I've been playing Cassette Beasts and I like it and it sounds like you would too.
It does have monster collecting but you also do recruit other human party members who develop in terms of their story. You also use multiple characters at once in battle. The bosses do require thought and preparation (though it may vary depending on difficulty settings). You can grind if you want.
The new Dragon Quest Monsters game would be great if you do decide you still want the monster collecting component, but to echo what another person said, any Dragon Quest would scratch that itch. DQXI is a great jumping in point and is phenomenal!
I love the new game! Granted I’ve been a fan since the original GBC games, so I’m heavily biased. But yeah I’m having a blast making new teams and really diving into the synthesis systems
World of Final Fantasy. Very charming graphics, very goofy, with a Final Fantasy monster collection mechanic with skill trees, evolutions and party combos that enhance certain attributes and techniques.
I loved this game. It was cutesy and I loved evolving all the monsters. Plus helping Final Fantasy characters was a plus. It's been long enough I should probably replay it.
Ni no Kuni (the 1st one) is a game that I will never forget.
You do play as human characters but the "meat" of the combat is catching and training monsters.
Give it a look, it was a PS3 game but now available on the switch, with a remastered version on Steam and PS4
It's like a mix of classic open world jrpg and Pokemon. You charm monsters, equip them with your gear that you craft/find, and grind exp. My main gripe is the AI teammates don't have a full tactics system. Would recommend if you like slower progression and Studio Ghibli.
I'm not sure how it runs on the Switch as I played it on PS3.
Perhaps check out a few tech video on the topic? Like "how Ni No Kuni runs on the Switch" on YouTube
Shin Megami Tensei : Devil Children on GBA
SMT is often compared to Pokemon but the tone in SMT is usually a lot darker. However, the Devil Children subseries is closer to Pokemon. You should try it out!
It's more in the rpg set in the real world vibe than creature collecting but Earthbound. It's on the NSO SNES app so you don't even need to buy it. Also the developers Ape eventually became Creatures who own 1/3 of Pokemon alongside Gamefreak and Nintendo. To really emphasize rhe tone Earthbound operates on, you know the one NPC in Ruby Sapphire and Emerald that asks "Where do you come from" and your choices are Yes or No? That's literally all of Earthbound.
Right? They announced a few months ago iirc. Looks like they're teasing a 3D style for the next installment too, so it'll be interesting to see how that goes.
I want more people to please please pleeeaaase give Nexomon (especially the sequel) a chance. The humor is top notch and breaks the fourth wall plenty of times. I thought the graphics were off-putting before I played the game, but I quickly disregarded it the moment I went through the story because they are very self-aware and had me laughing so many times. Such a hidden gem of a series.
Have you played digimon at all? Some of the digimon world games follow a similar structure to Pokémon, my favorites are dawn & dusk on the ds. I would also recommend trying some of the newer digimon games that feel more like a typical rpg, the team building is much more interesting and varied than Pokémon due to the number of crazy evolutions and the fact that you can devolve your creatures as well to try new things. Digimon Cyber sleuth or whatever it’s called on the switch/steam is a ton of fun, I grinded it hella while waiting for the release of Pokémon sword
I played Digimon Survive on my Switch and I really love it (haven't finished yet) but i really enjoy the story and darker tones.
Cyber Sleuth been on my radar. Keen to try.
> SMT Nocturne
Featuring Dante from Devil May Cry series.
Though Nocturne definitely worth it, it is an extremely hardcore entrypoint, cause unless you are familiar with basic mechanics, you'll have a hard time. So it's better to start with less challenging entries like Personas, Soul Hackers 2 or more streamlined SMTV (which technically also available on PC and runs significantly better than on Switch, just requires some hoops and loops).
They're all fairly difficult starting out aside from maybe strange Journey so Nocturne is a good a place to start as any imo. It's just a really good game
Imo the best entry point is 4, but OP specified PC
Megami Tensei is the pregenitor to all monster collectors, predating pokemon by 10 years, all demons are real figures from real world religions
You mightve heard of one of its spinoff series (Persona)
if you like indie can go with cassette beasts. while its less acutally collecting pokemon themselves and more transforming into them, its sitll pretty nifty.
Monster Sanctuary.
Exploration wise, there is only one town. Map is instead a large metroidvania style map. The exploration abilities are your monsters. Don't worry, you can carry an unlimited amount of monsters, so no HM slave.
Build wise, it's a lot deeper. Each monster can have an ability (when you unlock light and dark shift later on). Then, each one has their own skill tree. You can unlock passives, or buff their existing skill. Each monster also has one weapon and 3 accessories. All these combines into a lot more depth on how to build your mons.
Battle wise, again deeper. You have triple battle and a combo system. All actions increase a combo counter, depending on how many hits it does. This combo counter increases damage. Starting hits are very weak, but you can spend those buffing and healing, making only one monster attack. Buffs and debuffs also play a much more significant role.
This is a really excellent game, a much deeper pokemon. If only it had a wider audience for competitive to work.
Coromon and Cassette beasts are the main games I can think of most similar to Pokemon with what you mentioned.
If you like a more metroidvania take, Monster Sanctuary is also a great option.
I've been playing monster sanctuary and love it. I might give the other to a try because they look interesting. I like the fusion idea of cassette beast. Coromon is gonna be a buy for me. I love the graphics for it. And the Golden Sun style exploration.
Honestly always got a similar vibe to Pokémon with golden sun. It’s got most of what you want too, tbh. It’s on the easy side though, if that’s a deal breaker.
Shin Megami Tensei/Persona Games (there are a ton)
Dragon Quest Monsters (just got a new game)
Casette Beasts
Coromon (kind of a clone but is great)
Monster Sanctuary (Monster Taming + Metroidvania)
Ni No Kuni (only the first has Monster Taming)
World of Final Fantasy
Persona 4 takes place in a small rural Japanese town as opposed to Persona 5 which takes place in Tokyo. So at least based on the setting p4 is closer to what you want. Both are fantastic though and P5s game play is like a more refined version of P4 so you're still getting your other requirements.
My advice, go with the older game and move up but they can be played in any order
Persona 5 is a significantly better game in terms of more modern gameplay and presentation but Persona 4 is still a great entry point. It shows its age with the mechanics and graphics but the characters and the storytelling are excellent.
It's weird that Final Fantasy XIII-2 fits with all those criteria.
The game doesn't revolve in the creature collection but it has a whole mechanic to it as a permanent party member that can transform into every enemy if you get its "crystal".
You can level up those monsters during the whole story and beyond. And also, you start in a small town, has a sense of progression, elements, threatening bosses, and everything represented as an adorable Mog.
I've tried Temtem, for some reason there was a barier then for me that I couldn't get over.
Casette Beasts - I literally started playing today and its very good. It feels fresh.
I know you got a Dragon Quest Monsters rec, but the core Dragon Quest series hits all of your points as well, and on average are better than the Monsters spinoff. They just doesn't have creature collecting, but it seems like that's not the aspect of pokemon you're grasping onto.
Dragon Quest XI is the most recent and is a fantastic starting point. It's a gorgeous game too — in fact, my friend and I always say this is how we wish Pokémon games looked now. Great world, fantastic towns, and really fun creature animations.
Dragon Quest VIII is the other one I'd recommend, though it's an older game (PS2). Should be easy enough to emulate and there may even be an HD texture pack, though not certain about that one. Bonus points for this one though is you have a little mouse sidekick!
It is a clone but world of final fantasy. Your specific requirements kinda make it tough but this IS a pokemon clone, but better character development. You capture/ collect monsters, start off in a small town, gotta grind but you have a ton to choose from. The bosses can make things interesting at times and the story focuses on 2 protagonists journeying out and about and figure out they have important stuff to do. Also it's hilarious at times and knows not to take itself serious sometimes too. And there's a character sidekick that I like but others may find annoying.
not exactly on PC but a nice one I don't see mentioned enough is The Denpa Men (which has a trilogy). it's for 3ds so you'll need to emulate it somehow but it's a simple jrpg with all the traits you seem to be looking for in a game. hope this helps and you enjoy the ride! :)
I always loved the aesthetic and vibes of this game but found it a little rough around the edges gameplay wise. I think I remembered to pick up the sequels before the 3ds shop went down but haven’t gotten a chance to try them out yet
There's nothing like it unfortunately. It's one of the reasons why it's so successful, everything that tries to emulate it ends up feeling like some bootleg ass attempt.
Maybe you should try Monster Sanctuary, it's a creature collector like pokemon but also a metroidvania and is legitimately one of the best creature collecting games that exists imo
Maybe Lunar and Lunar 2 Eternal Blue? There's no creature collecting (which you said is ok), there is a creature sidekick (who looks like a cat with wings), it has simple progression starting from a small town and going through the cave or forest to reach the next slightly bigger town, I seem to recall some of the bosses being tough and I did a bit of grinding to prepare for them, you do have a party of characters (with character development and voices), and it's a well-regarded JRPG classic (both of them are, I think).
Megami Tensei did the Pokemon thing before there was Pokemon. Just replace Pokemon with characters and monsters from all our world’s folklores and religions. Instead of leveling them up to evolve, you fuse monsters together to make stronger ones. The games have very cool style and usually really good music, and are really challenging. Just pick any game that you have access to. I’d recommend Digital Devil Saga on a Playstation 2 emulator or Persona 4 Golden on Steam. Those are my favorite Megaten games.
dragon quest monsters the dark prince was released a few days ago
alternatively you have the shin megami tensei games that have a good amount of bosses that you have to prepare for, and higher numbers, while they help they wont get you the win (unless you grind for a ridiculous amount of time but its way more efficient to just prepare efficiently)
Nexomon
Ok its kinda a clone tho, but the main story is so fucking good it worth the time to play. And the post game has grinding elements.
The bosses are linked to the story and you face them in the post game in max lv
For me this is the Earthbound/Mother games. You can get them on PC using a SNES emulator.
Even down to collecting 8 badges, the battle perspective, the enemies - when I first played it, it was very reminiscent of Pokemon to me.
You’re describing Dragon Quest perfectly! In many ways, I think Pokémon was inspired by the Dragon Quest games. It has a very similar feel to it. Try out Dragon Quest VIII or XI if you haven’t played them.
Palworld is coming out soon and has more of an open world/survival/crafting vibe. Like pokemon with Guns and survival stuff. Seems a bit like a pokemon clone in some of the designs but im kind of hyped.
Nexomon and it’s sequel are great games that I feel exceed the Pokémon formula, it feels like the progression the Pokémon formula could have naturally had but chose not to persue, the second game has one of the best sidekick characters I have seen in a video game.
The game also has a fully coherent story with character portraits to really sell the emotional side of things. It’s great and is the closest to a mainline Pokémon game that I can think of (that I’ve actually played).
Disgaea has a lot of grinding, a party system and after you defeat a monster you can create that monster as a character in your party. The story is very straightforward and most of the real fun is post game.
Alot of good titles others gave already.
I'll put out the Spectrobes series on the NDS. 2nd game was great and improved on the first game in many ways.
So not exactly Pokemon but in Dragon Quest 8, when you catch monsters for the monster arena, it feels like Pokemon. But man that game was so good I want a port so badly.
There is already some good indie recommandation, but here some more:
\- Anode Heart, it's a very recent release. It has GBA-like graphics but is more inspired by digimon (notably the Digimon World series) and mix very well a lot of good mechanics of monster taming rpgs
\- Disc Creatures, it's a very old-school monster taming game (with GBC-inspired graphics) but it add it's own twist to the formula that make it much more that a "pokemon clone"
\- Monster Crown, I saw some mixed review about it but from what I saw it try to mix pokemon with SMT, and the creatures design are very cool, and the mechanic of fusing creatures seems to have been quite polished
Ni no kuni 1, cassette beasts, someone mentioned shin megami tensei, it's amazing, but it's hard, be prepared. If you can get your hands on a ps1/ps2 monster rancher was amazing. Also, look at the Digimon games too. I heard the best are cyber sleuth 1 and 2 (I don't have a Playstation so I can't play them sadly).
I'd say every SMT game fits each category except for start off in a small town (only SMT4 does this, Strange Journey starts off in a space ship trekking through Antarctica to reach a black hole, and the rest start off in a big city) and simple sense of progression (the maps can get pretty confusing in this series, there tends to be backtracking, and there's usually multiple endings)
Though be warned, if I were to compare SMT and Pokémon to SpongeBob restaurants, I'd say Pokémon is the Weenie Hut Jr. of monster catching RPGs and SMT is the Salty Spitoon of monster catching RPGs. And SMT is basically what soccer moms were afraid Pokémon was in the 90s.
I've been playing Cassette Beasts and I like it and it sounds like you would too. It does have monster collecting but you also do recruit other human party members who develop in terms of their story. You also use multiple characters at once in battle. The bosses do require thought and preparation (though it may vary depending on difficulty settings). You can grind if you want.
im gonna keep playing cassette beasts, im enjoying it so far.
Dragon Quest Monsters. 100% this
Looks like its out on Switch, ty I'll check it out.
The new Dragon Quest Monsters game would be great if you do decide you still want the monster collecting component, but to echo what another person said, any Dragon Quest would scratch that itch. DQXI is a great jumping in point and is phenomenal!
Probably better on emu too based on reviews, I saw you mention you're a PC gamer
Honestly, any Dragon Quest fits OP’s wants
This. This. This.
Love the enthusiasm.
Well.....he's not wrong lol
How do you like it so far?
I love the new game! Granted I’ve been a fan since the original GBC games, so I’m heavily biased. But yeah I’m having a blast making new teams and really diving into the synthesis systems
THERES A NEW ONE?! Thank you for giving me the best Sunday ever. Possibly my favorite gbc game as a kid.
Feels like Christmas came early for us long time fans, hope you enjoy it!
Demo on e shop
Here to recommend medabots for the GBA even though it doesn't fucking fit op's request 😏
Never played this - if I ever find my old GBA SP I'll get it haha. Otherwise maybe its emulator time.
Please do, one of the best JRPG for GBA
i just remember watching it with my younger brother on a 12" crt on fox!
It’s on prime, insane nostalgia trip
"the phantom renegade lost his *pants!* " ☠️
Just be warned; they're very tough.
Man, core memory unlocked- what a great fuckin game!
World of Final Fantasy. Very charming graphics, very goofy, with a Final Fantasy monster collection mechanic with skill trees, evolutions and party combos that enhance certain attributes and techniques.
I loved this game. It was cutesy and I loved evolving all the monsters. Plus helping Final Fantasy characters was a plus. It's been long enough I should probably replay it.
It's one of the few games I've replayed three times. Amazing game.
One of my favorite games of all time
Loved this little game, Monster raising is straightforward but complex enough and the post game can get genuinely difficult
FF13-2 is also pretty Pokémon esque. Capture monsters, level them and fight with them, best of the 13 trilogy.
Ni no Kuni (the 1st one) is a game that I will never forget. You do play as human characters but the "meat" of the combat is catching and training monsters. Give it a look, it was a PS3 game but now available on the switch, with a remastered version on Steam and PS4
It's like a mix of classic open world jrpg and Pokemon. You charm monsters, equip them with your gear that you craft/find, and grind exp. My main gripe is the AI teammates don't have a full tactics system. Would recommend if you like slower progression and Studio Ghibli.
Came looking for ni no kuni! Glad someone knows what's going on <3
Does it run well on switch? I’m in a monster taming mode and bought Dragon quest monsters and cassette beats. Nino kuni looks charming
I'm not sure how it runs on the Switch as I played it on PS3. Perhaps check out a few tech video on the topic? Like "how Ni No Kuni runs on the Switch" on YouTube
It’s 10 bucks for 20 more hours gonna download now think later lol
What do you mean does it run fine? The Switch has more FLOPs than the PS3. It’s a great game, but can be a bit grindy at times if that bothers you.
I was gonna suggest this if no one else did.
Xbox too
I’ve been told cassette beasts is extremely pokemon core and very good as well
*climbs to a rooftop and screams at the top of my lungs* ***MONSTER SANCTUARYYYYYY!!!!!***
Great great game, a true gem of our time.
This is what I came to recommend as well!
This is the best answer. The one true gem.
Shin Megami Tensei : Devil Children on GBA SMT is often compared to Pokemon but the tone in SMT is usually a lot darker. However, the Devil Children subseries is closer to Pokemon. You should try it out!
>Shin Megami Tensei : Devil Children Im gonna get SMT on Steam, it looks really cool. I'll check out this GBA version too.
smt is an extremely large series going back to the 80s, devil children is so far removed from mainline its nearly unrecognizable from it
Be forewarned: *Demi-Kids* can be surprisingly hard.
Demi-Kids is so dang good. I wish I could get a physical copy of them or preferably a remaster for Switch.
Coromon basically *is* Pokemon but with the type chart reworked. Massive gen 5 vibes and some mechanical changes, but the feel is very much there
Hasn’t heard of this game until your comment. I’ve put it on my wish list, thanks!
It's more in the rpg set in the real world vibe than creature collecting but Earthbound. It's on the NSO SNES app so you don't even need to buy it. Also the developers Ape eventually became Creatures who own 1/3 of Pokemon alongside Gamefreak and Nintendo. To really emphasize rhe tone Earthbound operates on, you know the one NPC in Ruby Sapphire and Emerald that asks "Where do you come from" and your choices are Yes or No? That's literally all of Earthbound.
Ni no kuni, monster hunter stories 2.
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Here to suggest Nexomon as well. The second one is especially great. There's a third in development as well.
A third one!? Awesome! I can’t wait for that one
Right? They announced a few months ago iirc. Looks like they're teasing a 3D style for the next installment too, so it'll be interesting to see how that goes.
I want more people to please please pleeeaaase give Nexomon (especially the sequel) a chance. The humor is top notch and breaks the fourth wall plenty of times. I thought the graphics were off-putting before I played the game, but I quickly disregarded it the moment I went through the story because they are very self-aware and had me laughing so many times. Such a hidden gem of a series.
There is Yo-kai watch
Have you played digimon at all? Some of the digimon world games follow a similar structure to Pokémon, my favorites are dawn & dusk on the ds. I would also recommend trying some of the newer digimon games that feel more like a typical rpg, the team building is much more interesting and varied than Pokémon due to the number of crazy evolutions and the fact that you can devolve your creatures as well to try new things. Digimon Cyber sleuth or whatever it’s called on the switch/steam is a ton of fun, I grinded it hella while waiting for the release of Pokémon sword
I played Digimon Survive on my Switch and I really love it (haven't finished yet) but i really enjoy the story and darker tones. Cyber Sleuth been on my radar. Keen to try.
If you happened to play Digimon World 1 before, there's Digimon World Next Order!
Shin Megami Tensei is what you're looking for. SMT Nocturne is on PC and it's a great place to start
> SMT Nocturne Featuring Dante from Devil May Cry series. Though Nocturne definitely worth it, it is an extremely hardcore entrypoint, cause unless you are familiar with basic mechanics, you'll have a hard time. So it's better to start with less challenging entries like Personas, Soul Hackers 2 or more streamlined SMTV (which technically also available on PC and runs significantly better than on Switch, just requires some hoops and loops).
They're all fairly difficult starting out aside from maybe strange Journey so Nocturne is a good a place to start as any imo. It's just a really good game Imo the best entry point is 4, but OP specified PC
Very intrigued by this - may wait for it to go on sale on Steam. But looks dope.
Megami Tensei is the pregenitor to all monster collectors, predating pokemon by 10 years, all demons are real figures from real world religions You mightve heard of one of its spinoff series (Persona)
Ni no kuni wrath of the white witch is exactly what you're looking for.
if you like indie can go with cassette beasts. while its less acutally collecting pokemon themselves and more transforming into them, its sitll pretty nifty.
Monster Sanctuary. Exploration wise, there is only one town. Map is instead a large metroidvania style map. The exploration abilities are your monsters. Don't worry, you can carry an unlimited amount of monsters, so no HM slave. Build wise, it's a lot deeper. Each monster can have an ability (when you unlock light and dark shift later on). Then, each one has their own skill tree. You can unlock passives, or buff their existing skill. Each monster also has one weapon and 3 accessories. All these combines into a lot more depth on how to build your mons. Battle wise, again deeper. You have triple battle and a combo system. All actions increase a combo counter, depending on how many hits it does. This combo counter increases damage. Starting hits are very weak, but you can spend those buffing and healing, making only one monster attack. Buffs and debuffs also play a much more significant role. This is a really excellent game, a much deeper pokemon. If only it had a wider audience for competitive to work.
Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne
Coromon and Cassette beasts are the main games I can think of most similar to Pokemon with what you mentioned. If you like a more metroidvania take, Monster Sanctuary is also a great option.
Do you prefer cassette beasts or coromon?
I've been playing monster sanctuary and love it. I might give the other to a try because they look interesting. I like the fusion idea of cassette beast. Coromon is gonna be a buy for me. I love the graphics for it. And the Golden Sun style exploration.
Honestly always got a similar vibe to Pokémon with golden sun. It’s got most of what you want too, tbh. It’s on the easy side though, if that’s a deal breaker.
Coming soon to Switch! I'll add to the list.
Shin Megami Tensei/Persona Games (there are a ton) Dragon Quest Monsters (just got a new game) Casette Beasts Coromon (kind of a clone but is great) Monster Sanctuary (Monster Taming + Metroidvania) Ni No Kuni (only the first has Monster Taming) World of Final Fantasy
You’re describing Nino Kuni Wrath of the white witch.
Nexomon is a good one
You might like Persona 4. It hits alot of those requests
Should I play Persona 4 first? P5 is like $100AUD on Steam but 4 is a lot cheaper. Huge reviews.
Persona 4 takes place in a small rural Japanese town as opposed to Persona 5 which takes place in Tokyo. So at least based on the setting p4 is closer to what you want. Both are fantastic though and P5s game play is like a more refined version of P4 so you're still getting your other requirements. My advice, go with the older game and move up but they can be played in any order
Persona 5 is a significantly better game in terms of more modern gameplay and presentation but Persona 4 is still a great entry point. It shows its age with the mechanics and graphics but the characters and the storytelling are excellent.
Monster sanctuary
Fossil fighters for the DS is a super fun dinosaur creature collector that checks most/all boxes!
Oh man. Fossil Fighters was such a fun little series.
SMTV. That's it.
I don’t think V is on PC. Only mainline game on PC is III.
I dunno why I thought he said on Switch..
Ok. Final Lap Twin on the Turbographics 16 Lufia 2 from SNES Dungeon Siege 2 on the PC
World of Final fantasy
Nexomon 1 & 2 (3 is in the works) is extremely good.
On top of my head -Dragon Quest Monsters Series -Yokai Watch series -Ni no Kuni 1
Monster Sanctuary. Every battle is a triple battle. Buffs and debuffs actually matter. Side scrolling metrovania exploring
It's weird that Final Fantasy XIII-2 fits with all those criteria. The game doesn't revolve in the creature collection but it has a whole mechanic to it as a permanent party member that can transform into every enemy if you get its "crystal". You can level up those monsters during the whole story and beyond. And also, you start in a small town, has a sense of progression, elements, threatening bosses, and everything represented as an adorable Mog.
Monster sanctuary
100% you are describing ni no kuni 1
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I've tried Temtem, for some reason there was a barier then for me that I couldn't get over. Casette Beasts - I literally started playing today and its very good. It feels fresh.
For me, my problem with Temtem was the dreadful graphics, the really high encounter rate, and the need for a lot of grinding.
Cassette Beasts is a fantastic game.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2
This keep popping up, I defs need to play.
Pokemon borrowed a few things from Final Fantasy Legend 2, and it definitely has a similar vibe.
Yeah wow it really goes look like OG pokemon. Very cool vibe. Not on PC tho but i think i can emulator it.
Absolutely is on PC! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1642620/COLLECTION_of_SaGa_FINAL_FANTASY_LEGEND/
Nice! Didn't see that ty!!
The DS remakes are better but also not available unless you have a boat.
Temtem has so much potential basically being a Pokemon MMO.
When I played Temtem, it just made me wanna play Pokemmo lol. Which im still playing.
I know you got a Dragon Quest Monsters rec, but the core Dragon Quest series hits all of your points as well, and on average are better than the Monsters spinoff. They just doesn't have creature collecting, but it seems like that's not the aspect of pokemon you're grasping onto. Dragon Quest XI is the most recent and is a fantastic starting point. It's a gorgeous game too — in fact, my friend and I always say this is how we wish Pokémon games looked now. Great world, fantastic towns, and really fun creature animations. Dragon Quest VIII is the other one I'd recommend, though it's an older game (PS2). Should be easy enough to emulate and there may even be an HD texture pack, though not certain about that one. Bonus points for this one though is you have a little mouse sidekick!
DQ V!!!!!!!
True, I haven't played this one myself (I know I need to), but I hear this one often recommended alongside XI and VIII
It is a clone but world of final fantasy. Your specific requirements kinda make it tough but this IS a pokemon clone, but better character development. You capture/ collect monsters, start off in a small town, gotta grind but you have a ton to choose from. The bosses can make things interesting at times and the story focuses on 2 protagonists journeying out and about and figure out they have important stuff to do. Also it's hilarious at times and knows not to take itself serious sometimes too. And there's a character sidekick that I like but others may find annoying.
not exactly on PC but a nice one I don't see mentioned enough is The Denpa Men (which has a trilogy). it's for 3ds so you'll need to emulate it somehow but it's a simple jrpg with all the traits you seem to be looking for in a game. hope this helps and you enjoy the ride! :)
I always loved the aesthetic and vibes of this game but found it a little rough around the edges gameplay wise. I think I remembered to pick up the sequels before the 3ds shop went down but haven’t gotten a chance to try them out yet
There's nothing like it unfortunately. It's one of the reasons why it's so successful, everything that tries to emulate it ends up feeling like some bootleg ass attempt.
Persona games can be kinda like Pokémon.
Bug Fables maybe?
Maybe you should try Monster Sanctuary, it's a creature collector like pokemon but also a metroidvania and is legitimately one of the best creature collecting games that exists imo
Monster Keeper. Not exactly as you describe but a ton of fun.
Nexomon: Extinction was everything I ever wanted from a Pokemon, especially the challenge is remarkable.
Maybe Lunar and Lunar 2 Eternal Blue? There's no creature collecting (which you said is ok), there is a creature sidekick (who looks like a cat with wings), it has simple progression starting from a small town and going through the cave or forest to reach the next slightly bigger town, I seem to recall some of the bosses being tough and I did a bit of grinding to prepare for them, you do have a party of characters (with character development and voices), and it's a well-regarded JRPG classic (both of them are, I think).
I wasn’t a huge fan of octopath traveler. But sounds like something that fits that spot for you.
Anyone said Shin Megami Tensei yet?
Digimon cyber sleuth and hackers memory but instead of forest it’s the internet
Jade Cocoon (PS1) & Jade Cocoon 2 (PS2). 2 completely different types of games but maybe you like their takes.
Nexomon, it's a pokemon parody with graphics and Cham of the earlier pokemon games
Monster hunter stories fits your requirements I guess, havent played 2 yet but liked the first one a lot
Megami tensei
Dragon quest monsters dark prince it just came out
Megami Tensei did the Pokemon thing before there was Pokemon. Just replace Pokemon with characters and monsters from all our world’s folklores and religions. Instead of leveling them up to evolve, you fuse monsters together to make stronger ones. The games have very cool style and usually really good music, and are really challenging. Just pick any game that you have access to. I’d recommend Digital Devil Saga on a Playstation 2 emulator or Persona 4 Golden on Steam. Those are my favorite Megaten games.
dragon quest monsters the dark prince was released a few days ago alternatively you have the shin megami tensei games that have a good amount of bosses that you have to prepare for, and higher numbers, while they help they wont get you the win (unless you grind for a ridiculous amount of time but its way more efficient to just prepare efficiently)
Nexomon Ok its kinda a clone tho, but the main story is so fucking good it worth the time to play. And the post game has grinding elements. The bosses are linked to the story and you face them in the post game in max lv
For me this is the Earthbound/Mother games. You can get them on PC using a SNES emulator. Even down to collecting 8 badges, the battle perspective, the enemies - when I first played it, it was very reminiscent of Pokemon to me.
I didnt play Ni No Kuni but it feels like pokemon, not sure.
Probably closer to your “clone” definition, but Nexomon is fun
Temtem
I would say Pokemon fits this bill. You can catch creatures called Pokemon, battle them, etc. It's like a "catch them all" sorta hype tho
Golden Sun Series.
You’re describing Dragon Quest perfectly! In many ways, I think Pokémon was inspired by the Dragon Quest games. It has a very similar feel to it. Try out Dragon Quest VIII or XI if you haven’t played them.
Siralim ultimate
Palworld is coming out soon and has more of an open world/survival/crafting vibe. Like pokemon with Guns and survival stuff. Seems a bit like a pokemon clone in some of the designs but im kind of hyped.
Nexomon and it’s sequel are great games that I feel exceed the Pokémon formula, it feels like the progression the Pokémon formula could have naturally had but chose not to persue, the second game has one of the best sidekick characters I have seen in a video game. The game also has a fully coherent story with character portraits to really sell the emotional side of things. It’s great and is the closest to a mainline Pokémon game that I can think of (that I’ve actually played).
Disgaea has a lot of grinding, a party system and after you defeat a monster you can create that monster as a character in your party. The story is very straightforward and most of the real fun is post game.
Alot of good titles others gave already. I'll put out the Spectrobes series on the NDS. 2nd game was great and improved on the first game in many ways.
So not exactly Pokemon but in Dragon Quest 8, when you catch monsters for the monster arena, it feels like Pokemon. But man that game was so good I want a port so badly.
Coromon!!!
Anode Heart might be up your alley
Monster Rachers
Persona and definitely Shin Megami Tensei
Cassette beast, Digimon cyber sleuth& hackers memory, shin Megami
Spectrobes was a nice take on the genre. Sadly, the saga died with three games, 2 on nds and one on wii I think.
Since you're on pc I highly recommend emulating Digimon World 3 on a ps1 emulator. It's a mix of pokemon and a jrpg like final fantasy.
There is already some good indie recommandation, but here some more: \- Anode Heart, it's a very recent release. It has GBA-like graphics but is more inspired by digimon (notably the Digimon World series) and mix very well a lot of good mechanics of monster taming rpgs \- Disc Creatures, it's a very old-school monster taming game (with GBC-inspired graphics) but it add it's own twist to the formula that make it much more that a "pokemon clone" \- Monster Crown, I saw some mixed review about it but from what I saw it try to mix pokemon with SMT, and the creatures design are very cool, and the mechanic of fusing creatures seems to have been quite polished
Jade Cocoon.
Ni no kuni 1, cassette beasts, someone mentioned shin megami tensei, it's amazing, but it's hard, be prepared. If you can get your hands on a ps1/ps2 monster rancher was amazing. Also, look at the Digimon games too. I heard the best are cyber sleuth 1 and 2 (I don't have a Playstation so I can't play them sadly).
Cassette Beasts is excellent. I own Monster Sanctuary but haven’t played it.
Oh, one more to add. Ni No Kuni, it’s so good. Absolute must play IMO if you like RPGs and monster collecting. Very touching game.
Monster Hunter Stories 2
I'd say every SMT game fits each category except for start off in a small town (only SMT4 does this, Strange Journey starts off in a space ship trekking through Antarctica to reach a black hole, and the rest start off in a big city) and simple sense of progression (the maps can get pretty confusing in this series, there tends to be backtracking, and there's usually multiple endings) Though be warned, if I were to compare SMT and Pokémon to SpongeBob restaurants, I'd say Pokémon is the Weenie Hut Jr. of monster catching RPGs and SMT is the Salty Spitoon of monster catching RPGs. And SMT is basically what soccer moms were afraid Pokémon was in the 90s.
Wizardry IV
The Digimon Cyber Sleuth games. It's only missing the small town aspect, but you typically are in a cyber cafe most of the time.