but if you’re a Poké-enjoyer, that won’t stop you, right?
Editor: bandai namco / Developer: level 5
It’s Pokemon, but: Much better writing and visual effects!
Level-5’s bewitching fairy tale masterpiece of a JRPG is like a playable Studio Ghibli movie. Its distinctive localization brings the writing to life, and the fantastic choice to use regional British accents for the characters makes Ni No Kuni unlike any other game (except perhaps Xenoblade Chronicles…and Ni No Kuni 2, obviously).
The Poké part of Ni No Kuni is that you can catch and train Familiars, which are creatures with incredibly accurate and bizarre names (such as “Shonky-Honker” and “Sleepeafowl”) that range from charming to terrifying. They will fight on your behalf and you will be able to evolve, sorry, metamorphose also in more powerful beasts.
Editor: Glumberland / Developer: Glumberland
It’s Pokemon, but: There is no fight!
Ooblets, which recently came out after a long time in early access, is a quirky life simulator that collects creatures and takes place in a ruined city. But this game offers more than just collecting creatures: between farming, making friends, and making a move, players are responsible for restoring life to and around Badgetown through the power of ‘Oobnet’.
Yes, Ooblets are roughly analogous to Pokemon in that you collect them and they follow you around, but things are settled with dance battles, and your weird and wonderful collection of beasties can also be used to help out on the farm and companions. Much more useful than Pokémon ever were.
Editor: monomi park / Developer: monomi park
It’s Pokemon, but: With capitalism! And slimes!!
Slime Rancher: Plortable Edition is all about collecting various types of slime, not for company or fight, but for sweet, sweet money. Something like. The slimes all, erm, excrete something called “Plorts”, which can be sold at the Plorts Market for extra money, which can be used to get more slimes and build enclosures for new types, which give you different Plorts… and so on. We are not doing it justice; is a wonderful flashing game.
