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Coromon (Switch) Review-in-Progress

by Willem Hilhorst - July 20, 2022, 10:00 am EDT
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Score Pending

Much more than just another Pokéclone.

Reviewer's note: In the interest of accurately representing the complete game, I have chosen to post this review unscored until I have been able to see more of the world and advanced gameplay. I would like to mention that I do feel confident in recommending Coromon at this time on Switch.

I was about eight years old when I discovered Pokémon ROM hacks. The one that had me absolutely hooked was a modified version of Pokémon Emerald called Pokémon Quartz. This game had its own Pokémon designs and a far more in-depth story than anything presented in Game Freak’s original. As a kid, I was stunned by how well these creators had understood Pokémon and gave it their own spin. Of course, in hindsight, putting your own original creations in the world of Pokémon really isn’t that high a bar. And I think the creators of Coromon have realized this. You might mistake this as a simple Pokémon clone, but based on my time with the game so far, I’ve been really impressed with how Coromon differentiates itself from what came before. It may just be the Pokémon experience you’ve been looking for, if you’re hankering for the more traditional style of the early generations.

So yes, on paper Coromon is almost comically a knock-off of Pokémon. You’re an adolescent leaving home to explore his country in search of mysterious creatures with their own elemental typings and you use your own monsters to battle them and other trainers. The details may be different, instead of balls you throw spinners at wild Coromon and you’re actually a researcher gathering data for a tech company, not trying to be the very best like no one ever was. But I was struck by how fresh the world and design of Coromon feels. It makes some dedicated efforts to invite comparison, but also shows how Coromon tries to bring its own ideas to the table.

Let’s begin with the Coromon themselves. Sure you have your starter Coromon, which is neatly part of an elemental triangle and there’s plenty of bug, snake and dog-like Coromon walking about. But overall their designs are very creative and expressive. I was almost immediately reminded of Pokémon Black and White and the fifth generation’s approach to its world and creatures. They all share a certain familiarity with Pokémon that came before, but each has their own unique twist with regards to their design. What separates Coromon, however, is the way the creatures are trained and leveled. Coromon are designated as having three different classes called “potential,” ranging from Standard to Superior to Perfect. Not only are the differences visible, but superior Coromon also have a different color palette compared to their standard variants; superior and perfect Coromon improve their potential much faster, too. Potential is a separate bar from the experience bar that can level up individually. Once it maxes out, you are free to distribute additional stat points to your Coromon. Superior Coromon max out their potential bar faster and Perfect Coromon even more so.

This gives a player so much customization as to how they want to raise their Coromon. Do you want to immediately invest the additional stat-points into the highest base stats? Or do you want to experiment and add higher speed to tank-like Coromon? I really like this system because it helps your Coromon grow, even when they haven't necessarily reached a high level. I found a superior Mino (A boar with flaming manes) early on and it quickly became one of my hardest hitting creatures, but I could mitigate its base stats that designate it a glass cannon by giving it higher points in defense when it reached its potential.

The typings in Coromon are also very different. There’s seven base typings that work differently than in the Pokémon series (for instance, Ice here is very effective against water), but aside from the typings there are also Skills. These correspond to specific attacks and have no relation to the typing of the Coromon. For example, poison isn’t a type a Coromon can have, but it is a type of attack that can be used against a normal-type Coromon for massive damage. It’s a bit of a hassle to get your mind around at first, but it gives the combat system some depth and variety that can’t be found in the Pokémon series.

The general story so far has been quite alright. Coromon doesn’t seem to actively go against the family-friendly vibe of the Pokémon series with adult or dark themes, but the writing does come across as being less talked down to. While I tend to find myself rather bored with talking to NPCs and characters in the main Pokémon series, in Coromon I found the writing to be more engaging and enjoyable. It may lean a tad too heavily on the referential humor, but it thankfully hasn’t overshadowed the core experience quite yet.

What I am a particular fan of is the brilliant pixel-art on display here. From the colorful towns and routes to the animation of the Coromon themselves, it is absolutely stellar. Especially when you reach areas beyond the starting forest, the developers definitely flex their animation and art skills. This is even more true when you unlock more capabilities for your gauntlet (this game’s version of the Pokédex / Catching machine / HMs) like pushing or burning objects. It makes you feel very engaged in the world, especially because each Coromon has its own unique overworld sprite as well. While the creatures don’t follow you around like in Pokémon Yellow or HeartGold, seeing them come alive in the overworld is a great touch at making them feel part of the world they inhabit, which is something I haven’t seen that much of in other Pokémon-like games.

There are a few minor gripes I have with Coromon. While you can adjust your controller inputs for the game, I was kind of annoyed that the + button is assigned to the menu and not the X-button. I know this is probably because you have more interactions within the overworld, but it has caused me numerous misclicks when I wanted to open the menu. Some UI elements I’m not a fan of as well. For instance, the way you have to individually select items for healing: when doing so, your first Coromon in the party is always selected instead of the one that needs a recovery item. I also think that the way the typings and skills are taught could use a bit more in-depth explanation. There are easily accessible manuals on most topics in the inventory, but it did take me quite some time to learn the mechanics and how to optimize a team.

I have not been able to finish Coromon since I received the review code. But from what I’ve played so far, I’ve been very impressed. From these 8 hours, I think that the world and creatures feel distinct from the games that inspired and it left me with an excitement that I haven’t felt since Pokémon Black and White. Not only the unique designs of the Coromon themselves, but mechanics like the potential-system and the way typings and skills work together sets Coromon apart from a simple ROM hack. There’s also a large selection of difficulty options that can be adjusted to make the game play more like a Nuzlocke or an easy mode; you can even actually catch opponents’ Coromon. The variety on display here is fantastic, so if you’ve been disappointed with recent Pokémon generations and are looking for a game that’s similar but has its own identity, Coromon is absolutely worth checking out.

Summary

Pros
  • Incredible pixel-art that gives each Coromon its own personality.
  • Lots of customization in both stats and looks.
  • Sense of wonder and discovery that I haven't felt since the fifth generation of Pokémon.
  • The potential-system differentiates it enough from the series it was inspired by.
Cons
  • At its core the gameplay still resembles traditional Pokémon.
  • Prepare to (re)learn how the type-effectiveness works if you're used to Pokémon.
  • Somewhat cumbersome UI elements and placement.

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Game Profile

Genre RPG
Developer
Players1

Worldwide Releases

na: Coromon
Release Jul 21, 2022
RatingEveryone 10+

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