I'm curious considering it's currently at 96% positive, what about the reviews drove you away? For me, the game captured the feeling of playing Pokemon for the first time (Heart Gold) again. It was similar enough on a basic level to draw me in, but all the fundamentals and mechanics are totally different and bring a wave of fresh air to the stale Pokemon formula.

If you've played Pokemon on the DS and didn't like it, this game probably won't be your kind of thing. If you did though, Cassette Beasts has a lot going for it. It has creative monster designs, a cast of unique side characters with their own story quests, a very memorable soundtrack (including my most played song of 2023), a not-overwhelmingly-massive open world with plenty to do, and just a smidge of analog horror.

I have ~30 hours in it iirc.

[–] replicat@lemmy.world 4 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

It's just Pokémon but if the series grew up with the fanbase instead of stagnating on the age group it did.

It's a really good "monster collector" game with solid gameplay and a mature story.

I played ~30hrs and there is still a lot to go.

That being said, it's not AAA by any means.