#Idk....... but smt about this just rubs me the wrong way!!!!

[pickled-flowers]

The queer comitte I created at my old school is surviving without me and most of the original "founders", but the new ppl have officially renamed it "the alphabet mafia" and Idk but that's homophobic to me

[doubleddenden]

Gonna highlight two games I'm trying out, both monster collectors

First one is Coromon, still an early access demo. By the books, it's a Pokemon-like down to pretty much everything except some UI and lore stuff, which is fine, I like Pokemon-likes. Haven't delved too deep into it because it's kinda clunky to control with my keyboard and there's no controller support from what I've seen, and it doesn't go full screen. But, something I'll praise it for are the monsters, which look very cool and move in a very pretty and very smooth animation style (they honestly look 3d at times). So far, even attacks look animated in a unique way. Also, the monster cries are very distinct and cool. In addition, although it's kinda hard to tell, there's character customization with lots of options- although it's hard to see it all because its overworld sprites and not a full sprite. There are also difficulty settings, but it basically just incorporates Nuzlocke rules at hard and Insane modes, which I feel could have just been a level boost in the environment or something else without immediately jumping from normal to permadeath. This, and I hate to nitpick, but something bugs me about Easy Mode being labeled "hold my hand please!" Like, idk, kinda rubs me wrong. Feels arrogant. Something else I'll say is weird though is that the character speaks now and then- maybe I'm weird, but I prefer when the MC is silent in these type games with maybe minimum dialogue options (think Pokemon MC). Gives more of a blank slate I can project onto. That, and I feel it's weird to catch a monster and gain a repelling system before you get to choose your starter monster. I think the starter should come first, THEN that.

I do certainly vibe with Coromon though and I think it has loads of potential, and I wish the devs good luck with it.

Second:

Monster Crown, also in Early Access, but imo has slightly more polish than Coromon at present. It's very Pokemon in the monster catching and type mechanics, but it also incorporates elements I believe I've seen from rarer monster collection games like from the Dragon Quest or SMT series. You can keep up to 8 monsters in your party, and types are very different compared to what you would expect, such as Will, Brutal, Infection, etc. You have character customization in the form of selecting hair styles, color palettes, and body type, and can change things at a mirror if you want. The game has a very smooth running retro feel as well, but occasionally has moments that go beyond that, such as the sun, moon, and stars reflecting with your movement on lakes, grass reflecting effects with the wind, overworld encounters, following monsters, day and night cycle with I BELIEVE a weather system- there's a lot of good stuff here. The monsters too feel very monster like and the few I've seen all look pretty cool, and you have more than 3 choices in starters as well. Some feel a bit off, but credit where credit is due, I can understand why people would be afraid of running into these things. The game runs well, has controller support, options to remap controls, options to change screen size, and difficulty and exp options as well. Plus, it has gorgeous artwork. Now, something I gotta say is that some of the button placement can be clunky, and I'm not sure if I'm missing something, but I don't believe I can access a bag, and I can't really heal my partner in the overworld before I'm swarmed by more monsters, who also swarm me mid NPC conversation.

All in all though I really like Monster Crown. It has a unique take on the monster catching genre that feels nostalgic at the same time. I look forward to playing more of this especially!