If you’ve ever wanted to play Pokemon without actually playing Pokemon, now’s your chance! Coromon is the latest addition to the Pokemon genre. Almost everything about this game… sounds familiar, but it’s different from (obviously) Influencer in a few ways. Players begin the game on the first day of an exciting new job at a huge Coromon research facility called Lux Solis. As a Lux Solis Battle Researcher, it’s your duty to fight, capture, and train over 100 Koromon, and report your findings to the Lab.
At first glance, Koromon seems to belong to the GBA, and that’s not a bad thing. It takes me back to the days when I actually enjoyed playing this kind of game. My only problem is that it’s very similar to Pokémon.
You can choose from 3 types of starters. Wild encounters occur in tall grass-like areas. Combat animations look pretty much the same. You can carry 6 Coromon at once. Fighting them will give you experience points, which will level up your Koromon and increase their stats. You can jump over ledges to avoid tall grass. Instead of a monster ball, a device called a “spinner” is used to capture Coromon. You can plant berries that grow and are useful in different ways during battle. Your Koromon can hold items… and (takes a deep breath) the types are pretty much the same. Usually fire, ice, water, etc. The same goes for attacks.
Now that we’ve covered most of the similarities, let’s take a look at some of Coromon’s original concepts. I really like that you can choose the difficulty level in Koromon. You can choose to enjoy an easier and more relaxed experience, or choose a harder difficulty level to test your skills if you want a challenge. You can also change the difficulty at any time from the Lux Research Facility. Coromon itself is amazing. Its types and attacks are similar to those of Pokemon, but its design is eccentric and original. You can catch and evolve 120 types of Coromon. Being able to customize your own character was also pretty cool. Clothing options are simple, but there are many variations to choose from. It gives Coromon a personal touch.
Another big difference is that combat is based on stamina. So instead of using his PP for individual attacks, the player should make use of Coromon’s stamina his meter, which decreases each time he uses an action. Items and status effects can increase stamina in combat, allowing players to do more work in terms of strategy and attack. However, you can always use items purchased or found in stores to replenish Koromon’s stamina. There are also boss battles. These were probably the most frustrating parts of the game. Their attacks can kill you in one hit. In my opinion they seem too difficult compared to the rest of the game.
There are no gym leaders to fight against or leagues you have to work to win. Your objective is to investigate and find the essence of his six Titans in this region. Later, however, we discover that the story has a continuation and, of course, saves the world in some way. As for the look, I really like the retro graphics, so I have no complaints there. Music was good too. I hope you read that there are over 50 original trucks of his to accompany you on your adventures. Gameplay time depends on your playing style. If you want to get it all and see every place in its range, Koromon he can even play for 20+ hours. Coromon plays very well. It’s one of his games that feels natural in handheld mode, but also looks great on the big screen. The controls and graphics are reminiscent of the game of Golf Story. In fact, it sounds a lot like Golf Story.
The Overworld map is covered in giant clouds that recede as you explore. It helped me understand where I was and where I needed to go. The player travels through his six different areas of the world of Belua. Each area has different types of Coromon, Titan Essences to collect, side quests to complete, and different routes to explore. Depending on the route you follow, you will come across various things. After visiting for the first time, you can also use teleporters to travel between these areas. The various environments are so detailed that they feel much larger than they actually are. You can travel to deserts, burning volcanoes, ice wonderlands and more. Along the way, you’ll pass quite a few small towns and bustling cities full of secrets, items, quests, and trainers to fight with.
The pause menu has a handy quest log for keeping track of side quests. There is also a list of Coromon Trainers who want to exchange Coromon that they met during their travels. Speaking of other Coromon trainers, you can also play online matches with your friends. This is a pretty cool feature. It’s nothing new, but it’s always fun to compete to see if your Koromon squad is better than your friends’ squad.
Coromon is clearly inspired by some great games, but I think any Pokémon or RPG fan can play this and enjoy the experience. You’ll be comparing everything like I was in the beginning, but after a while Coromon feels like your own game and you start noticing all the differences instead of the similarities. Coromon is a great game if you’re looking for something fun and familiar.
