Creature-collecting games have been around for a long time. While we tend to associate the genre predominantly withPokemon, the fact is that there are a fair fewcreature-collecting games that predatePokemon. While the king of the genre hasn’t evolved all that much over the years (no pun intended), the truth is that the genre as a whole has.
For example, they’ve increasingly jumped on the open-world bandwagon. Traditionally, creature-collecting games have tended to be open-world, but in recent years, games in the genre have begun emphasizing this aspect of their gameplay. The worlds have gotten bigger, and more complex and have offered players more things to do than just catch monsters and battle them. We’ve ranked some of the best open-world creature-collecting games, ranking them based on the general quality of their creature-collecting mechanics as well as how good their open-worlds are.
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witchis more of a traditional JRPG than a creature-collector. That means, rather than the usual open world, it has a 3D over-world, so some people might not consider it truly an open world. It’s such a special game, however, that it deserves a mention.
InNi no Kuni, the player battles and collects monsters called familiars who can then be used alongside the player character in real-time battles. The world and the familiars that inhabit it are gorgeous thanks to the fact that Level-5 worked alongside Studio Ghibli to createthe game’s stunning artwork. The game’s story is heartwarming but surprisingly dark in places, and the combat can be quite challenging for such a child-friendly-looking game.Ni no Kuniis an excellent mix of JRPG and creature collector that fans of both genres will love.
Slime Rancher 2is about as far removed from a traditional creature collector as it can get, yet it also features most of the hallmarks of the genre. It’s a first-person shooter where the player rounds up different kinds of slime, which they can then breed and sell to upgrade their farm. There are 21 different types of slimes to collect and breed, all of which can be found across the open world’s various biomes.
Slime Rancher 2is also agreat open-world resource management game, meaning the player is invited to explore not just to catch slimes, but to collect resources to upgrade their ranch and equipment. It sounds like an odd mix of genres, but with its cute art style, lack of combat, and general feeling of coziness, it works. The only reasonSlime Rancher 2gets the bottom ranking is the fact there’s just not much creature variety. Whereas most games here have hundreds of types of creatures to collect,Slime Rancher 2only has 21, and they’re all slimes.
Monster Sanctuaryis what would happen ifPokemonhad originally been designed as a Metroidvania-style 2D side-scroller. However,Monster Sanctuaryis also anything but aPokemonrip-off. That’s largely because, in many ways, it’s far more complex. InMonster Sanctuary, the player battles with up to 3 monsters at the same time, and success relies on how well these monsters synergize with each other. Damage done increases as the combo counter increases, so the player needs to consider the turn order of their monsters, if they use rapid-firing combo-builders or heavy hitters, as well as their attack type/element.
Each monster also has its own unique skill tree, which unlocks new abilities and passive buffs that affect the above synergies in dramatic ways. It’s not just the combat system that is excellent. Exploring the 2D open world is also a hoot. The map is full of environmental puzzles and hidden rewards locked behind certain monsters and player abilities that reward exploration. Unfortunately, for some players, it might all be a bit much. Designing the perfect team can get a little too complex and keeping track of areas you can’t explore yet on the map can become tiresome, as can the constant backtracking.Monster Sanctuarymight be one ofthe most underrated creature collection games on Steam,but its handful of flaws land it a lower ranking here.
Despite being around almost as long asPokemon,Digimonis most known for being a “Pokemonknock-off”. That’s a little uncharitable, but it’s also true there are far fewer goodDigimongames than there arePokemon. One of the best isDigimon World: Next Order,a surprisingly hard Digimon gamethat’s all about death. The game has a large open world with 232 Digimon to capture. Combat is real-time, and the player doesn’t control their chosen Digimon directly, instead, they act automatically, and the player is free to pause at any time to give specific commands or use items.
The big twist, though, is that the player can only ever have two Digimon at a time. The focus is on training/ raising these Digimon until they get old and die. They are then reincarnated but grow more powerful with each reincarnation. Digimon captured in battle are merely sent to the hub town. Once captured, you have a chance of your starting Digimon reincarnating into a type you’ve already captured. It’s an interesting twist on the usual creature-capturing formula that isn’t for everyone. At times, it feels more like playing with an old-school Tamagotchi with combat glued on. The open world also isn’t that interesting, meaning thisDigimongets a lower ranking, even if it does get points for trying something new.
Coromonis a game that wears itsPokemoninspiration on its sleeves. Rather than trying to reinvent the old creature-collecting genre,Coromonattempts to perfect it. It feels incredibly similar to playing classicPokemonbutthere are some important differences.Coromonhas improvements like a randomizer and built-in Nuzlocke mode that increase the difficulty and offer a new challenge toPokemonveterans.
There’s also a greater emphasis on offering customization options, and the player can overhaul the look of both their character and theirCoromon. The game’s open world is pretty standard for classicPokemongames, but its pixel art is arguably prettier, the music is excellent, andCoromonactually has a decent story. For fans of the oldPokemongames, it doesn’t get much better than this, although the fact there are only 114 Coromon to collect is a bit disappointing. The game can also feel a bittoofamiliar at times, and towards the end, it can get a bit too grind-heavy.
Much likeCoromon,Nexomonis more about honoringPokemonthan about trying something new with the genre. It’s a gorgeous game full of beautiful locations to explore and unique-looking creatures to battle and capture. Its creature roster is particularly impressive and has well over 300 monsters on offer, each fully animated (take thatPokemon).
The game’s biggest draw, however, is probably its story. Telling a good story often isn’t an emphasis for games like this, butNexomontells a charming, often funny story full of nods to fans and lovable characters. Unlike thePokemongames, it would be wise to play the originalNexomonbefore picking this one up. The game also has much-appreciated quality-of-life features through its Custom Mode, which offers things like EXP boosts, disabling level caps, and reducing or increasing random encounter rates. Players normally need mods and cheats to customize games like this to such an extent. The only reasonNexomongets a mid-ranking is, once again, it all feels a little bit too familiar, something its upcoming sequel looks like it might fix.
At first glance,Cassette Beastsmight look like another 2DPokemonknock-off, but that would be doing the game a huge disservice. This is a creature-capturing game with an Isekai, music-enthused twist. Players explore its large open world, capturing monsters and trapping them in cassette tapes. When a battle starts, the player character transforms into one of their creatures and the battle commences.
The big twist is that battles are always 2v2 and the player is accompanied by a character they’ve met and recruited in the world. In battle, the player can fuse with their partner to create a new, more powerful beast. Impressively, there are more than 14,000 combinations that can be discovered, which is insane considering each has a unique design. The open-world itself has Metroidvania elements, with some areas locked until new beasts with certain abilities are found. Fans of Isekai anime will adore the story.Cassette Beastsis considered one ofthe best RPGs of 2023for good reason.
Temtemlooks and plays a lot like the more recent open-worldPokemongames but with one big difference.Temtemis an always online MMORPG, that gives fans of the genre the chance to meet up and play with other players in its open world. That can mean working together to complete quests and raids called Lairs or fighting against each other competitively. Back in 2020, it was the kind of addition to the genre fans had been begging for forever.
Some might say its open-world looks better than recentPokemongames while its story is of a similar quality (not exactly a compliment).Temtemtends to be a little more difficult than other creature-collecting games and has a surprising amount of depth to its systems. It gets a high ranking simply for being an MMORPG and a creature collector, but it’s far from perfect.Temtemcan get very grindy, and for some its MMO elements can quickly become a drag. At times it can also feel far too similar toPokemon, especially in its creature designs, to the point it’s amazing Nintendo’s lawyers haven’t been more involved.
Palworld’smassive success has surprised pretty much everyone, even its developers. There was a fair bit of hype before the game was released, but no one could have guessed just how huge the game would become. Its success has largely been down to the fact it appeals to a section of the creature collector player base that has been ignored for decades - adults.
PalworldisPokemonfor grown-ups. It’s a combination of creature collector and survival games where players don’t just capture monsters; they can equip them with machine guns and rocket launchers and kill other humans. The player can also butcher their Pals for food or enslave them and put them to work on grueling production lines. Beneath the game’s cute graphics beats a heart as black as coal. The open world itself is pretty but fairly standard for a survival game, as players unlock new regions as they defeat bosses and upgrade their gear. There might be a fair few bugs, and creature designs may look a bit familiar, butPalworlddeserves credit for both trying something new and showing up the long stalePokemonfranchise. It gets the top ranking for upsetting the status quo.
