A new creature collector – one that combines Pokémon and Palworld with the roguelite formula of games that Balatro and Kill the scepter— is blowing up online, with the title clearly blowing through its Kickstarter goal within 20 minutes. Titled Wonderful Neoran Valley, it got fully funded on Kickstarter (with a goal of $100K) in just ten minutes, doubled that goal in twenty minutes, and is over 700K as of this writing.
Wonderful Neoran Valley is described as a “Monster Collector Roguelite experience” on Kickstarter, where players must convince creatures to join them, fight for them and help them uncover Neoran Valley's dark secret. There's a horror element to the game, tons of creatures to collect (at least 70 at launch), and a roguelite gameplay loop. The creatures are called Neoran, described as an evolution of animal and plant life, and so far include the Poison Ivy-like Noctivora, the Cosmic Owl Owrion, Pero the Penguin Pear, Chugaloo the Fat Bat, and a handful more. Players take on the role of the Knight, a clairvoyant who can predict enemy moves.
With 8,000 people contributing to the Kickstarter fund, it will be interesting to see how high the funding reaches. After all, Kickstarter is still taking pledges for the rest of the month, and Wonderful Neoran Valley has already met all but two of its stretch goals. The only ones left are FR/ESP localization if it hits 800K and voiceover work if it hits $1M, which really seems likely for the upcoming creature collecting game.
Every Wonderful Neoran Valley Kickstarter Goal That Has Been Met So Far (And So Quickly)
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Rarities
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Challenge mode
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2 new Neoran NPCs
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Randomizer mode
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At least 15 more Neoran
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Tough situation
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Endless mode
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New Questline
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Fraction mode
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First try mode
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Collector's Edition
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Another new Questline
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Switch 2 Port
In addition to additional Neoran, the 600K mark also provides funding for an entire team working full-time with Welcome Neoran Valley. That's good for the developers, while the previous goal (Switch 2 port) was good for the fans. Handhelds like the Nintendo Switch 1/2 and Creature Collector are arguably the best platforms for a creature collector and rogue-like game, meaning the best possible hardware will be available for Welcome Neoran Valley at launch.
Of course, Welcome Neoran Valley is a big deal for fans of Pokémon and Palworldwith many hoping that its development history and role in the industry will evolve as Palworldhave done. It will be a wait though. Estimated delivery date for Welcome Neoran Valley is March 2028, a full two years from now at the time of this writing. The good news is that there's plenty to play between now and then, even in the creature-collecting genre.
Pokemon Pokopia will be released on Nintendo Switch 2 soon, and it's the most reviewed game in the franchise – especially in recent years. Who knows what else Game Freak has up its sleeves when it's working on it Pokemon winds and waves for 2027, and Palworld also expands with a cozy game in Palworld: Palfarm and a Palworld TCG. And that's to say nothing of the myriad of creature collectors coming to Steam between now and then.
Still, Welcome Neoran Valley immediately landed with its players, and it is obvious from the massive increase in funding. It remains to be seen where the funding lands at the end of the month, but it wouldn't be surprising to see it reach its final goals, surpassing $1M in funding and its community continuing to support the team.
