As a promising new recruit, youвЂ™ve been tasked with collecting titan essence from the titans that live in the Velua region. In this part of the world, those who catch and battle with Coromon are all researchers working for the Lux Solis corporation. From training a team of up to six and competing in turn-based battles with a four-move pool, to the similar progress structure, it would be a disservice not to mention the comparison. In CoromonвЂ™s case, however, it is deliberately Poke-like. Oftentimes, no matter how different they are, these sorts of games will be compared to Pokemon.

That is, the primary gameplay involves catching and usually battling various creatures. Perhaps in the future, when Coromon is actually playable, then I'll return and share some ideally far more positive thoughts.Coromon is a game that easily fits into the monster-tamer genre. It might seem harsh to knock Coromon like this, considering its positives, but the experience I've had with this game leaves me with absolutely zero choice but to completely recommend people to avoid this title, until there are some serious bug fixes introduced. It's all new, and it's all infinitely more complicated when in a dialogue-less game, all the text on your screen is displayed as an indecipherable mess. It's not like this is a ninth generation PokГ©mon game, where a lot of the creatures you face you recognise, either. I could play the game blindfolded a lot of the time, and do just as well, as there's very few ways of knowing what you're doing. Likewise, I've been in countless battles where the text has contorted, so I don't know the names of the Coromon I'm facing, their levels, their HP, what they're attacking me with. There's times where you have to aimlessly move around a room to be able to find the exit, because the only parts that aren't blacked out are NPCs.

Right: A battle with worse text bugs than the image above.

Left: A blacked out room that is near impossible to navigate. All of this combines for a more complete RPG experience, one where you feel like you have more control over the creatures you command than is the case in PokГ©mon games. The typical experience, which increases level and health points, base damage and defence statistics and more, is there, but there's also a new system called Potential, which when levelled up (also through experience) allows you to further expand on these important statistics by using attribute points to improve specific areas - ideal if you want a Coromon with a focus on very high damage, for example. Then to add another layer, each Coromon has two ways to level up. The gameplay revolves around this style, but builds on it with stamina points, which basically asks you to be more strategic with how you use attacks, as each move requires a certain amount of stamina to use, so you really don't want to find yourself mid-battle without any stamina. There is a hefty list of Coromon to find and collect, be it fiery turtles, sharks with legs, sandy crabs, all the strange combinations that we're used to from PokГ©mon titles, and of course each of the available types interact with one another in different ways, with some more effective against others. The visuals aren't the only positive though, as the gameplay is well thought out and has plenty of depth. Add to this, the brilliant soundtrack, which hits all the right beats when it comes to an arcade, 8-bit experience, and you get an adventure that you want to get lost in. Whether you're exploring verdant forests, icy caves, dusty deserts, or the futuristic cities and towns, there's plenty of times where you will just become absorbed and infatuated with the environments. This is a truly beautiful game with some of the most vibrant and astounding pixel locales and visuals I've seen in a long time. But, before I get into the issues with Coromon, let's talk about the positives.

Coromon review