Not to be confused with Nexomon: Extinction, the second instalment in the series and the one made for consoles, Nexomon (often called Nexomon One by fans) is the first attempt by developer Lime Turtle Inc. to create a halfway decent Pokémon clone. And gosh darn if it isn’t halfway decent indeed.

Let’s start with the easy stuff. Nexomon is a light, linear RPG about finding, catching and battling monsters. It’s got mildly cutesy graphics that are just cool enough to still catch the eye of 12 year old boys everywhere, but also vibrant and vivid enough to keep the eye excited. The soundtrack isn’t half bad either, being occasionally somewhat at odds with the enthusiastic and positive appearance of the game by being serious and deep, but also delving right back into cheerful again with ease.

How does it compare to Pokémon? I hear you Pokémon old timers practically shouting from the back. Well, it’s simpler. There are only 7 types, and the type matchups are very balanced without being even a teeny bit complex. Each Nexomon is identical to every other Nexomon of its same species. There’s no natures, genders, EVs, IVs, egg moves, TMs or HMs. What you see is what you get. These plus a number of other differences make Nexomon very straightforward and easy to understand, which will be refreshing for some, boring for others but definitely easier for new players to the genre to parse.

One thing I particularly appreciated about Nexomon was the sense of humour and regular tongue in cheek fourth wall breaks that make fun of RPGs and Pokémon games both. The writers over at Lime Turtle deserve a pat on the back for a job well done in that regard. The story itself isn’t half bad either, though at times it feels a tad stretched and at other times a little obvious. Nonetheless it hits all the right beats for a moderately compelling narrative that will keep you engaged from start to finish.

It’s important to note also that there are two versions of this game. One released on Steam and one released on Mobile. The versions are mostly identical, but the Steam version has an extra legendary and the Mobile version has some microtransactions.

Yes, I feel your disgust, but this is a Mobile game after all, so what more can we expect. For what it’s worth, Nexomon has one of the least predatory monetisation systems I’ve ever seen in a Mobile game. There are some items you straight up buy with premium currency that make the gaming experience much easier (the best items do things like making it easier to find rare Nexomon, making all your party receive experience points, and increasing the experience earned after battles. On top of that, the price asked for these items is quite reasonable. You can buy the base game and every premium item for significantly less than it would cost you to buy a Pokémon game), and you can also purchase random Nexomon by opening Nexoboxes (the equivalent of pokeballs). Fret not however! All Nexomon can be caught within the game, though some appear infrequently unless you’ve bought the right special item to help with that. But at no point will you feel pressured to purchase a Nexomon lootbox, and in fact I’d go so far as to say they add absolutely nothing to the experience if you do buy them. In this regard I consider Nexomon better than Pokémon even. You don’t have to trade Nexomon, you don’t have to attend special events, you don’t have to jump through ridiculous hoops to acquire rare Nexomon, you simply have to run around in the right patch of grass till they show up. Doing this you can catch every single Nexomon. Completionists, you can relax, this one is a pleasant walk in the park for you.

Overall, I enjoyed my time with Nexomon. It may not be the perfect Pokémon clone I’ve wished for, but it’s got a huge heart and drops many of the things that frustrate me about Pokémon games in favour of a smooth, familiar experience that I look back on positively.