Games worth discovering

A mind-blowingly good Pokémon-inspired game that’s more than just a clone

11K View2023-11-11

Coromon

9.2

Pixel GraphicsRetroDifficultStrategyTurn-basedCreature CollectorJRPGRPG

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SHOULD I PLAY COROMON?

Play it, especially if you like Pokémon. After playing the demo version last year, I couldn’t wait for Coromon to officially release around the world. I fell in love with the game when I first played it, and getting to relish the complete experience now has reminded me why this game rules. It’s sort of like Pokémon—which I also love very much—but with a few differences that make it feel unique. Coromon adds its own twist on things with mechanics like milestones, cosmetics, and teleporting; as well as its own unique world and storyline to explore. While it also features advantageous microtransactions—which I do not like very much—the game builds on Pokémon’s foundations to create something that’s mind-blowingly good.

TIME PLAYED

I played Coromon for four hours and reached the first major encounter in the main storyline. I’ve fought over fifty different coromon, done nearly a dozen quests, and completed around fifteen milestones. I’ve also leveled my starter coromon to Lvl 29, and I’m currently worming my way through the second part of the main story.

WHAT’S AWESOME ABOUT COROMON?

• Gotta catch ‘em all. I’ve always loved games like Pokémon because I could catch different creatures and raise them by myself. With Coromon, I get to do all that but in an entirely new universe. Watching different coromon evolve and taming new ones felt rewarding and worthwhile. While I haven’t completed the game or seen every creature out there, it makes me giddy with excitement to know that I have an entire world full of mystery waiting for me to explore.

• Conducting research on coromon. Coromon sets itself apart from Pokémon through its main storyline. In this adventure, I’m not some kid trying to become the best trainer out there, but a researcher conducting investigations on legendary coromon across the world. I found this storyline compelling and well-written, and I enjoyed learning about the world through the different quests and characters I interacted with.

• Reaching milestones. Milestones basically work the same way as achievements across most RPGs. In Coromon, I could complete certain milestones to earn different rewards. Some of these rewards included health potions, revival shards, and other useful items that I could stash away in my inventory and use across different applications. Milestones gave every activity a lot more value and pushed me to do more things in the game.

• Beautiful visuals. Coromon features one of the most beautiful pixel art visual styles I’ve seen in any game and it’s truly magnificent. Every environment, creature, and character looks extremely detailed and unique to the game.

WHAT SUCKS ABOUT COROMON?

• Microtransactions. I’m not mad that there are microtransactions, even after paying a premium price to unlock the game. I’m just annoyed because some items like the LuxRecall Plus, which allows the user to fast-travel to any teleporter infinitely, feel really advantageous. Even though Coromon is a single-player-focused game, I could still purchase stuff with real money to make progression a lot easier.

While I understand the importance of microtransactions, these items take away the fun and hustle of great adventure games like this. Even as an option, it provokes me to consider taking the easy route out and that’s just not right. I’d prefer if the game stuck with cosmetics as its only form of microtransactions, which wouldn’t impact the experience or influence players like me to spend money to get a boost.