Easily one of the best monster catchers I'd ever played. The game, in many ways, meaningfully iterates on long-standing issues people have had with Pokemon's systems. Yet at the same time, it is never truly content with mere "iteration" and embraces its own identity as a monster-catcher, with mechanically rich systems, a unique cast of creatures with a fun guiding design philosophy, and some very charming, earthy writing.
Your initial traversal in the open world feels a little awkward because of the stamina bar, but it doesn't take long before it's alleviated. The world is fun to explore, with lots of little secrets hidden in nooks and crannies. The battle system is nicely fleshed-out, and rewards you for a true understanding of its workings - it's good at discouraging complacency in the face of various challenges. The music is also utterly fantastic, with a host of pleasant field themes that suit the atmosphere- the highlight being the various battle themes, which are complimented by some great vocals. The narrative is simple, and focuses more on the characters and themes, which are very feel-good and earnestly depicted. I had a real feeling of fulfillment by the time I finished the game, and had grown thoroughly attached to my partner of choice.
For the price, the content is staggering. I think the game will take you roughly 20-30 hours to finish the main story, but there's plenty of diversions. Aside from filling out the bestiary, there's a lengthy (if somewhat grindy) postgame with new questlines and bosses - and though these aren't as substantial as the static designed quests, the postgame board gives you randomly generated quests, which both let you more easily take in the material to do things like go "shiny hunting", and also serve as incentive to check out everything the game has had to offer, such as collecting and leveling up all the monster tapes.
There's a few little QOL issues but nothing that bothers me too much - my personal biggest issue is that the sticker system, while astoundingly flexible, proves to be too flexible for its own good in the late game - by that point it doesn't take much work at all to start making builds that literally automatically oneshot bosses for you - it isn't hard to figure out that sort of thing on your own, either, so while you can just Not Use Them, I think it wouldn't hurt to take a look at balance on that end.
All in all, an excellent time and probably one of the best monster catchers I'd played to date.
Your initial traversal in the open world feels a little awkward because of the stamina bar, but it doesn't take long before it's alleviated. The world is fun to explore, with lots of little secrets hidden in nooks and crannies. The battle system is nicely fleshed-out, and rewards you for a true understanding of its workings - it's good at discouraging complacency in the face of various challenges. The music is also utterly fantastic, with a host of pleasant field themes that suit the atmosphere- the highlight being the various battle themes, which are complimented by some great vocals. The narrative is simple, and focuses more on the characters and themes, which are very feel-good and earnestly depicted. I had a real feeling of fulfillment by the time I finished the game, and had grown thoroughly attached to my partner of choice.
For the price, the content is staggering. I think the game will take you roughly 20-30 hours to finish the main story, but there's plenty of diversions. Aside from filling out the bestiary, there's a lengthy (if somewhat grindy) postgame with new questlines and bosses - and though these aren't as substantial as the static designed quests, the postgame board gives you randomly generated quests, which both let you more easily take in the material to do things like go "shiny hunting", and also serve as incentive to check out everything the game has had to offer, such as collecting and leveling up all the monster tapes.
There's a few little QOL issues but nothing that bothers me too much - my personal biggest issue is that the sticker system, while astoundingly flexible, proves to be too flexible for its own good in the late game - by that point it doesn't take much work at all to start making builds that literally automatically oneshot bosses for you - it isn't hard to figure out that sort of thing on your own, either, so while you can just Not Use Them, I think it wouldn't hurt to take a look at balance on that end.
All in all, an excellent time and probably one of the best monster catchers I'd played to date.