Coromon is a Pokémon homage on PC, with more flexible difficulty modes

I played Pokémon Red back in the day and I’ve never been able to go back to the simplistic JRPG since. Each game in the series hews so closely to the formula – and rightly so – that I don’t have the appetite to play through it a second time.

I’m all for other people making their own original spin on that monster taming formula. Coromon, out now on Steam, looks like it might be less a spin on those older 2D Pokémon games than a straight homage, however.

In Coromon, you’re a “battle researcher” exploring a pixel art world, solving puzzles, and capturing and battling with monsters called Coromon. As Pokélikes go, the monster designs appeal to me much more here than in something like the briefly popular Temtem. There are over 100 Coromon to catch, each with their own types and skills, and you can battle other players with your squad online.

When its developers describe it as a “modern take”, that might refer to Coromon’s comparative willingness to flex to the desires of its audience. There are multiple difficulty modes which apparently alter “fundamental mechanics”, and there’s a built-in Randomizer and Nuzlocke mode, as examples. Nuzlocke mode is a set of fan-created rules designed to make Pokémon games harder, in which players must release any monster that faints and are only allowed to capture the first Pokémon they encounter in each new area.

How different Coromon really needs to be from Pokémon, I don’t know. If you like taming little pixel pals and making ’em biff one another, then here it is on PC. If you liked Pokémon as a kid but want a harder version of it, then this might suit your needs, too.

You can tame Coromon now fromSteamwhere a 20% launch discount means it’s currently £12.39/€13.43.