Indie Review: Cassette Beasts

I've always been a huge fan of turn-based, monster collecting games. Like a lot of other people, I started with the original: Pokémon. Their success ended up spawning a genre. Now, there's basically a landfill of similar games and digging through them can be time-consuming. So I'm here to recommend one of my new favorites, Cassette Beasts. I picked this game up around a year ago and just got around to beating it, and I have to say it's easily one of my favorites in the genre.

Image Credit: Bytten Studio

My personal favorite part of the game was the plot. You, the main character, find yourself transported to the remote island of New Wirral, and quickly thrown into a little battle that introduces you to the mechanics. After settling in and finding your bearing, you set out to find a way home. See, New Wirral isn't just an island. It exists as though hovering between worlds and pulls people and items from different times and spaces. For instance, those of you who are fans of Shakespeare might know Viola; a character from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and a resident of the island. The combination of times and items makes for an interesting story, especially when fighting the main bosses, archangels.

As you progress, and even reach the end, you slowly start to fall into the actual theme of the game: human will and the ability to preserve. There are other themes, but this is the one that pulls through them all.

Of course, from across time and space, you find friends and residents of the island who are willing to team up and help you. Though, you may need to help them accomplish their own goals before they really start opening up. Each character also has their own ideal and beasts that may even help you progress. As you gain their support, you may even find yourself entering a romantic relationship with one of them, if you play your cards right.

As for the mechanics, Cassette Beasts is, weirdly, pretty much what it sounds like. You collect beats using a cassette and use said beasts in turn-based combat. Pretty standard, right? Well, that's where things turn a bit different. Rather than using them as beasts, you mimic their appearance and abilities, almost like a armor, and fight them yourself. When the beasts health reaches zero, any attacks will chip at your own health until you can change into a new beast. While a different take, I really found myself enjoying the change in mechanics. If you use it right, you can plan for attacks and switches, and use them to your advantage. And then there's fusion. As your relationship develops with your allies, you'll gain the ability to fuse whatever monsters your currently using, allowing for a whole new range of battle styles.

And, of course, I couldn't rightly recommend this game without talking about the art. For the most part, you and your beasts are pixels. Which isn't to say I don't enjoy the setting and beasts - these were all fantastic, actually - but what really stood out to me were the above mentioned bosses. The archangels. Going into the first battle, I remembered being shocked and startled by the sudden shift in style, and each boss is slightly different. Some may be storybook characters swinging bits of their body to attack while other are fully 3D in a 2D world. They're meant to be scary and off-putting, and the art really adds to it. They feel like beings that don't belong, otherworldly creatures, ideas come to life. I can't stress enough how much it added to my enjoyment of the game.

Image Credit: Bytten Studio

Of course, I can't talk about the pros without talking about cons. Luckily, there isn't much to say. My main complaint was that the typing could be hard to follow. I struggled to remember what did what to what because there are a lot my Pokémon brain kept trying to follow what I knew, but that didn't always work. Admittedly, that is partially my own fault. I had some issues with some of the mechanics, such as the magnetism and climbing, abilities you gain later, that could be really frustrating, but other than that I really enjoyed this game.

Cassette Beasts is a great game for fans of the monster collecting genre looking for something new to start. The story is heartfelt, the characters are enjoyable, the art is fantastic and adds to the story in the best way, and, without spoiling anything, I found myself tearing up just a bit at the end. For anyone looking to play, it's available on Steam, Switch, and Xbox as of right now and I would highly recommend picking it up as soon as possible so you can start playing.