Change monster-collecting into monster-taming
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Helen Chong
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<section class="article-section">
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<h2>Introduction</h2>
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<p>There is no denying that <cite>Pokémon</cite> is one of the largest franchise in the world and the most influential series in the monster collecting genre of video games, and thus inspiring many games in the genre. <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>, an indie monster-collecting RPG developed by the England-based indie studio Bytten Studio, is not an exception, as it does share similarities to <cite>Pokémon</cite>.</p>
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<p>There is no denying that <cite>Pokémon</cite> is one of the largest franchise in the world and the most influential series in the monster taming genre of video games, and thus inspiring many games in the genre. <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>, an indie monster taming RPG developed by the England-based indie studio Bytten Studio, is not an exception, as it does share similarities to <cite>Pokémon</cite>.</p>
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<p>However, describing <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> as a mere <cite>Pokémon</cite> clone is doing it a massive disservice, because <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> executes many mechanics and aspects of <cite>Pokémon</cite> games in different, and sometimes arguably better ways.</p>
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<p>One of the most notable differences between <cite>Pokémon</cite> and <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> is their mechanics to capture monsters. In <cite>Pokémon</cite>, you catch the creatures by using Poké Balls, but in <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>, you do not actually catch the monsters, but you record the essence of the monsters into a cassette tape.</p>
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<p>A common criticism of the monster-collecting genre is the ethical question of essentially enslaving creatures by catching and taming them, as well as enganging in dog fighting by making the creatures fight each other, to the extent that even <cite>Pokémon</cite> tries to tackle it as the main theme of the story of <cite>Black</cite> and <cite>White</cite>, though whether the execution is effective or not is debatable. <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>' method of recording monsters solves this moral dilemma of the genre because you are not actually catching the monsters.</p>
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<p>A common criticism of the monster taming genre is the ethical question of essentially enslaving creatures by catching and subjugating them into obeying you, as well as enganging in dog fighting by making the creatures fight each other, to the extent that even <cite>Pokémon</cite> tries to tackle it as the main theme of the story of <cite>Black</cite> and <cite>White</cite>, though whether the execution is effective or not is debatable. <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>' method of recording monsters solves this moral dilemma of the genre because you are not actually catching the monsters.</p>
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<h3>Monster Battle System</h3>
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<h3>Companion and Relationship System with Human Characters</h3>
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<p>While the primary draw of the <cite>Pokémon</cite> franchise has always been the monster creatures like other media in the monster-collecting genre, human characters do play a notable role in the franchise from the beginning: in the main series games, you play as a human trainer of Pokémon, battling other human trainers including your rivals, Gym Leaders, Elite Four, Champions and villains. In some games, you also occasionally team up with other human NPC trainers in battles. However, the main series <cite>Pokémon</cite> games do not have any dedicated companion and relationship mechanic with human characters.</p>
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<p>While the primary draw of the <cite>Pokémon</cite> franchise has always been the monster creatures like other media in the monster taming genre, human characters do play a notable role in the franchise from the beginning: in the main series games, you play as a human trainer of Pokémon, battling other human trainers including your rivals, Gym Leaders, Elite Four, Champions and villains. In some games, you also occasionally team up with other human NPC trainers in battles. However, the main series <cite>Pokémon</cite> games do not have any dedicated companion and relationship mechanic with human characters.</p>
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<p>Conversely, human relationships are a major focus in <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> both in story and game mechanics: you are accompanied by a companion character throughout your adventures in New Wirral, with 5 out of 6 of the potential partners being humans; each companion character has their own story and quest for you to explore; each have a relationship level that can be raised by gaining experience points with them, and higher relationship levels make you stronger when you fuse in battle.</p>
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<p><cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>, on the other hand, as an addition to its companion system and relationship mechanic, provides players the option to pursue a romance with one of their human companions after raising their relationship level to 5, the highest without romance, with explicitly romantic dialogue and scenes.</p>
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<p>Even though I do not play monster-collecting games for romances, nor am I asking for <cite>Pokémon</cite> to add romance options to their games because I am too old to be invested in romances involving fictional children, romance options are a nice addition to a game that is made with adult players in mind like <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>.</p>
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<p>Even though I do not play monster taming games for romances, nor am I asking for <cite>Pokémon</cite> to add romance options to their games because I am too old to be invested in romances involving fictional children, romance options are a nice addition to a game that is made with adult players in mind like <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>.</p>
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<p><strong>They Did Not Need To But They Did It Anyway counter: 4</strong></p>
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<p>In addition to having canon LGBTQ+ characters, <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>'s voice cast also includes multiple openly LGBTQ+ voice actors, such as Allegra Clark, J. Michael Tatum, Kayleigh McKee, Liz Morey, Marin M. Miller and Risa Mei.</p>
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<p>Looking for LGBTQ+ representation in monster-collecting games? Instead of waiting for corporate franchises like <cite>Pokémon</cite> to give you scraps, how about looking at indie titles that actually has LGBTQ+ representation like <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> instead?</p>
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<p>Looking for LGBTQ+ representation in monster taming games? Instead of waiting for corporate franchises like <cite>Pokémon</cite> to give you scraps, how about looking at indie titles that actually has canon LGBTQ+ characters like <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> instead?</p>
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<p><strong>They Did Not Need To But They Did It Anyway counter: 6</strong></p>
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<section class="article-section">
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<h2>Conclusion</h2>
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<p>While it is understandable to compare <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> to <cite>Pokémon</cite>, <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> has countless claims to forge its own identity apart from the pioneer of the monster-collecting role-playing genre, as explained throughout this essay. As someone who has played <cite>Pokémon</cite> games since the <cite>Red Version</cite> from Generation 1, but has become jaded with the direction of the series since <cite>Sword</cite> and <cite>Shield</cite> from Generation 8 and is losing interest in playing their recent titles, <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> provides a perfect indie alternative for something different.</p>
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<p>While it is understandable to compare <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> to <cite>Pokémon</cite>, <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> has countless claims to forge its own identity apart from the pioneer of the monster taming role-playing genre, as explained throughout this essay. As someone who has played <cite>Pokémon</cite> games since the <cite>Red Version</cite> from Generation 1, but has become jaded with the direction of the series since <cite>Sword</cite> and <cite>Shield</cite> from Generation 8 and is losing interest in playing their recent titles, <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> provides a perfect indie alternative for something different.</p>
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<p>Frequent releases and rushed development schedules have taken their toll on the quality of recent <cite>Pokémon</cite> titles, resulting in cutting corners and sometimes glitches. Furthermore, as a multi-billion dollar corporate-owned franchise, <cite>Pokémon</cite> is primarily targeted at children and meant to be able to be enjoyed by everyone. Therefore, despite a few attempts to do something new, maximising profit is still prioritised over innovation.</p>
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<p>Art that tries to appeal to everyone, even if not bad, tends to be bland and reluctant to take creative risks. <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> is another evidence that indie games can be much more creative than AAA games.</p>
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<p>Therefore, if you think you have outgrown <cite>Pokémon</cite> and looking for a more sophisticated and mature monster-collecting game that actually treats the player like an adult, go play <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>.</p>
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<p>Therefore, if you think you have outgrown <cite>Pokémon</cite> and looking for a more sophisticated and mature monster taming game that actually treats the player like an adult, go play <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>.</p>
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</section>
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</article>
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