I'd say this game was an alright, but i could see someone having a hard time getting into the game. Designed sort of in an old RPG way! but I love the creative chances it takes for its monsters, while not using evolution. Fun that the chapters are split like a story book in a way and love to see how by the part im in (by the fly saucer part) how the story matures and gets less edgy then some of the starting chapters.

Over all I like how they approach monsters and if you grind well I bet you could influence the stats of your monsters even if i wasn't personally motivated. Hope to pick this game up again, will just take a little bit of effort but it will be worth it for the style and approach to combat c:

Also the slime guys for funny to watch do things, they make me laugh.

Edit: was also a pretty go jumping off point to get me to try more indie monster captures!

SHORT SPOILER FREE:

This game hit all the points I wanted in a monster capture and did amazingly as an indie monster capture, making a unique feel compared to any other monster capture RPG. I loved this c:

7 PARAGRAPHS OF SLIGHT SPOILERS:

I think this game does so many unique things that make it stand out as a monster capture genre game. From it's gameplay to design philosophy/inspiration to how its character and world was handled. There is a lot I need to dig into for what makes this game special the more I immersed myself in it. Like steeping a light tea, getting it's full taste as I finished my cup. I defiantly have other things to say about the game in general, it's not perfect, but it served my tastes well.

I'll start with the monster design, I think what they do pull is mostly really good. Even for a general audience, they have cute round designs to some more cool angular to mysterious inspiration to the few odd picks. Some are obviously a combonation of some and others I'm not thinking of, but they are really great. EVEN IF SOME APPEAL TO ME SPECEFICALLY. I think Braxsuit for example is a cryptid with cuter proportions that can be seen as odd, but has a funny suit they adjust their tie for. Bullentino to Artilirex is like, the antheses of dinosaur like Charizard/Rathilos/Greymon. Which is cool and has a silly component, being a rex made of a rifle. Not to mention its secondary evolution, Gearyu, fills that Machinedramon niche. Jumpkin was a simple design they repolished from their last game, a cute pumpkin with a nice gymic to catch. That turns into horror tropes of vampire and person chasing you with an axe, Draculeaf and Beanstalker. Common winter birds, vague garb, drinking bird and an ice pick gives you Icepeck a favorite. The amount of creatures based on folklore, cryptid, yo-kai, myths, is astounding for 140 of them. I love how some are close to the inspiration or almost feel like something different. There is a huger variety then I expected for an indie monster capture. Lots of these fellas will stay in my mind!! I wont spoil you by describing all the designs but going in spoiler free really kept me surprised for these 2 months. I have to stop myself anyways I would write multiple paragraphs on the feels a majority of them elicit in me.

Shift gears to gameplay, I feel this would be hit or miss for most. It is not your digimon or pokemon or yo-kai watch, it's a little different then most I see. It feels as if they emulated like the energy of the smaller pokemon fan games, it try's to shift it's gameplay. It made me think of my teams very differently, design or mechanic wise. Firstly its type chart does not make you deal more damage, it causes reactions creating status's. So you still have stuff akin to more damage, metal to ice gives defenses down. electric to air/metal gives you extra damage doing those attacks. opposed to poison/fire to grass, that's your toxic/burn. Glitter changes you or the attackers type to whats hit. Astral can attack with bigger attacks if hit by the main 4 elements, opposite when hit by synthetics. like the list goes on and the new kinds of types they use. It makes it all the more exciting to use a new type or monster. Secondly all the fusion makes reactions twice as powerful or hurtful, it ties in but gives you a goofy design made off a monsters determined parts. While some can get repetetive and some I wasn't the hugest fans on, I really liked the creatively on how YOU decided which you liked. Some where mechanical and great for the situation, some could have a silly design or color combo you think rocks. Best is if you don't like how it functions or looks, you can refuse them later and it will be different. I like the trial and error of it and understandable with the 16,000 fusions in the game you can log. It sparks what I loved about the fan games pokemon fusions or pokemon sweets, fusions and unfamiliar type chart! Heck even the double battle system was neat with how it works, very slightly like yo-kai watch in aspects. Grinding was tied to YOU not your monster. All were technically usable even if you had to build up moves and wait a couple battles to evolve some. I think that went faster though the higher level you were. my experience on my own I get 2 stars for evolution a battle sometimes.
BUT, this is to say I think this isn't perfect. I do think this inspires thinking out of the box instead of being used to one system. I think it works for digimon or pokemon in great ways, but for an indie game ... it's the striking concept that kept making me thinking!! Also moves are your level rewards I guess? It's strange to me but I think I've warmed up to it. They can stink for some evolutions though, but they can randomly be bought.

I think shiny hunting & relationships in this game need a block moved out for themselves. Shiny hunting or as they call it Bootlegs in this game is ones of the more steramlined ways of this mechanic. For anyone who isn't familair, its a mechanic in a portion of monster captures where you can get different colors. in modern pokemon or Ooblets this is just aesthetic for any, in Yo-kai watch its only for a certian few but they look different and also play completely differently. Somehow this game marriaged the two in a way that not everyone will be happy with, but I think works effectively. So in this game you have 0.001% to 10% chance to find a monster in ANY TYPE, chaning their color and what moves they can get and obviously their reactions. Even for ones that match their given type they get rare moves, different ones at that. it changes how you interact with them and make them unique in Yo-kais way while making everyone happy with every creature getting one. I love it so much. Not the mention the higher 1% to 10% chances come from seeking out rouge fusions (semi-randomly genrated static encounters). so you have to search to find those a majority of the game till later. They have an actual item that confirms a type or monster the next rouge fusion, depending on the one recycled. Which doesn't flat out confirm I'm getting a bootleg Braxsuit that wind, but that it could be either. With smart planning you can find a guy you want, have a double of it, then go encounter them to see if that ones shiny or the other half. Which you can save reset from cause it remembers it. Like this has to be the most satisfying system for this while you can still fail them and the shiny itself will respawn in the same place. It's absolutely wild how much they put in for the player here :]

Okay short thing about relationships is I like how its short and sweet, character quest gives you 1 heart. You get to know them afterwards. You bond and can date them. You get to be best friends with other world Koromaru but normal. (a dog) I REST MY CASE.

Lastly character and world. So I enjoy how both go hand in hand to help you understand the mystery of why everyone is washed up and here on this island. I really don't wanna say their character, but I just loved Felix, Viola & Barkley. We may have not gotten anything concreate on why it exists or why we were here, wherever we are, but it strengthened the characters which is a part i focsued into. I have not done post story so maybe theres more and in the DLC, but I loved how it ended and what the archangels represented in a way.

Added:
I really wanna like, crunch every pixel. Very good chunky look.

I'm really running out of steam if you couldn't tell so I'll end it here! I really enjoyed my time with the game and I hope you enjoyed it or even give it a try if you read this far. I still play it after I've streamed it and I love so much of it <3
It ain't everyone's cup of tea, but sure as hell was mine!