Brand new Creature Collector on Steam feels like Pokemon and Palworld finally agreed to get along

The creature-collecting subgenre has a lot of potential, which several developers and publishers are obviously trying to realize, but it's not the happiest area. In fact, many creature collectors are bland and derivative, and the two juggernauts of the scene, Palworld and Pokémonare still at each other's throats, embroiled in a legal battle that is still ongoing.

A step back from Palworld–Pokémon drama, there are quite a handful of creature-collecting games that look convincing and seem to lack the strings of Pocketpair's legally contentious project. One such title is Yesan exuberant and technically ambitious creature-collecting JRPG that seems to have a lot of charm and is slated to launch on Steam. Crucially, while Palworlds peculiar gameplay mechanics have drawn the ire of Nintendo's lawyers, Yes seems to approach the game from a different angle, potentially making for a much more mechanically rich and visceral experience. It is still unproven and has a lot to prove for several reasons, but Yes may well be next Palworldsans process, hopefully.

Yes doesn't have a firm release date, though developer Pawprint Studio is aiming for a 2026 window.

Is Aniimo like Pokemon?

Yes–PokeMon comparisons are to be expected, but they do very little to illuminate what the former actually purports to be about. Yes, there are cute, mysterious animals to catch and bond with, but Yes diverging from its forebears through moment-to-moment gameplay, which informs the broader experience.

While players will spend the game capturing new and unique Aniimo, these creatures aren't just pawns to be used during certain battles or scripted, binary decisions like clearing an obstacle. Rather, players can “twin” with their Aniimo, essentially creating a psychic link of sorts. From there, the game will hand over complete control of a given Aniimo to the player, leading to radically different combat, traversal, and puzzle-solving abilities, all of which can be used through real-time gameplay.

For example, there are bird-like Aniimo that, after Twining, can be used to fly to previously inaccessible places, or ice-type Aniimo that can freeze bodies of water to create makeshift bridges. This injection of real-time gameplay is based on the premise of collecting creatures – which on the surface is very similar to something like Pokémon– and makes it more layered, dynamic and inventive.

Aniimo's combat turns it into a real action RPG

Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of Yes how it compares to the rest of the creature collecting genre is its mix of real-time and tactical combat. Players can switch between two modes when sending their Aniimo into battle:

Command: Aniimo attacks independently while the player issues commands, such as Pokemon Legends: ZA.
Twine: the player character performs the aforementioned skin-changing magic and takes direct control of a given Aniimo, resulting in flashy real-time ARPG whaling.

Players switch between these two modes on the fly, which can inject combat encounters with valuable texture and depth, especially as new Aniimo and abilities expand the sandbox over time. And based on currently available information, these Aniimo-specific abilities could be quite inventive and distinct. For example, Aniimo Besauce has music-based melee attacks with rhythm mechanics.

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Aniimo could be another Palworld in more ways than one

Despite their mechanical, visual and structural differences, it is clear that Yes takes at least some inspiration from Pokémon series. First, several Aniimo bear a striking resemblance to various Pokémon. Examples of this include Jawling, who looks quite a bit like Onyx, and Sheldon, who would be almost visually identical to Jigglypuff if not for their protective shells. In addition to these parallels, Aniimo is captured with Aniipods, small throwable devices; higher level Aniipods have higher chances of successfully capturing Aniimo. This should obviously sound familiar to Pokémon fans, as well as Aniilog, which is effectively the same as a Pokedex.

While similarities between Yes and Pokémon are not in themselves problematic, it pays to remember what is going on Palworld fiasco. Nintendo's case against Pocketpair is mostly about the perceived infringement on series-stitching mechanics, of which Pokeball throwing is a major example. Yes features like Aniipods, Aniilog, and even the rock-paper-scissors rudimentary classifications of individual Aniimo can all put the game in Nintendo's crosshairs, resulting in any number of complications or 11th-hour changes.

Aniimo will be free to play, which is always risky

Early impressions from Yess closed betas have been positive, but these playtests lack a central, transformative element: Yess monetization system. It's hard to say what role microtransactions and randomized gacha systems will play in Yeshowever, given that the game is free, one would assume that these monetization elements will be relatively pervasive. It's frustrating, but FTP games that appeal to the widest audience tend to leverage their in-game monetization more, as they have a larger customer pool to tap into. In other words, Yes succeeding at launch can actually lead to more worrying long-term monetization.

Playtesters and previewers have already found monetization tips Yeslike the rare Aniipod Ultra items, which seem tailor-made for an in-game cash shop. The closed betas have also featured login bonus menus consistent with what is found in many FTP titles, especially those on mobile. The bottom line is this: Yes will be free to play, so there will definitely be in-game expenses of some kind. Like other promising or mechanically sound GaaS titles (Diablo Immortal will think of), Yes may end up undermining its strengths through its monetization strategy. Only time will tell how this will shake out.