Nexomon: Extinction stands out for being a great monster-capturing RPG, with a charming art design, a good story loaded with epic moments and humor, a large number of side missions and a large open world to explore with many secrets to discover.
In many ways, your interest in a monster-catching game is driven by whether one focuses on aspects you particularly like. Like competitive play? Or meticulously customizing creatures? But Nexomon: Extinction puts its best foot forward, delivering the most polished version of itself it can offer. And often, polish is what many players miss when exploring outside Pokémon’s safe, well-padded confines.
There is a ton of content in the game’s 20+ hour main story campaign, which is equally as impressive considering its price point of under $20. With its vibrant world, unique narrative, and expansive Nexopedia (that is going to keep me busy for a while), Nexomon: Extinction is, in fact, a successful return to classic monster-catching games.
Nexomon: Extinction is clearly inspired by Pokémon from top to bottom. While they change up a few mechanics and make some definite improvements here and there, not enough is done to consider this among the elite of the monster-catching RPGs. An interesting title to spend some time in for the right price, Nexomon: Extinction will be something the Pokémon hardcore will want to check out, while everyone else might just want to find a Game Boy and their copy of Blue version.
Given the short number of similar games, it's always good to see the
Nintendo Switch catalogue accepting more proposals of less represented
endeavours. In the case of Nexomon: Extinction, it features a laudable
amount and variety of creatures, appealing art style, and it's fairly
simple to get into. At the same time, it's far from a groundbreaking
game, though competent, and it feels like it follows its main
inspirations a little too close. That said, it's a welcome arrival for
those looking for more creatures to capture and collect.
Nexomon: Extinction does enough to make it somewhat distinct, but the unique elements can also be its undoing. It mostly succeeds in being a more deliberate and challenging take on Pokémon, but that difficulty can oftentimes come across as exhausting and artificial. If you felt let down by Sword and Shield there may be aspects of Nexomon you really enjoy, but we can't help but feel that the slow pace of battles and lack of multiplayer features prevent it from being a true rival; it's really more like a cheap alternative, but one that's arguably worth a look if you're a hardcore fan of Game Freak's famous franchise.
Nexomon: Extinction could have been a far promising title than it already is. Instead, it relies heavily on the legacy of that other huge monster-capturing franchise, copying names and elements, but not catching up with the gameplay recipe that has been improving for almost twenty-five years.
This is a really good game. This game has a very good story that finds a solid balance between being original and exciting and parodying some of the tropes of similar monster-catching games and rpg's.
The gameplay was exciting and refreshing, I enjoyed, learning the different typings and the nexomon
The music in the game is great, the tamer battle theme is a particular standout, I do wish there were more tracks so that some of the story beats could have individual themes but that didn't detract from my enjoyment.
It definitely stands out as one of my favorite monster-catching games that I've played and, consequently one of my favorite rpg's.
Nexomon: Extinction has its own character despite being a Pokémon clone and that is a compliment. It’s very hard to build upon such a successful franchise without getting the “rip-off” label or giving the players the “been there done that”-feeling. The developers implemented some fresh ideas which, in my opinion, Pokémon could learn from.
PROS
- Original story
- Lots of (sarcastic) humor
- Beautiful 2D art
- Interactive open world
CONS
- High level of difficulty
- Outdated controls
- Lack of cool looking Nexomon
Before you write Nexomon: Extinction off as just another wannabe remake of Pokémon, hear me out. Prior to playing this game I too thought there was no room for another franchise in the pocket monster genre. Against my better judgment, I set out to review Nexomon: Extinction to prove to myself and others that we were not missing out. What I found was an inviting, vibrant world full of undiscovered creatures more unique and exciting than anything I had seen in the last four generations of Pokémon. Not only that, but there existed a story, lore and legends within the Nexomon universe that were more expansive and interesting than possibly all of the Pokémon story-lines combined. If I have your attention, please continue reading. If none of this excites you, consider the possibility that Nintendo and Game Freak have let themselves go and have sat upon a genre monopolized and abused. There’s never been pressure for them to be better, and we as consumers have continued to consume. VEWO has stepped into the ring and challenged a giant in their own hometown. Please consider offering a developer that we at BLG are utterly impressed with a chance to open your mind to a universe worth exploring.
STORY
The Nexomon universe is saturated in lore and legend. The history depicted in the game is compelling and you almost wish it were true. The relationship between humans and Nexomon is incredibly complicated. The humans are considered vermin to some Nexomon but are highly respected and loved by others. There are multiple tiers to the Nexomon hierarchy and the timeline of the story is trapped sometime after the ultimate king of the Nexomon, Omnicron, has been slain. His children, and other powerful monsters called Tyrants war against one another for the throne, and humans are tangled in the fight. Cities are scattered across the Nexomon world, each with their own culture and philosophy of how to defend against the Tyrants. You quickly become empathetic for the people of Nexomon, but it is evident that everything is not as it seems. As the story progresses, the world becomes a lot more complicated than you'd ever imagine from a pocket monster game. Twists and surprises are around every corner and it is up to you to decipher the truth.
HUMOR
Perhaps Nexomon: Extinction's greatest attribute, is how hilarious the writing is. In an extremely meta way, they challenge the strange things about the pocket monster genre that Pokemon takes itself too seriously to address. They acknowledge the hilarity of strangers stopping you to fight your creatures for money without your consent, the fact that your belt can only hold 6 creatures, and how you can walk straight into someone's home unannounced and expect them to kindly give you a gift. Nexomon flips the genre on its head and willingly insults itself and owns its short-comings. That is exactly what players of Nintendo games love; self-deprecation and a roller-coaster of ups and downs. But seriously, we could all use a reminder sometimes that at the end of the day, these are games made by people who love games.
COMBAT
So far it probably seems like this game is unstoppable and an absolute must-buy. And maybe to someone who loves this genre of game it is. But combat is where this game falls short of incredible. I do not necessarily blame the poor combat on the developers, but in a type of game centered around a combat mode Pokemon has mastered, there needs to be some serious improvement. But there is not. Nexomon combat is similar to the earliest Pokemon games: basic, choppy, and often a chore. They have replaced the Pokemon "PP" system with a "Stamina" system. Instead of each move having its own amount of uses, all moves are dependent on your Nexomon's overall stamina. Run out of stamina and you can't make a single move. This distinction may sound harmless, but once you play for a few hours, the difference is easily felt. This dynamic makes leveling up in an already grueling XP system even harder. As you level up you realize that many of the moves are almost exactly the same. The moves may have different names and slightly altered graphics, but perform the same amount of damage and status effects. Not only that, but when you are about to learn something new, they often present a move you already know! Crushing your excitement of even trying to learn something new.
CONCLUSION
As I mentioned at the top, I would encourage any fan of the genre to try this game and give the developer VEWO Interactive a fair shot. Nexomon challenges what we have accepted from Pokemon for so long, and gives players a breath of fresh air in many ways. While there are some things that definitely need improvement, BLG is incredibly excited for the future of this franchise. Nexomon: Extinction has earned a 7 out of 10, and is an enjoyable experience for anyone who wants to try something new.
For our full podcast review, visit ****/podcast/nexomon-extinction-review.
From what I’ve seen from gameplay to trailers it looks like a complete nock off of black and white. Even the healing centres look the same! It’s just unfair that there are games and people like this who ride on others success. And people promote it with good ratings! And the scummy game managed to get on the switch which I have to give it to them that takes guts but it’s been hiding in the shadows for too long and it’s biggest mistake it’s made is exposing itself to the world. This is my opinion and review Thank you!
The game starts of with some funny dialogue, some intro as to how to catch the Nexomon. I IMMEDIATLY noticed the capture system is way too flawed and has too many variables to begin to enjoy it. There is nowhere to heal your Nexomon and the potions are expensive, the capture thingies are aWay too expensive and the first trainer beat my ass what for me was enough to uninstall and refund. Not enjoyable at all. 2/10 for art style but seriously, just play Pokémon, this is not worth your time at all.
SummaryNexomon: Extinction is a return to classic monster catching games, complete with a brand new story, eccentric characters and over 300 unique Nexomon to trap and tame. The world is on the brink of extinction as mighty Tyrant Nexomon fight for dominion over humans and monsters. Join the guild of tamers and begin an epic journey to restore ...