Ever since I picked up a copy of Pokemon Blue
all that many years ago, the Monster Taming
genre has always stuck with me, since I wanted
to see the creative designs that the developers
came up with.
This, combined with compelling RPG elements
got me hook, line and sinker.
Games like Dragon Warrior Monsters and even
the more modern Siralim did scratch the same
itch, so I thought I would take a look at
the Top 10 Best Upcoming Monster Taming Indie
Games for 2018 and beyond, sorted in rough
order of when you will be able to play them.
Number 10: Nightown
So this first entry is still rather early in development and it’s supposed to be a
2D indie RPG, taking place in a world where
you can tame Spirits!
What I like about this is the variety in creature
design, an essential component of all monster
taming games, since we have everything from
alien bears and reptiles to classic D&D inspired
creatures, to themed creatures like pumpkins
and even appliance inspired ones.
Additionally, the spirits even feature multiple
and alternate evolution routes with a cartoony
art style.
Unfortunately for us, other than quite a number
of sprites being shown off, there hasn’t
been much on the gameplay and over world exploration,
so we may have to wait a little for this.
Number 9: Monster Sanctuary
This is supposed to be a cross between Pokemon and Metroid, with platforming sections, the
all-important metroidvania map, equipment
for your creatures and Metroidvania style
upgrades such as the high jump boots that
allows you to access new areas.
However, when you run into enemies on screen,
the perspective shifts into a 3 on 3, turn
based pokemon style battle, with multiple
abilities and skill trees for individual monsters.
If you follow the channel, you will know that
I love metroidvanias, so combining this with
the monster taming aspect is ingenious.
Still relatively early on so I can’t wait
for the official release.
Number 8: Monster Crown
Monster Crown is a game which is very clearly inspired by the original pokemon games, especially
due to the sprites and the overworld exploration.
The battle screens look great, and the unique
hook is that breeding plays a key role here.
Perhaps most impressive is that the parents
actually affect the physical appearance of
the offspring, unlike breeding systems in
say, Dragon Warrior Monsters for example,
and as a result, the variety here is even
greater.
There are also items which affect evolution
beyond the simple fire stone for fire pokemon,
so this looks to be pretty neat.
No release date as of yet but I believe a
Kickstarter campaign should be launching in
April.
Number 7: Mewgenics
Edmund Mcmillian is one of the minds behind Super Meat Boy and The Binding of Isaac, two
Hall of Fame Indie Games if there were to
ever be such an award.
A little while back, he announced Mew-genics
to great fanfare but nothing was heard of
it since and it slowly faded away.
However, in a new year’s blog post for 2018,
Edmund says that MEWGENICS LIVES and is currently
being remade from the ground up.
It was described as a cross between The Sims,
Pokemon, Animal Crossing and Tamagotchi, and
is all about breeding cats.
Still no release date on this but definitely
very excited for it.
Number 6: Unleashed
This game was successfully Kickstarted about 10 days ago to the tune of about 10,000 euros.
It sells itself as a darker 2D RPG, exploring
deeper themes.
The creatures in this are known as Achivaras,
manifestations of a human sins & virtues,
with 3 on 3 battles as the mainstay.
In a similar way to Shin Megami Tensai, the
creatures here are suitably grotesque and
not for kids, but the designs are pretty interesting.
It also has an open world with details such
as player housing, crafting, farming etc so
it is quite ambitious, so best of luck to
the developers and hopefully we will see more
in the coming months.
Number 5: Notemon
Notemon’s unique hook is that is being built in Pico 8, a fantasy console used for making
small games.
Pico 8 games have a unique look to them which
is represented in this game, and thus far
the minimalist pixel art does seem to work,
although I’m interested in how much variety
there can be.
Attacks generate some form of cooldown, rather
than being restricted to some arbitrary PP
number, HP heals up fully between battles
and all Notemon can learn an unlimited number
of skills but can only select 4 to bring into
battle, meaning there’s no need to forget
moves.
Interestingly, the developer is adding a base
building system where if you have the correct
facilities, Notemon will then join you voluntarily,
rather than being beaten into submission as
in Pokemon, so I want to see where this goes.
There is a targeted released of sometime in
2018 but I’m not too sure on that since
the scope of the project appears to be increasing.
Number 4: Siralim 3
I did mentioned the original Siralim as a monster taming RPG which I really enjoyed,
so check out my video on that for more details.
The developer has gone from strength to strength,
releasing Siralim 2 in 2016 and adding content
to that game until 2017, and now its sequel,
Siralim 3 is set for an Early Access release
in May of this year.
This uses procedurally generated maps, randomised
objectives, and mechanics such as creature
summoning, breeding, crafting and more.
Siralim 3 looks to add to that, incorporating
things like Perks for your character, Knowledge
about the creatures that you kill, revamped
Sigils & Runes, and even Hereditary breeding.
The past two games have pretty fantastic,
so I am looking forward to the new systems
here.
Number 3: Coromon
In my opinion, Coromon is the best looking game out of all titles on this list due to
the bright colours used and the quality of
the pixel art.
There are puzzles and 120+ monsters, as well
as the usually battling, evolving and collection
of them.
Of the titles on this list, Coromon looks to
be the most true to the source material and
I’m always glad for a new entrant in the
market.
This game is slated for a Q2 2018 release
which should be soon, so keep your eyes peeled
for it.
Number 2: Ooblets
This game by Glumberland is inspired by Pokemon, Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing, where you
can literally grow your companions.
The vibe is whimsical and the art very cute,
reminding me a little bit of Adventure Time,
with the standard turn based battles.
It simply looks so appealing for a Monster
Taming game and the added customization options
for your character and player housing are
just icing on the cake.
Ooblets is slated for a 2018 release so hopefully
we will be able to play this soon.
And finally, Number 1: Re: Legend
An action RPG where you can tame monsters known as Magnus, Re:Legend also adds in farming,
crafting and skills such as Mining, Fishing,
Logging and more.
My first impression of this was Stardew Valley
but with a monster taming aspect, and based
on the trailer, the Magnuses look pretty varied
and interesting.
The hamster with the horn in particular looks
cute, and much like the farming games that
came before this, Re:Legend looks to set the
gaming world ablaze.
As of the time of recording, the beta for
Kickstarter backers is supposed to start soon,
with a planned 2018 release.
This is possibly my most anticipated title
this year so keeping my fingers crossed that
it will be great.
Alright so this is my list of the Top 10 Best
Upcoming Monster Taming Indie Games for 2018
& beyond.
Be sure to subscribe, follow me on Twitter,
follow my Steam Curator and check out the
subreddit to keep up with the best indie games
and I will see you in the next video.
