Nexomon: Extinction is the best Pokémon clone you'll find on PlayStation 4 -- but admittedly, that isn't saying much. The addictive quality of catching and training often cute, sometimes cool looking monsters is here, but the game as a whole is let down by some uneven design.
Nexomon doesn't really care that it's a blatant Pokémon knockoff -- that's the whole point. Replace 'Pokémon trainers' with 'Nexomon tamers' and that's Nexomon: Extinction in a nutshell. It even makes jokes about how closely it mimics Nintendo's seemingly eternal property. And on a fundamental level, this is a traditional main series Pokémon game, right down to shaking patches of grass and Nexomon centers that heal your critters for free.
The game does try something different with its world, though. In Nexomon, you're free to go wherever you want. It's not completely open -- the story is still linear -- but you're encouraged to wander off in search of new monsters. However, freedom comes with a costly design decision: level scaling. As you grind and progress the plot, both wild Nexomon and tamer Nexomon become stronger. This creates something of an unsatisfying gameplay loop, where it never really feels like you're outpacing the competition.
In fact, Nexomon: Extinction can be surprisingly brutal. Healing items are costly and money is in short supply. Combine that with opponents who level up alongside you, and simple exploration becomes a bit of a chore as you're forced to return to town for some free medical attention. In a game that's all about grinding with your favourite monsters, the balance feels totally out of whack at times.
But with a sensible update or two, Nexomon: Extinction could evolve into a much more enticing experience. It's never going to have the charm of Pokémon, but it could yet be a decent alternative.
Comments 11
If anyone's got any questions about the game I'll try to answer them.
IMO, Digimon is the closest and has better Battle System and Story than Pokemon franchise
but Digimon's isn't that popular in the west
@Wake13 I agree, the Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth games on PS4 are great, but I wouldn't say they're Pokemon clones like Nexomon is. They're more inline with other JRPGs, it's just that you happen to train monsters in them.
It looks alright, but also seems a bit too similar to Pokemon. I would have preferred it if they had tried to forge their own identity and be more unique.
Hmmm despite the middling score it still looks and sounds quite appealing to me... I'll be sure to keep it in mind as some of the monster designs do look interesting!
Bought it yesterday after reading some positive reviews on Steam. I hope it doesn't disappoint too much. It still looks fun to me.
The problem is that all of these Pokemon clones look worse than Pokemon itself. And I thought that was impossible.
That's a shame.
The level scaling puts me off. I like to be over leveled in Pokémon games.
35 hours in, i'm enjoying it alot. I do agree the game was surprisingly difficult early on. Thankfully the devs are planning to update with a Exp-share type item we can craft.
Presently, its abit too tedious to get new Nexomon to level up because enemies scale with your higher level ones.
I just got the plat for this game. I really like it and I don't get the criticism geared towards the game. Anybody on the fence that like Pokemon but wish for a more challenging game with a good story (you know, an actual rpg) should definitively buy this.
There are already 2 updates patches released. The developper listened to the complaints. You now have items that act like the EXP ALL in Pokemon. You have healing crystal lying around the wild that respawn. You have a toned-down difficulty (or so I heard, I was already almost done with the story when the change was made). You have higher encounter rates for the legendaries. You now have a run button. You have way less slowdown and no more crashes (I'm playing on PS4 Slim).
Anyways, here are the most common complains and why I think it's bogus:
The dynamic difficulty (level scaling) supposedly makes the game too challenging. Actually, it makes the grinding easier. Higher levels get you more EXP from battles. You also get a lot of permanent items later on that upgrade the amount of EXP you get. Also, it means wild Nexomon you capture will already be at a competitive level.
The money is scarce. Yes, it is, but nothing costs that much. You should always use free healing instead of items if you are not deep inside a cave on a quest. You have plenty of tamers to rebattle for money and you get permanent items to boost your gold earned from battles and items to make the stores stocks cost less.
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