Nexomon: Extinction

Developed by Lime Turtle, Inc. and published by PQube, Nexomon: Extinction is a monster taming game heavily inspired by the likes of Pokémon. With Pokémon being tied to Nintendo platforms, for yeaaaars we have searched high and low for monster-taming games on each generation of Xbox (our usual preference) - but nothing has ever quite lived up to Game Freak’s empire. Regardless, every newly announced game like this gets our hopes up (usually to let them back down again) but this time, we just may have found something special.

You can choose a preferred appearance from a few pre-built options, as well as giving yourself a name. I wish there was a name already given (that you just have the option to change, if preferred) as this is the part where both myself and Allan are guilty of sitting for 20+ minutes, debating what we should each name ourselves… only to finally come to the very difficult decision of sticking with our own names. Gah! You play as a newbie Tamer who has just started their journey with the Tamer’s Guild when they are called upon to start a quest after coming face to face with a huge mysterious dragon and being offered one of nine Nexomon in the process.

With a few different options to choose from as your “Starter” Nexomon, you have a more diverse range of designs as well as ‘types’ of Nexomon, including the standard Fire, Water and Grass, as well as a Ghost starter and more. One change from many taming games is that each of these starters are all freely available in the wild - which works out great for us as we both like to catch ‘em all after having that drilled into us from a young age. It does give your initial Nexomon less of an impact in your team, but this also can be a good thing as it encourages more rotation of who you are actively using, as well as testing out everyones’ skills instead of simply relying on one ‘mon to carry your entire team.

I really like the variety of Nexomon available, and they all look really good which is fantastic. The world is beautifully designed, with a gorgeous colour palette throughout that really makes everything pop. As well as the stunning visuals, we’ve got tonnes of great humour interspersed with everything - mostly in the form of little jokes and quips from your buddy Coco. These add a hilariously human quality to the game, with a lot of little nods and pointers to things that are totally normal in the world of Nexomon - but would be downright bizarre in the real world. The soundtrack fits perfectly, too, with catchy tunes as you plod through all the different areas.

Controls are straightforward and easy to understand, with some unique additions to the usual monster catching format. In battle, capturing a Nexomon is done via Nexotraps, which come in a bunch of different styles. You’ve got your bog standard ones, as well as ones that give an increased rate of capture based on Nexomon-type. Lastly you’ll have a chance at finding Golden Nexotraps, the Nexo equivalent of a Master Ball - guaranteed to catch whoever you throw it at. These are pretty damn rare, so it’s always good to hold onto them. After selecting a Trap to throw, you’ll have to do sort of quick time event style button pressing, following the rotation of buttons shown on screen. I managed to miss this upon catching my first Nexomon due to one of the kids choosing that particular moment to stand in front of the TV so I wasn’t aware it was even happening. Luckily, as it was my first capture I still got it - presumably because it’s kind of forced as part of the story, but I wouldn’t bank on that happening with any others!

Battling against Nexomon or other trainers feels great too, with well done battle animations and music that goes well with the fight. With 381 Nexomon to find, as well as shiny forms known as Cosmic Nexomon there’s plenty to keep you invested in Nexomon: Extinction after the story ends. And at just £16.99 on the Xbox Store, it’s a phenomenal price when compared to the likes of Pokémon. My only gripe is that the game does not hold your hand at all, fully expecting you to understand most of the mechanics through playing similar games in the past. This is fine if you’re like me and have played every iteration of Pokémon, but for newbies to the genre you might feel a little bit flustered as you try to get to grips with things. Overall, I had a truly fantastic, enjoyable time with Nexomon: Extinction, and I’m excited to see what they do next.

In the end, we decided to give Nexomon: Extinction the Collecting Asylum rating of 8/10.

Have you played Nexomon: Extinction yet? What did you think of it?
Let us know in the comments below!

- V x

Thank you to PQube for the Nexomon: Extinction Xbox One review code!