This is the best pokemon game I've played in over a decade. Awesome art, awesome music, awesome playstyle, and it fixes so many issues that pokemon and its imitators often have (e.g. unlike pokemon: type advantages are more about problem solving side-effects rather than straight rock-paper-scissors, switching around members of your party to a new monster doesn't require a full grind/loss of the old member's moves, etc). The gameplay is simple, yet offers many hours of theorycrafting if you want it. My only critique is that Wall moves make boss fights a little same-y. Love the game!

Buy it, buy the soundtrack, and just vibe. Who could say no to a retro-inspired pokemon-like game where you fight landlords?

Bought this game on the recommendation of a friend.

The combat is addictive with all the ways you can build your party. There's so much room for creativity with sets and synergy between party members. Having the player characters transform into the creatures added much more depth in regards to how status effects affect the game.

There's a lot I want to say but I'm not too sure how to word them all. The short of it is that this game made my whole year and I wish I picked this game up right on the day it came out.

Cassette Beasts is a 'modern' monster-collecting RPG. Heavily inspired by Pokemon, it manages to completely differentiate itself and offer a new experience.

As a new player, you start Cassette Beasts washed up on the island of New Wirral. Your goal in the game is to escape back to your own world. However, to escape, you need to defeat multi-dimensional bosses which are located in underground stations. Additionally, certain areas on the island can only be unlocked by specific moves, making Cassette Beasts a Metroidvania or Pseudo-Metroidvania. Finally, you have 'partners' that follow you, assist you in battle, and contribute dialogue/exposition. Meredith was my choice!

My favorite part of Cassette Beasts is its atmosphere, which feels palpable. The game has a mellow but moody tone, which fits in with the plot of everyone being stuck on the island in which Cassette Beasts takes place. While walking around, you may notice the remains of human civilization littered across the environment, reminding you that you are stuck on the island like everyone else. The music also has a grounded, 'real' quality to it, with a frequent use of unmodified instruments (such as the guitar) and lyrics at points. Everything seems to lend itself to the environment.

Cassette Beasts is also well-designed and convenient, contributing to a modern feeling. The designs of beasts are better than that of Pokemon in my opinion.

Battling in Cassette Beasts is similar to a double-battle in Pokemon, where you fight with two creatures at a time. The battles have moves and stats like many turn-based RPGs, but Cassette Beasts features an AP system and an 'element' system, with effects based on elemental interactions. You and your partner are also able to fuse, creating a more powerful form which earns AP faster, has every move from both fused cassettes, and boosted stats. Furthermore, unlike in Pokemon, when a cassette breaks, you and your partner become susceptible to physical/ranged attacks and can be defeated.

Cassette Beasts offers plenty of customization, with a large variety of beasts and moves. Most beasts have an evolution stage and can 'grow up' like in Pokemon. Sadly, there are more 2-stage than 3-stage beasts, which can be disappointing. On the bright side, every beast seems to have a lot to offer in battle, so recruitment is a matter of curiosity, design preference, or cohesiveness in a team. It is fairly easy to customize and rearrange moves; the player can 'peel' moves off certain cassettes and put them onto others, and each beast is able to learn a wide variety of moves, with final forms having an 8-move capacity. There are also passive moves, which are essentially background abilities.

While the combat system is especially customizable, mid-game combat, nonetheless, becomes repetitive, with basic moves often used instead of more powerful ones due to AP limitations. Later in the game, passive moves make your beasts more dynamic, but mid-game combat does not have enough passive options to alleviate the issue, so you may find yourself with eight moves on your fully formed beast that are not seeing much use. Other than that, combat can be engaging and enjoyable.

From my perspective, Cassette Beasts falters in the mid-game. Once your cassettes are fully formed and you have experienced the bosses and Metroidvania elements, everything begins to grow repetitive. There are a total of 8 stations in the game or so, and about halfway through, the novelty of fighting bosses and exploring the map wears off. The bosses share a similar setting and cutscene, which makes them feel less special as you progress. Finally, as a puzzle enthusiast, I am disappointed by the puzzles in this game, which are mainly about pushing buttons to open a chest or progress.

Even if the mid-game can sometimes feel like a chore, Cassette Beasts is an enjoyable game with a unique take on the 'monster-catcher' genre. The feeling of wanting to discover and uncover beasts stayed with me during the whole game. I would recommend Cassette Beasts to anyone who likes monster-collecting RPGs.
7.5/10