Pokemonis a franchise that has pretty much become a household name ever since the series was first created. In the mid-90s, the series became a global phenomenon, exploding in popularity with kids and young adults all over the globe. During its initial surge in popularity,Pokemonhad two main boons to help it integrate into western culture: the anime series and the video game series. The original games,Pokemon Red VersionandPokemon Blue Versionwere revolutionary as handheld RPGs and are still inspiring developers today. In fact, a recent title calledCoromonis one such impressive example of the many games that have been inspired by thePokemonfranchise.
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Getting back toCoromon–it’s a game that can be categorized in a couple of ways. On the surface, the game is an RPG in the monster collecting genre. On the other hand, it is very clearly a clone of thePokemonseries of video games.Coromonis an indie game by a small group of developers who clearly have a love forPokemon, and it shows in nearly every aspect of the game. From its visual style to its overworld gameplay, the game oozes the classic charm that the early-to-midPokemongenerations captured so well. However,Coromonseems to go well beyond just a simple fan game.
While somePokemonfan games, like the ever-popular ROM hack genre that is popular in a subset of thePokemoncommunity, only seek to modify the already existing formula of the mainlinePokemongames, games likeCoromonseem to seek out a little more.Coromoncould be aptly compared to another long-time fan project inspired by another Nintendo IP,Oddity. LikeOddity, which was once known as afan project called Mother 4,Coromontakes inspiration from another IP to make a game in the same spirit as the original while hopefully creating something new and interesting.
Now, to say whetherCoromonwill end up being better than other well-knownPokemonclones remains to be seen. The game is still currently in development and only just released its first gameplay trailer. However, that trailer does show off some promising features that could setCoromonapart from its competition. The game looks as if it could tell an interesting enough story, while still capturing that same magic and nostalgia as the middlePokemongeneration did on the Game Boy Advance systems.
While many aspects of the game like the creature design, graphical style, overworld exploration, and puzzle solving don’t seem ground-breaking per se, it would be unfair to say thatCoromonlooks like any otherPokemonclone. As many video game fans know,Coromonis far from the firstmonster catchingPokemonclone to exist, as many developers sought to capitalize off the success ofPokemoneven when it was still new.
The firstPokemonclone that comes to mind is a contentious one. Some fans of this franchise might even scoff at the comparison toPokemonor attaching the label ofPokemonclone to it at all, as the series hasdifferentiated itself fromPokemonin recent years. That franchise is obviously theDigimonseries.Digimon: Digital Monsterswas first created in Japan in 1997, just two years afterPokemonwas created in the same country in 1995. However, whilePokemonbegan as a monster collecting game,Digimonwas first created as a virtual pet game, akin to theTamagotchiseries of toys.
Not unlikePokemon,Digimonalso grew in popularity thanks to its anime series,Digimon Adventure. However, whilePokemonthrived on handheld systems like the Gameboy and Gameboy Color, the first comparableDigimonvideo game was the home console PlayStation title,Digimon World. UnlikePokemon RedandBlue,Digimon Worldreceived a lukewarm reception during its initial launch. While the title sold well enough to qualify it as a ‘Greatest Hits’ title in North America and would go on tospawn a slew of sequels and spin-off games, theDigimonfranchise would never reach the heights thatPokemonis still achieving.
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While many industry veterans might recognizeDigimonas the originalPokemonclone, there were plenty of games that came out not long after that also sought to capitalize off ofPokemon’s newfound popularity. More often than not, these games were also JRPGs on handheld consoles, likeRobopon. First released in 1998 in Japan,Roboponis the very definition of aPokemonclone. One look at the game’s graphical style and overall aesthetic will make it clear to anyone thatRoboponwas clearly trying to bask inPokemon’s initial booming popularity. Developed by Hudson Soft and published by Atlus, theRoboponseries clearly had no qualms with being a subparPokemonclone in nearly every way.
There were other somewhat noteworthyPokemonclones to come out of Japan during the late 90s and early 2000s that attempted capture children through the monster collecting genre of game. For example, the 1999 title,Jade Cocoon,for the PlayStation had a similar gameplay style toPokemonwhile trying to tell a more mature story. Then there are more modern games likeNi No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witchthat also feature monster collecting butdiffered greatly fromPokemonin other aspects. Of course, theShin Megamiseries could even be called the grandfather of monster collecting games, featuring its famous demon collecting system in its first title,Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei, on the Famicom back in 1987.
Additionally, it’s important to note that it wasn’t only new IP that were trying to ride the wave ofPokemon’s success in the late 90s. Developers of existing and established franchises were trying to capitalize on the monster catching phenomena. Even therenownedDragon Questseries, orDragon Warrioras it was originally known in the west, attempted to make aPokemonclone based off of its own IP.Dragon Warrior Monsters, originally released on the Game Boy Color in 1998 in Japan and 2000 in North America, was the first installment in what would become theDragon Quest Monsterseries of spin-off titles. As one would expect, the gameplay centered around encountering, capturing, and raising monsters within theDragon Questuniverse.
Though theDragon Quest Monsterseries never lived up to the fame of thePokemonfranchise oreven the mainlineDragon Questtitles, it’s not very surprising. Very few series have ever managed to capture that same fever-pitch level of popularity thatPokemonreached in its heyday. One series, however, managed to get some industry veterans speculating as to whether or not they were about to witness the second coming ofPokemonduring its initial surge in popularity. That series was of course,Yokai Watch.
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WhenYokai Watchfirst burst onto the scene, it made a pretty grand entrance all things considered. The series centered around capturing Yokai, which are spirits and ghosts in Japanese folklore. After befriending Yokai, players could summon them to battle and solve puzzles around the environment. The firstYokai Watchgame, developed by Level 5 for the Nintendo 3DS, was met with positive reception and even better sales figures. The firstYokai Watchtitle even outsoldPokemon’sOmega RubyandAlpha Sapphiretitles by over 3 million copies. After the success of the first game and the anime series outperformingPokemon’s own anime series, industry members were quick to dub it the ‘PokemonKiller.’
Unfortunately, callingYokai WatchaPokemonkiller was unquestionably jumping the gun. WhileYokai Watchwas extremely popular during the first year of sales in 2014, that number gradually slipped year after year until the series wasn’t pulling in anywhere near the amount of money that it initially did. While Level 5 still developsYokai Watchgames, the seriesslowly lost popularity in 2016whilePokemonfound a renewed sense of popularity with thePokemon SunandPokemonMoontitles. Business experts have speculated why the series declined in popularity so quickly, theorizing that theYokai Watchseries did not have enough depth to keep children around as they got older, among other reasons.
That is one of the main reasons whyPokemonis the highest grossing media franchise in history.Pokemonmanaged to catch lightning in a bottle at the time of its release, and it kept cultivating andmaintaining that popularity for over two decades. Many people who grew up withPokemonstill love and play the games to this day, and while thePokemonseries could arguably use a bit more growth and maturing of its own, it is still just as fun as it was when it first debuted. There will always be games, likeCoromon, that seek to recreate the magic thatPokemonexhibited during its release and still exhibits today but the franchise will always be known as the king of the ‘Gotta Catch ‘Em All’ craze.
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