HolyCouncilMagi
2015-07-04, 09:55 PM
I'm looking for a rather specific kind of game. The gaming industry runs deep and wide, though, and it's only a few shades off from a rather common formula, so I imagine I'll find something to suit my desires.
Basically, what I'm after is a game with a good monster-capturing mechanic, but which doesn't focus on it so completely that there's nothing else to the game. Preferably, captured monsters are assists/stat boosters or other party members, but your character still engages in combat, though I recognize that very few games probably put anything towards capturing monsters for combat without going all-in on it. I'd like some solid combat mechanics that encourage creativity and system mastery, preferably focused on teams (for strategy RPGs) or parties (for non-strategy RPGs) rather than single combat, but this is another of the looser requirements. (I was rather a fan of Golden Sun's combat, though I'd like something with more depth and variety; it took a while to figure out which strategies were good in Golden Sun's boss fights, but once you figured it out you could pretty much win every battle with one rinse-and-repeat strategy.) A harder requirement, and something that often causes people to look at me funny, is that I really want some "do this difficult optional thing for more power" tossed in. Hard bonus dungeons near the endgame for strong equipment are the common ones, but since we're talking about a monster-capturing game here, difficult (and, again, optional) processes that let me capture and use bosses would be like candy.
I'll give some examples of things that are "close, but not quite" that I've played so you guys can get a more specific idea of what I'm looking for.
Pokemon does great about all enemy monsters being open for capture, and that includes the Legendary Pokemon, but the problem with Pokemon for me, aside from having played all the current games already anyway and wanting something new, is that it's too encouraged and easy; when you come up on a strong monster, it generally isn't any harder or less obvious to capture it than it is to beat it. Plus, and I'm sure I'm going to get hate for this from every soul on this side of the internet, I just find Pokemon's combat system rather bland compared to party combat from games like Golden Sun, Final Fantasy, and some of the Dragon Quest games at higher levels.
I'm a really huge fan of the Shin Megami Tensei series of games, which cover a lot of the bases I'm looking for, but I'm currently looking for something with a more traditional feel and less encouragement; the Shin Megami Tensei games have a tendency to be like "hey look here! and do this! and now you have a thing!" such that I don't feel like I'm accomplishing anything or even doing anything particularly or unexpectedly cool, even when I'm fusing demons and taming literal gods. As silly as this sounds, I like a game that makes me feel like I earned something when I actually get the cool stuff (this goes hand in hand with my enjoyment of optional bonus dungeons with cool gear).
For an example of a situation in a game that feels about right, in games like Nethack and Tales of Maj'Eyal, you can pull off cool tricks within the system to tame the Horsemen of the Apocalypse or get bosses as allies (or, in one case, even as a weapon symbiote). These things give you a sense of accomplishment, because you aren't just doing what you've been doing the whole game (such as with Legendary Pokemon, where it's the same formula it's always been just with a bigger and more impressive mon), and even if you've been doing the mon-capturing a lot, you still need to come up with new strategies to deal with these guys, because capturing them ultimately isn't the point; in many cases, even fighting them isn't the point, but rather to run away because they can kill you ten times over and there's no plot requirement to deal with them, making the capturing something to be even more proud of. But these are roguelikes, and I'm hoping to find an RPG here.
Anyway, I've prattled on enough. You guys got anything for me? Preferred systems are GBA and NDS, but I can get by on almost any system.
Basically, what I'm after is a game with a good monster-capturing mechanic, but which doesn't focus on it so completely that there's nothing else to the game. Preferably, captured monsters are assists/stat boosters or other party members, but your character still engages in combat, though I recognize that very few games probably put anything towards capturing monsters for combat without going all-in on it. I'd like some solid combat mechanics that encourage creativity and system mastery, preferably focused on teams (for strategy RPGs) or parties (for non-strategy RPGs) rather than single combat, but this is another of the looser requirements. (I was rather a fan of Golden Sun's combat, though I'd like something with more depth and variety; it took a while to figure out which strategies were good in Golden Sun's boss fights, but once you figured it out you could pretty much win every battle with one rinse-and-repeat strategy.) A harder requirement, and something that often causes people to look at me funny, is that I really want some "do this difficult optional thing for more power" tossed in. Hard bonus dungeons near the endgame for strong equipment are the common ones, but since we're talking about a monster-capturing game here, difficult (and, again, optional) processes that let me capture and use bosses would be like candy.
I'll give some examples of things that are "close, but not quite" that I've played so you guys can get a more specific idea of what I'm looking for.
Pokemon does great about all enemy monsters being open for capture, and that includes the Legendary Pokemon, but the problem with Pokemon for me, aside from having played all the current games already anyway and wanting something new, is that it's too encouraged and easy; when you come up on a strong monster, it generally isn't any harder or less obvious to capture it than it is to beat it. Plus, and I'm sure I'm going to get hate for this from every soul on this side of the internet, I just find Pokemon's combat system rather bland compared to party combat from games like Golden Sun, Final Fantasy, and some of the Dragon Quest games at higher levels.
I'm a really huge fan of the Shin Megami Tensei series of games, which cover a lot of the bases I'm looking for, but I'm currently looking for something with a more traditional feel and less encouragement; the Shin Megami Tensei games have a tendency to be like "hey look here! and do this! and now you have a thing!" such that I don't feel like I'm accomplishing anything or even doing anything particularly or unexpectedly cool, even when I'm fusing demons and taming literal gods. As silly as this sounds, I like a game that makes me feel like I earned something when I actually get the cool stuff (this goes hand in hand with my enjoyment of optional bonus dungeons with cool gear).
For an example of a situation in a game that feels about right, in games like Nethack and Tales of Maj'Eyal, you can pull off cool tricks within the system to tame the Horsemen of the Apocalypse or get bosses as allies (or, in one case, even as a weapon symbiote). These things give you a sense of accomplishment, because you aren't just doing what you've been doing the whole game (such as with Legendary Pokemon, where it's the same formula it's always been just with a bigger and more impressive mon), and even if you've been doing the mon-capturing a lot, you still need to come up with new strategies to deal with these guys, because capturing them ultimately isn't the point; in many cases, even fighting them isn't the point, but rather to run away because they can kill you ten times over and there's no plot requirement to deal with them, making the capturing something to be even more proud of. But these are roguelikes, and I'm hoping to find an RPG here.
Anyway, I've prattled on enough. You guys got anything for me? Preferred systems are GBA and NDS, but I can get by on almost any system.