It was extremely rare for us to get through a battle without wearing our team down and utilising every single one of them… but on the other hand, that can get quite exhausting after one single battle.Ĭaptured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked) On paper, this is a really good twist on Pokémon’s formula and legitimately goes a long way to giving Nexomon its own identity.

It doesn’t take long for it to run low, meaning you have to either sacrifice turns to rest or (more ideally) switch out for another Nexomon. Instead of being able to use each move a select number of times, creatures now have an overall stamina gauge with the more powerful moves depleting the gauge faster. In Pokémon, there’s very little to stop you from favouring one monster and relying on the same powerful move to get you through the game, and that’s the first thing Nexomon tries to remedy. However, there are some nuances to the otherwise identical systems, most importantly how battles work. You can only carry 6 Nexomon at a time, battles revolve around elemental properties, and you encounter wild Nexomon by walking into tall grass. On the surface, it all looks very similar. The transition between overworld and battle is near-instantaneous, battle animations are short and to the point, and even healing your Nexomon at a “not Pokémon centre, honest” is simplified to a quick flash of the screen rather than seeing each Poké Ball slowly entered one by one. This refreshing change of pace is one of the key areas in which the game stands out over its inspiration not only is the story brisk, but because it’s a 2D game, you don’t really have to wait around for anything to load.

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