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jp's Monster Tale (DS)
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| [May 9, 2025 05:47:05 PM]
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I think I first heard about this game from an internet games website "list" article - probably something like "10 best ds games you never heard about" or something like that.
I didn't research it much, and got it as a present for a birthday a few years ago. I've since played it and finished it and really enjoyed it. It's very kid-friendly (the story is even about kids trapped in this other world by themselves and they sort of turn into jerks, but you get them to change their mind) and, surprisingly (to me) is a bonafide metroidvania with all the backtracking that entails. You pick up new abilities that you use to unlock progress on the map, and backtrack as well.
The game's key "gimmick" is the titular monster - a sort of "virtual pet" that accompanies you and can help out during fights and such. Enemies you defeat often drop "loot" that you can send the monster to play with (the monster area is on the bottom screen, which is where the monster also rests to heal up and recharge it's power meter). Over the course of the game you unlock new mutations/variations of the monster and it also grows into "older" forms (think baby, kid, juvenile, etc.) that each have their own mutations.
It's an interesting system but the game isn't hard enough (or wasn't hard enough for me) for it to really matter all that much. There were a few places that had me spend some extra time before I could clear them. But, I didn't mind because the core experience of exploring, dodging enemies and such was engaging enough - especially when I started to more deliberately make use of the creatures powers and abilities.
In keeping with genre canon, the game even has boss fights (each of the kids, they all have monsters that they basically oppress, but when you defeat them they change their mind).
The game came out in 2011 though...does this predate with metroidvania indie game boom? I think so?
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jp's Monster Tale (DS)
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Current Status: Playing
GameLog started on: Wednesday 9 April, 2025
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