Introduction
Basic information
Developer Name: VEWO Interactive Inc.
Full Name: Nexomon
Release Date: August 10, 2017 (Mobile) / September 17, 2020 (PC & Consoles)
Released on: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android
Cross Play: No
Initial thoughts
From the moment Simone started Nexomon, it was clear that the game had something special. It feels familiar but fresh, like revisiting an old favorite from childhood. Only this time, the game knows exactly what kind of story it’s telling and isn’t afraid to make fun of itself along the way.
The opening introduces players to a world where humans and Nexomon coexist, but peace has long been threatened by powerful entities known as Tyrants, ancient monsters with godlike power. You take on the role of a young tamer setting out on your first adventure, accompanied by a talking cat named Coco, who is both your companion and the comedic soul of the game.
Story and setting
Plot overview
As your adventure begins, you’re thrust into a conflict that spans generations. Long ago, humanity fought to survive against the Tyrants, monstrous Nexomon that waged war across the world. The heroes of old managed to seal away the darkness, but evil has a habit of returning.
Now, with the Nexomon world once again in turmoil, your character joins the Nexomon Guild, a group of tamers tasked with maintaining order. Along the way, you’ll explore regions filled with danger and charm, catching creatures, battling powerful tamers, and uncovering the truth about your mysterious origins.
The story strikes a perfect balance between humor and sincerity. The writing constantly breaks the fourth wall, acknowledging RPG clichés while still building an interesting narrative. There’s a genuine sense of mystery and progression as you uncover the world’s history, and the humor never overshadows the heart behind the story.
World building and immersion
The cast is surprisingly memorable. Your character grows from a novice tamer into a respected figure, and Coco’s sarcastic commentary keeps the tone light even during darker moments. The supporting cast, from the Guild Masters to the eccentric NPCs, all bring something unique to the table.
Character development
While Nexomon is primarily a comedy adventure, it doesn’t shy away from emotional beats. There are moments of sacrifice, betrayal, and even reflection on power and destiny. By the end, you care about your character and the world they’re trying to protect.
Emotional impact
Each town, route, and dungeon feels distinct. The world design makes exploration rewarding, with secrets, side quests, and lore sprinkled throughout. It’s easy to lose hours wandering and discovering new Nexomon species.
Rating for story and setting
I have visited multiple aspects of the story, and after some thought and objective thinking, I rated the story and setting with an 8.5.
Gameplay and mechanics
Core gameplay mechanics
Nexomon refines the classic creature-collecting formula. You capture creatures using Nexotraps (their version of Poké Balls), battle other tamers, and build a balanced team. Each Nexomon species has unique skills, elements, and evolutions. The battle system uses stamina instead of traditional PP, adding strategy to combat, every move costs energy, forcing you to think carefully about when to strike or switch.
Difficulty and balance
The balance is solid, offering a gentle curve that welcomes newcomers but still challenges veterans. Boss fights, especially against Tyrants and Guild rivals, require real strategy rather than button-mashing.
Pacing of the game
Excellent. The story flows naturally, alternating between humor, exploration, and combat without dragging. You’re always working toward a clear goal, and there’s just enough side content to make the world feel full.
Innovation and uniqueness
The charm lies not in reinventing the wheel but in polishing it to a mirror shine. The humor, tone, and stamina-based battle mechanics make it stand out. It feels both nostalgic and modern.
Controls and user interface
Smooth and intuitive. Menus are clean, controls are responsive, and capturing Nexomon feels effortless. The interface is well-designed for both controller and keyboard use.
Microtransactions
On console and PC, there are no intrusive microtransactions. The mobile version offers small cosmetic and convenience items, but nothing that affects gameplay.
Rating
After combing through many of the mechanics, the pacing, and other factors of this game, I rated the gameplay and mechanics with a 8.5.
Graphics and art style
Quality of graphics and art direction
Visually, Nexomon shines with its colorful and detailed 2D art. The sprite work is vibrant and expressive, giving each creature and location distinct charm. The art direction feels like a love letter to retro RPGs, with a touch of modern refinement.
Technical performances
Performance is rock-solid. The game runs smoothly even on lower-end hardware, with no crashes or slowdowns during our playthrough. Animations are fluid, and transitions between menus or areas are quick.
Environment and design uniqueness
From lush forests to burning deserts and icy mountain tops, each biome feels hand-crafted. The variety of settings keeps the adventure visually stimulating, and the Nexomon designs themselves are creative and full of personality.
Rating
It took me some time to give the graphics and art style an objective rating. There are many things to consider, but ultimately, I rated this section with a 9.
Sound and music
Music score and how it contributed to the game
The soundtrack complements the adventure perfectly. Each region and event has its own melody, ranging from calm exploration tunes to intense battle music. It fits the game’s tone, playful when it needs to be, epic when it counts.
Sound effects quality
Attack effects, capture sounds, and ambient noises are well done and satisfying. They add a layer of polish to the experience.
Voice Acting
There isn’t much voice acting, but the witty dialogue and expressive writing make up for it. The lack of full voices doesn’t hinder immersion at all.
Rating
After a lot of consideration, I rated the sound and music section with an 8.
Replayability
Game Length and content volume
Expect around 20–30 hours for the main campaign, depending on your pace and curiosity. Collectors will easily double that time chasing every Nexomon.
Extra Content
Post-game content offers new challenges, legendary Nexomon to find, and completionist goals that extend replay value.
Replay value
Very high for fans of monster-catching. The wide variety of creatures and strategic depth encourage experimentation with different team setups.
Rating
After thoughtful consideration, I decided to rate the replayability and game length of Nexomon with an 8.5.
Suggestions and comparisons
Suggestions and feedback
Add limited voice acting or more unique sound cues during key story moments.
Include a fast-travel expansion earlier in the game for convenience.
More side quests could further expand the world’s lore.
Comparisons
Nexomon is often compared to Pokémon, and it’s easy to see why. But while it borrows structural similarities, Nexomon’s tone and writing make it stand out. It feels like the developers took the formula and said, Let’s have some fun with it. If Pokémon is a straight-faced hero’s journey, Nexomon is the clever sibling who cracks jokes while saving the world.
Personal experiences and anecdotes
The story was genuinely good, and we loved the fourth-wall breaking humor. My wife was hooked from the very start. Coco’s sarcastic remarks made her laugh constantly, and we often paused just to enjoy the dialogue. The self-aware writing was refreshing. It felt like the game was winking at us after every absurd RPG trope.
We both appreciated that the story didn’t just rely on nostalgia but offered genuine substance. The emotional balance between comedy and sincerity surprised us. Some of the late-game moments even carried a real sense of accomplishment and weight. It’s rare to find a game that can make you laugh and still make you care.
We both are eager to see Nexomon 3 in action!
Rating
Taking in all the personal experiences with Nexomon, I give it a personal rating of 9.
Last words
Pros
- Engaging, humorous story.
- Fantastic fourth-wall-breaking writing.
- Charming world and diverse regions.
- Over 300 Nexomon to collect.
- Excellent pacing.
- Strong performance and stability.
- Fun, strategic battle system.
- Vibrant art style and detailed sprites.
- Great soundtrack.
- Refreshingly self-aware tone.
Cons
- No full voice acting.
- Late-game balance can fluctuate slightly.
- Could use more side quest depth.
Nexomon is a love letter to the monster-catching genre, bursting with humor, creativity, and personality. It takes familiar ideas and revitalizes them with confidence, clever writing, and heart. What starts as a fun parody quickly becomes a genuinely great RPG with addictive gameplay and plenty of charm.
It’s rare to find a game that can make you laugh, strategize, and feel nostalgic all at once, but Nexomon does exactly that. My wife adored it from start to finish, and honestly, watching her enjoy it made me appreciate it even more.
FINAL RATING
8.5
Please let me know what you think of Nexomon in the comments!
I hope you enjoyed reading this review, I hope to see you in the next review!
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A strong recommend for any RPG lovers especially those with pc and android handhelds.
Nexomon sounds like both a fun and funny monster catching game
I wasn’t too sure about this one, but your praise of the game’s writing made me interested!
Thanks for showcasing this game! 😁
Good to know that they polished the formula instead of reinventing the wheel and that the game requires more real strategy than button-mashing, something I’ve come to appreciate as I’m getting older. As someone not in the Nintendo cult, this might just be the PC creature collector game for me.
it looks like digimon. Thanks for review
thanks for the detailed review. seems like a fun little game to play during the holidays!
I think it looks like not bad game with interesting story, especially if you like catching creatures.
It is interesting game, i had it already in wishlist. I like different looks and collecting aspect of the game. Some strategy in battles so thats good too.
Pokémon-like games often seem to have obvious flaws, but judging by the reviews, this one looks pretty good.
Nexomon is such a cute, little Pokemon-clone that fills in a gap that Pokemon won’t, by being available for PC users!
Excellent review and I love how vibrant the art style is 🙂
Hmm, I would have written this off as a bad Pokémon clone kinda like Digimon, i also didnt know the movile version was f2p and with little intrusive microtransactions, thanks!
Growing up with digimon and pokemon, I really like creature collecting games. Nexomon looks like another one I would like to try.
Pretty cool that you decided to play the sequel before the first one and enjoyed both in the end. 😀
Also, nice screenshots, the one with the game time joke and the inception of a game world. XD
300 nexomons pretty solid numbers, the game will definitely takes some of your time
I love the sound of this series! Being funny/lighthearted but still keeping a genuine and emotional story sounds perfect! The monster designs and abilities look very unique as well!
Seems a good way to play Pokemon on PC
Here for a late comment.
I’ll be honest the less appealing thing for this game is how it looks, i dislike it a little, but i still wanted to give it a try, but thanks to the review it really bumped up my desire to play it.
Not taking itself seriously, being humorous and knowing what it’s doing is great, and seems like they made an awesome game!
it’s amazing to see they have more Pros and less Cons than the latest entries from a multi-billion company can make *rolling eyes*
I like review. This game impresses me with art style and relaxing atmosphere. Gameplay is cool.
Wow, this really makes me wanna play… such a high rating! Might need to buy all because of you now Sven.
This one looks so much fun. I’ve had an eye on it for a while now. I’m thinking of getting both parts in a bundle maybe at some point. Good to see you had so much fun.
so… if I ever enter in these kind of games I should start with nexomon then? 😉