Pokémon takes a trip to the ’80s in this monster collecting adventure - Cassette Beasts Quick Review

PLAY IT OR SKIP IT?

Play it, even if you’re not a huge Pokémon fan. Cassette Beasts is clearly inspired by the Pokémon franchise, but it switches up the classic formula, offering something that feels fresh and new. From its lively ’80s aesthetic to its Zelda-like exploration mechanics, it’s one of the most exciting and original monster collecting games I’ve played.

TIME PLAYED

I spent around nine hours with Cassette Beasts. During that time, I added lots of monsters to my collection, but I barely made a dent in the main story quests. Like Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, Cassette Beasts is an open-world game, and once I completed its opening quests, I was free to explore the world as I saw fit. Whether I was training with ranger captains, recording footage of rare beasts, or searching for bootleg tapes, there were always plenty of things for me to see and do.

WHAT’S AWESOME

• Engaging battles. Instead of having monsters fight for you, Cassette Beasts lets you turn into monsters that you record on cassette tapes. You can use stickers to customize each tape, allowing you to give powerful moves and abilities to your favorite creature. During most battles, a partner fights by your side, and when the two of you are in perfect sync, you can fuse your monsters together and create an entirely new creature. I had tons of fun experimenting and testing out weird combinations.

• Fantastic monster designs. Some monster collecting games copy and paste Pokémon designs, but the creatures in Cassette Beasts really feel unique. I started my journey with Bansheep, a spooky little creature that’s part emo sheep, part ghost. Later on, I encountered squirrel knights, exploding dogs, and other weird and adorable creatures. There are 120 monsters in total, and I don’t think there’s a dud in the bunch.

• Puzzle-solving. The puzzles in Cassette Beasts aren’t particularly complex, but they made exploration feel a lot more interesting. Even though the combat is turn-based, there were times when it reminded me of 2D Zelda games. Solving puzzles frequently gives you access to new areas, which made exploration feel a lot more rewarding.

• Intriguing story. Cassette Beasts is set on the mysterious New Wirral Island, a location cut off from the rest of the universe. Everyone on the island comes from different times and worlds, and no one seems to know how they got there or how they got home. The only clue lies in the songs of strange and slightly terrifying beings known as archangels. I generally don’t play games like this for the story, but I’m really curious to see where this one goes!

WHAT SUCKS

• High encounter rate. Cassette Beasts doesn’t have random encounters, but it’s difficult to avoid battles in many areas. Most areas are crawling with creatures, and once a monster spots you, it’ll make a beeline towards you and attempt to start a fight. I really enjoyed the battle system, but I wish it was a little easier to avoid fights, especially when I was in an area with low-level monsters or working on the solution to a puzzle.

• Saving can cause you to backtrack. While Cassette Beasts lets you save at any time, it doesn’t always return you to where you left off. Restarting the game usually took me back to the last rest location that I visited. While this wasn’t always a big deal, It was sometimes frustrating to have to retread the same ground when I shut down my game for a while.

💬 Will you be recording monsters in Cassette Beasts, or do you think that cassette tapes are better left in the past? Let us know in the comments!