Our Coromon Review is based on 30 hours of solid gameplay, including completing the ending and diving deep into the game's mechanics.
As someone who grew up with the Pokemon franchise, my expectations for Coromon were low, especially when you consider the game was created by two core developers and an indie team. But surprisingly, the game shines in all areas and is a solid entry in the monster-taming genre.
Don't expect Coromon to be revolutionary, but rather an exciting new recipe for a cake that might have started to feel too familiar.
Coromon can be played currently on Steam, but it is scheduled for release on both the Nintendo Switch and other mobile devices at a later date.
This Coromon Review is based on the Steam version of the game (V1.019).
A demo version of the game was released several months before the main game, which included about 20-30% of the final game. The developers are also tweaking the game and adding changes to it all the time, with future content planned for post-release.
We got the chance to interview the developers of Coromon about what is next for the game series and we are excited to see where they take the game next.
Coromon Story
Coromon's story is simple, yet intriguing. The start of the game is very similar to other RPGs, in which you're the lone heroin just starting your adventure into a world called Velua.
You begin the game starting a new job as a Battle Researcher at the town of Lux Solis Campus, and that is where you get to choose your first Coromon and have your first battles.
The main story arc is revealed to you shortly after where you are encouraged to go and investigate the Titans that have arrived in the world. The Titans are not catchable- instead, they are fearsome bosses you'll have to take down with your whole Squad of Coromon, giving you plenty of delightful headaches to overcome them. Defeating them allows you earn their essence.
You're not alone in your race to acquire the Titan Essences, however, as a group known as the Wubbonians have come from another planet to use the Titan's power for themselves.
There are 6 Titans to discover in total, spanning a variety of different biomes and themes across the world.
The different biomes usually coincide with the types of Coromon you can find and the type of Titan you'll fight. The very first Titan is locked in a Power Tower, and you'll discover several different Electric-Type Coromon on your journey to fighting him.
This formula is pretty much repeated for all 6 Titans. However, every new area presents delightful puzzles and storylines that help tie the whole world together. Many of these types of games suffer from repetitive game-mechanics, but Coromon does an excellent job of making each area feel fresh and well thought out.
The only let down of the Coromon story, and arguably the most important part, is the ending. You spend 30 hours traversing the world and taking on Titans of great power, and then it all comes down to a quick ending with very little satisfaction. It feels like an ending where the developers ran out of time because the ideas and intentions are there, but it just abruptly ends compared to other areas of the game that are well-crafted and well-thought out.
Luckily, they do have plans to rework the ending, so hopefully we can update this review at a later date when that becomes available.
Coromon Gameplay
The most important aspect of any game is the gameplay and Coromon delivers to an incredibly high-standard. For an RPG that costs less than $20, you get a game that is polished in every aspect.
Whilst the catching of creatures and battle systems aren't revolutionary, they are implemented to a A-grade standard that makes you completely forget that they are very similar to other games. And it can be argued that that familiarity allows you to enjoy them even more, because Coromon puts their own twist on these gaming mechanics to give them a fresh coat of paint.
The most unique aspect of Coromon is its Potential System. Every Coromon in the game comes in three different forms that correspond to how powerful they are. Based on RNG, when you encounter a Coromon in the wild, it can come in three different potentials, and their sprites update based on them.
The Potential mechanic adds an exciting aspect to grinding, as you never know when your next wild encounter will dish up a Perfect Coromon. It also allows for lots of replay-ability and likely something that will keep the Coromon game alive well after it's full-release.
You have 114 Coromon to capture in the game and with each of them having 3 versions each, you'll have plenty of goals to work towards.
The turn-based Battle System does feel very similar to other games in the genre.
Many of the moves your Coromon learn will feel similar, but this doesn't mean it's bad; it allows you to take that knowledge and apply it to Coromon's system.
There are unqiue Coromon types, moves that consume SP and Titan fights that require a whole Squad of Coromon to take down. You can have Battles where you take on several Coromon at once (you're only allowed to use one) and weather effects that boost certain Coromon types.
The game does a great job of explaining the mechanics of the game, so if you're unfamiliar with the monster-taming genre, you won't feel overwhelmed.
Aside from the main story, there are also Side Quests and Online PVP battling. There are not many Side Quests, but the ones that are available don't feel too repetitive and offer some unique mechanics to the core gameplay.
PVP isn't something we played extensively, but it does allow players who really enjoy the turn-based combat system to put themselves up against other players. They have made several improvements to this system, such as giving players a random Squad of Coromon to use for fights, a rank-based system and casual match-making.
You will also come across different Modules that you install onto your Gauntlet that your player wears. These modules allow you to access areas that require specific modules (such as Surfing or pushing boulders out the way). Coromon also adds unique modules such as the AROMA module that increases the level of wild Coromon in your area and the Scan module for finding hidden items.
Some menu systems could do with improvements to help players sorting out items and using them, as well as some settings to help speed up battles when you're grinding out the levels of your Coromon, especially as you enter the end-game.
Coromon Music and Art
Coromon excels with it's music and art-style. The simple pixelated art-style can sometimes be very limiting to these types of games, but Coromon does a great job of providing lots of variety. All of the towns and biomes feel unique with their own personality, which help to compliment the Coromon you come across.
The Coromon themselves are pleasantly designed and you can tell a lot of effort went into making sure their designs were up to par with the rest of the game. Many Coromon were cut from the demo, and after seeing some of those cut-Coromon sprites, you can understand why.
Your own character in Coromon can be customized extensively for a simple pixel game. You're able to change your outfit on the fly and some of the rarest items in the game are cosmetics, which adds another dimension to the Coromon gameplay.
The music of Coromon is especially good. The themes never feel over-bearing enough to take you out the gameplay-experience and a lot of them help to bring even more emotion to a game that is limited in its art-style and text-based dialogue.
Some of the battle themes are right up there with making you feel hyped up in the intense situations. Even the simple sounds of the Coromon creatures feel polished and well crafted.
You'll find that exploring the world of Coromon is just as exciting as the gameplay, because each new town and area has it's own unique theme that pushes the personality of story's characters to new heights.
Coromon Overview
Coromon is a solid game and you'll definitely feel like it's money well-spent. The monster-taming genre has come a long way since the early 90s and Coromon's attempt is both intriguing and addicting. It is a game that feels like it's home is handheld devices, so when it gets its release on Nintendo Switch they will definitely compliment each other.
The main story has around 20-30 hours of gameplay, depending on if you decide to do all the side quests and search for all the hidden items. The puzzles in the game are nice-little brain teasers that give you a satisfactory feeling when you finally crack the code and the boss fights can feel both challenging and easy depending on what Coromon you use.
The Coromon game was developed on the Solar2D Game Engine and it runs very well on Steam. It can be played on all screen sizes and we didn't experience any glitches whilst playing it, so props to the developers for releasing a well-polished game.
We're excited to see where Coromon goes next; whether it be a sequel game or future updates with post-game content.
8
Discussion