Pokémon Needs to Evolve: Cassette Beasts Review

0:00 – Cassette Beasts really works for me
1:04 – The vibe
3:58 – Cassette Beasts is Pokémon for adults
6:42 – It’s not that deep
10:40 – Great battles
13:06 – Killer music
14:14 – Well-written characters
17:12 – Letting go

All my links @ https://matthorton.live

Kyle Labriola’s Sea of Stars Review – https://cohost.org/kylelabriola/post/2762235-thoughts-on-sea-of-s
The Pre-Order Bonus podcast episode with Jay Baylis – https://www.buzzsprout.com/747596/12421340
The Back Page podcast episode with Jay Baylis – https://shows.acast.com/the-back-page-a-video-games-podcast/episodes/episode-126-how-to-make-a-video-game-with-jay-baylis

There’s a new game that has consumed my time and thoughts over the past few weeks. I just can’t get it out of my head, because it’s working for me. Like really, really working for me. But I couldn’t figure out why.

Cassette Beasts is a fresh indie take on the monster taming formula. Think Pokemon, but more complex, in a meaningful way. If you grew up on Pokemon but maybe felt that those games didn’t grow with you, Cassette Beasts might make you feel like you did when you were a kid.

This is a game clearly made by people who love Pokemon, but know what that series is lacking. They know the little things that grate on you, and they’ve played the other monster taming games and found all the best mechanics that Pokemon’s never explored. They know what makes a monster design enjoyable, and they have their own unique twist on that formula. And most importantly, they know all the parts of a game that often get ignored, like writing, music, and visual juice, and they’ve elevated cassette beasts in ways that you might not expect.

If you’ve been looking for a game like that, I think this one might be for you. It certainly is for me, and I think I finally know why that is.