Cassette Beasts is a Pokémon game that treats you like an adult, both in its relatively mature themes and its gameplay. It respects your time - dialogue and menus are a breeze to cycle through, you can reference a type chart at any time, and the world map is intimate and easy to navigate with a great fast travel system.
This philosophy even carries over to the battle system, which features a replenishing per-battle SP mechanic that eliminates the migraine-inducing "run back to town just so I can use this one move again" loop. Grinding is also practically non-existent as levels are tied much more strongly to your base characters than the titular beasts, putting you in a great spot to take on the final boss as soon as the option is there.
Also, refreshingly, the playable characters are all grown adults who you can romance no matter your gender identity, and they all have interesting backstories you can unravel by spending time with them. This is backed by some great, though admittedly sparse, voice acting, a feature The Pokémon Company seems to write off as a mortal sin.
I'll admit the creature designs leave quite a bit to be desired, and that's really where Pokémon still reigns supreme. You're probably not going to be drawing any of these beasts in your notebook while you're bored in class or a meeting, but I'd overall describe most of them as "pretty cool."
And it's difficult to get completely invested in this world where every inhabitant seems really uncomfortable with the idea of Cassette Beasts existing in the first place; a far cry from the majority of Pokémon's population falling in love with - and often dedicating their entire lives to - a wide cast of cuddly companions.
If you're an adult who's felt disenfranchised by Pokémon's inefficient hand holding and laser focus on the younger market, definitely give Cassette Beasts a try. You'll get a short and sweet RPG monster-collecting experience that gives you a firm handshake and buys you a drink. Just don't expect a juggernaut universe that becomes your next personality like its grandfather before it may have done for you back when "2nd recess" was a regular part of the daily itinerary.
2023 Ranked
This philosophy even carries over to the battle system, which features a replenishing per-battle SP mechanic that eliminates the migraine-inducing "run back to town just so I can use this one move again" loop. Grinding is also practically non-existent as levels are tied much more strongly to your base characters than the titular beasts, putting you in a great spot to take on the final boss as soon as the option is there.
Also, refreshingly, the playable characters are all grown adults who you can romance no matter your gender identity, and they all have interesting backstories you can unravel by spending time with them. This is backed by some great, though admittedly sparse, voice acting, a feature The Pokémon Company seems to write off as a mortal sin.
I'll admit the creature designs leave quite a bit to be desired, and that's really where Pokémon still reigns supreme. You're probably not going to be drawing any of these beasts in your notebook while you're bored in class or a meeting, but I'd overall describe most of them as "pretty cool."
And it's difficult to get completely invested in this world where every inhabitant seems really uncomfortable with the idea of Cassette Beasts existing in the first place; a far cry from the majority of Pokémon's population falling in love with - and often dedicating their entire lives to - a wide cast of cuddly companions.
If you're an adult who's felt disenfranchised by Pokémon's inefficient hand holding and laser focus on the younger market, definitely give Cassette Beasts a try. You'll get a short and sweet RPG monster-collecting experience that gives you a firm handshake and buys you a drink. Just don't expect a juggernaut universe that becomes your next personality like its grandfather before it may have done for you back when "2nd recess" was a regular part of the daily itinerary.
2023 Ranked