[REVIEW] Nexomon Extinction

 There are so many Pokemon-like games out there right now, despite the franchise not exactly being at the peak of its popularity. And while many are outright rip-offs of Pokemon (especially when it comes to mobile games), some are delightfully and refreshingly original, Nexomon Extinction is absolutely one of those original games.

I'm a big fan of monster-catching games, and while I was initially a little skeptical about Nexomon Extinction (mostly due to the plethora of rip-off games), I gave it a chance of the advice of a friend. And hot damn, was it ever worth it! Nexomon Extinction is the 2nd game in the Nexomon series, and was published by PQube Games in August 2020 for pretty much every system available, including IOS and Android. It also received free post-game DLC in 2022, which brought with it significant new content, but I'll be honest here: I haven't played the DLC yet, so this review is going to focus on the main game. I'll probably do a separate DLC review at a later date.

WEARS ITS ORIGINS ON ITS SLEEVE

While Nexomon Extinction isn't a rip-off Pokemon clone, it definitely wears its inspiration on its sleeve, and doesn't try to pretend otherwise. Most of the game will be spent traveling from one area to the next, catching and training new Nexomon, making your party stronger. That can be said for pretty much any monster-catching game, though, and indeed it sounds a lot like any JRPG-style game in general. Nexomon names are similar to Pokemon's, with the sort of punny word-mash that gives rise to names like Moltano, the "molten volcano" Fire type Nexomon. Not all of the names do this, mind you, and even some of the ones that are punny word-mashes don't always have the ease of pronunciation like Pokemon tends to have. Skounquet is a great example of that -- just how the heck are you supposed to pronounce that, exactly? Or Brumptler -- what was the inspiration for that name?

Nexomon are caught using Nexotraps, which are almost exactly like Pokeballs, except with a much lower catch rate. You can increase the catch rate by using elemental Nexotraps, which have a higher affinity for catching Nexomon of their particular element, or using Golden Nexotraps with their 100% catch rate. There's a little button-pressing mini-game you need to do in order to activate the Nexotrap, but the time limit is generous and you're not likely to mess it up to a detrimental degree. (Which admittedly makes me wonder why that mini-game is even present, since it's so easy for players to succeed at.) Train up your Nexomon in battle, and many of them evolve to new forms.

See, it's kind of difficult to not compare it to Pokemon, with descriptions like that. But like I said, Nexomon Extinction doesn't pretend for a moment that it wasn't inspired by old-school Pokemon games.

Ther are almost 400 Nexomon in the base game (the DLC increases this to over 400), which is fantastic for those looking for a monster-catching game with a significant amount of creatures to catch, but not an ridiculously impossible amount. 400 or so seems just right. Moreover, any Nexomon that evolves will evolve by level-ups only. No finding specific items to evolve your Nexomon, no need to level up in a specific area, none of those special requirements. If you can level-grind, you can catch 'em all.

LIKE POKEMON, BUT WITH DARKER THEMES

Where Nexomon Extinction stands apart from Pokemon, though, is in its story. I initially heard it described as what might happen if Pokemon really committed to darker themes, and I have to say that description is pretty spot-on. You start off by customizing your character avatar, then launch right into the setup of having your character be an orphan, living in an orphanage that pretty much trains up kids to eventually join the Tamer's Guild and get their own Nexomon. On your very first quest to find a Nexomon starter of your very own, you get attacked by a massive dragon, and a stranger gives you a choice of Nexomon to fight back. You don't win, but you do at least get a Nexomon.

Interestingly, your choice of starter doesn't matter all that much, because all of the starter options can be found in the wild. You can catch every single Nexomon in the game with enough patience and searching. So there's no real strategy to your first pick; just take the one you like the look of most. I love monster-catching games that allow for that, I really do.

Anyway, as the story goes on, you learn that powerful Tyrant Nexomon are rising again, old and terrible Nexomon that can trace their origins back to Omnicron, an ancient Nexomon that used to rule the world with terrifying intensity until he was defeated many years ago. And the dragon that attacked you is only supposed to attack Tyrants. And since Tyrants (and Tamers who bonded to them) are starting to attack cities again, dragons also keep showing up in those places to fight said Tyrants, but also keep showing up where you are, and it's up to you and your buddy Coco to unravel the mystery behind everything. Not only that, but you're Nexomon Tamers now, so it's your job as proper loyal Guild Tamers to go around the world and complete quests and act as pseudo law enforcement. And also to gain new powers via a Tyrant Egg that people say will be the only good Tyrant in history, which is needed to overcome the power of the malevolent Tyrants who seek Omnicron's revival.

It's impossible to do the story justice here without leaping into spoiler territory, and I think Nexomon Extinction's story is something best experienced for oneself. It legitimately surprised me at many turns, the writing was top-notch (especially with Coco's sense of humour), and I was hooked. Nexomon Extinction can stand toe-to-toe with any JRPG -- not just monster-catching games -- and give good competition. I went into the game with some trepidation, and came out genuinely thrilled at the story execution and themes. It's fantastic in that regard; don't let the cartoony aesthetic throw you off.

ENDLESSLY CUSTOMIZABLE

You may only get 6 party slots for your Nexomon, but there are 9 different elemental types you need to consider in battle, and no Nexomon has 2 elemental types at the same time. There will inevitably be some types that get left out of your party. You get some classic weaknesses, like Fire being Weak to Water, but you also get some surprises now and then, like how Wind is weak to Fire. I guess because fire feeds on oxygen, maybe? But sometimes you also get some seemingly random type conflicts, like how Psychic and Electric are both strong against the other. Or how Ghosts are weak to Water attacks.

I guess some of it may seem a bit random when you try to fathom the logic behind it, but in the end, it means that you can have a pretty well-balanced team that won't be completely stymied by one particular elemental type.

But the customizability doesn't end there. Along your journey around the world, you'll be able to collect elemental shards, which can not only be used to create elemental Nexotraps, but also to create Cores, which can be equipped on your Nexomon. Each Nexomon can equip up to 4 Cores, with each Core doing something different. Some increase your stats like Attack and Defense, some allow you to earn more money after battles, and some allow Nexomon to gain experience even if they didn't participate in battle. And the Core effects stack, too, so you can load up your Nexomon with any combination of Cores that you need in order to build a more effective team. Cores also have different strengths, which have increasing shard requirements to make, though you can occasionally find Cores as items around the overworld, or rewards for completing certain quests. There's plenty of options for you to play around with, and opportunity to experiment.

I absolutely recommend Nexomon Extinction to fans of the monster-catching genre, and also to those who enjoy JRPGs in general. Nexomon Extinction might not be Japanese in origin, but it follows the formula perfectly, and gives players a fantastic story that explores some heavy themes at times, but also balances it well with good humour and a sense of hope even when things seem dire. It may be quite grindy at times, and some aspects -- like collecting shards to make Cores -- are really dependent on how much time you put into running back and forth waiting for boulders to respawn, but on the whole, Nexomon Extinction is a kick-ass game that really holds up. 

If you're tired of how kid-oriented as easy the Pokemon games can be, then give Nexomon Extinction a try. Don't be thrown off by it being the 2nd game in the series; the 1st game isn't necessary to understanding the story here. Believe me, I know, since I played this one before its predecessor. Don't dismiss this as Yet Another Clone, because it rises above the ashes of many of its contemporaries, and sets itself up as a brilliant monster-catching game that shouldn't be missed.

If you want to see a more in-depth video review of Nexomon Extinction, then that's available on the Potato Witch Youtube channel. I'd love it if you checked it out.