Nexomon Review by agsmith

Nexomon managed to recapture all the joy, wonder and excitement I felt as a kid playing Pokémon Blue for the first time back in the late 90s. All of the bloat has been stripped away, and the end product is a "back-to-basics" monster tamer that does the genre--and my nostalgia for it--absolute justice.

The graphics are fun and quirky. Bright colors abound in a sprite-based world, and small touches make all the difference. Whether Omnicron's tendrils are flowing, a wiggling bush indicates a potential Nexomon battle, or even a subtle shimmer on water catches the eye, the 2D world is beautiful, bright and ready for anything. The monsters are all wonderfully illustrated, and with over 300 monsters to trap, there's so much to explore that you can spend a solid 40+ hours wandering the world. Sprite-based games rarely look this good, and Nexomon pulls it off with aplomb. (10/10)

Few games have such a rockin' soundtrack! Each and every background track sets the mood for the environment perfectly. From the charming theme in Mountain Village to the guitar-driven battle theme against your final warden, each and every track lends that much more atmosphere to the moment. Even smaller sound effects, such as the whomp-whomp-whomp-bring! of Barrier, or the whoosh of warping keep the player engaged in a meaningful way. (10/10)

As always, I used a DualShock 4 to play the game. Controls could be a bit tighter, but they work fine for a game that doesn't require much precision. The most frustrating controls for me were using the triggers and bumpers to sort the Nexomon in storage. I'd often tap the wrong button by accident, or I'd set my controller down and catch the triggers to resort them while I was thinking. It's not too hateful overall, though. (8/10)

The story is a massive improvement over the other major franchise mentioned in this review, Pokémon. Gone are the days of "go beat these eight guys, then these four guys, then my jerk of a grandson, and oh yeah, collect all the monsters along the way." Story-wise, Nexomon has a bit more substance. Challenging the Nexolord, seeing the twists along the way, and ultimately beating the major plot twist at the end of the post-game content kept me hitting the game at one of the best paces I've ever taken a game in. I'm excited to see what the next installment has to offer, and I'm looking forward to the release of the third. (11/10)

If you're a fan of the "creature catcher" genre, Nexomon is a must-have. The game's flaws are few and far between, and the positives are abundant and come together to create a solid experience. (9/10)