This game encapsulates everything about why I buy upwards of 8 indie titles to a single AAA. This game has an idea that it wants, and absolutely accomplishes it. Make the pokemon game of your childhood dreams, but give it a twist: an emphasis on the 2v2 format. That's great and all, but beyond the premise and the polish comes the most important aspect: the injection of a soul.

This game has a soul. From its humor to its quality-of-life options available right from the start, this game elevates beyond its contemporaries in the genre by an intense focus on the little things; things that that the suits and execs on a AAA boardroom will deny their designers in place of generic open world or "enhanced graphics." Little touches, like the myriad text responses based on wins and losses, to raremorph beasties being programmed to assist you in fulfilling their recruitment requirements, to the insane amount of interactions beasties can have with their teammates (to say nothing of how many combos exist between individual beastie teams). This is a game designed for a specific purpose, yes, but its also designed to entertain; to bring joy, rather than simply produce good 4th quarter numbers on a spreadsheet.

I have put far too many hours into the game, and I will continue to do so. I'll probably replay the game with every major patch, and I can't wait to see where the post-game plot goes. I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys Pokemon, 2v2 competitive games, or was (or ever wanted to be) on a high school volleyball team. The drama in-game isn't too far off from what it was like on the court; I speak from experience!

This game encapsulates everything about why I buy upwards of 8 indie titles to a single AAA. This game has an idea that it wants, and absolutely accomplishes it. Make the pokemon game of your childhood dreams, but give it a twist: an emphasis on the 2v2 format. That's great and all, but beyond the premise and the polish comes the most important aspect: the injection of a soul. This game has a soul. From its humor to its quality-of-life options available right from the start, this game elevates beyond its contemporaries in the genre by an intense focus on the little things; things that that the suits and execs on a AAA boardroom will deny their designers in place of generic open world or "enhanced graphics." Little touches, like the myriad text responses based on wins and losses, to raremorph beasties being programmed to assist you in fulfilling their recruitment requirements, to the insane amount of interactions beasties can have with their teammates (to say nothing of how many combos exist between individual beastie teams). This is a game designed for a specific purpose, yes, but its also designed to entertain; to bring joy, rather than simply produce good 4th quarter numbers on a spreadsheet. I have put far too many hours into the game, and I will continue to do so. I'll probably replay the game with every major patch, and I can't wait to see where the post-game plot goes. I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys Pokemon, 2v2 competitive games, or was (or ever wanted to be) on a high school volleyball team. The drama in-game isn't too far off from what it was like on the court; I speak from experience!