E3 First Impression: Monster Taming + JRPGs = Coromon

I got the chance to sit with developers to take a look at monster-taming game Coromon, which was included in Monday’s E3 2021 showcase.

Coromon may be a game all about monster-taming, but it is unlike any of the other few entries into the growing genre. Coromon has a darker, more mature story than what Pokemon and Temtem may boast. It is also more heavily inspired by JRPGs and features some of those elements in the gameplay. 

Players have the choice to select their preferred difficulty level: easy, normal, hard. There’s also an Insane difficulty level which features many Nuzlocke aspects fans of other monster tamers may be familiar with. Developers also said there is a custom difficulty option unlockable through gameplay. 

Extensive character customization is the first stop on the Coromon train and developers said they wanted to give players a chance to create their perfect look. In the game, you are an aspiring researcher joining the “Titan Taskforce” in the technologically advanced organization known as Lux Solis. You are on a mission to investigate the six Titans around the Velua region. 

There are over 120 Coromon available to catch in the game and each have different coloration depending on their potential: Standard Coromon are the most common; Potent Coromon are a 1/40 chance to encounter; and Perfect Coromon are 1/3000 chance to encounter. The higher their potential, the stronger the base stats will be. Developers said there are special ways to increase the encounter rate for more potent Coromon, which adds another strategy element to keep in mind. Players can also customize Coromon stats to match player playstyle. 

In battle, skills are important but managing stamina is the ultimate challenge. Coromon will only recover 20% of their stamina naturally after a battle and players will need to stock up on items if they want to keep them in the battle for longer. There is a rest option in-battle that allows players to forgo attacking to recover stamina. Thankfully, enemy Coromon are also susceptible to stamina issues, but it’s certainly something you’ll want to keep in mind during matches.

Developers said the goal was to require players to rely on more than a single strong Coromon. As we all know, there are plenty of monster-taming games where you can steamroll through the game with just one uber powerful creature. Coromon will force you to branch out and expand your roster.

Each region in Velua features its own unique biome rife with hidden Coromon, items, and Easter eggs that will reward players for exploring. There is a dungeon in each biome that features unique puzzles and mechanics in addition to and more hidden Coromon. Players take the risk of taking environmental damage and failing puzzles, but developers have included a checkpoint-based system to keep difficulty high but frustration from being too overwhelming.

Boss battles are the true test of stamina. Not only do they have much higher health, but also the ability to restore stamina and change movesets based on their remaining health. Developers compared boss battles to those from Final Fantasy games with the strategy required and unique individual moves.

The game takes place in a futuristic setting, which developers said allowed them to tinker and be creative with the technology available to them (like teleportation and the player’s specialized gauntlet). The gauntlet allows players to install modules that do various things like push/pull, lighting things on fire, etc. 

The game features a quest system and UI that helps players keep track of main and side quests. Even better, the game gives you a hand if you’ve been away from the game for a while by offering hints about what you were up to before you took a break. On top of that, the game features multiple saveslots and autosave functionality, as well as controller support. Developers said the game features about 40 hours worth of gameplay. 

I was stoked speaking with developers, picking their brains about the nuanced differences from the other games in this genre that I enjoy. The overall challenge of the game combined with the beautiful pixel art, melodic soundtrack and more mature story has this on my insta-buy list when Coromon comes to Nintendo Switch and PC sometime in early 2022.