Coromon will bring its Pokémon-plus-puzzles game to Nintendo Switch in Q1 2022

Coromon twists the Pokémon formula with how it approaches dungeons, customization, and puzzles for its monster-taming gameplay. It’s already been announced for PC and mobile, and during the Freedom Games 2021 Showcase at the digital Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) today, developer TRAGsoft said Coromon is coming to another platform: the Nintendo Switch.

This feels like a good fit, as Coromon sports visuals similar to the early Pokémon games and is also about, you know, catching monsters. TRAGsoft has added a puzzle layer; as you explore maps, you find yourself dealing with these little brainteasers. And when your monsters level up, you can play with their statistics, giving it more RPG depth and other monster-taming games.

Your character works for a high-tech company, and your goal is to extract Titan Essences from the world. As the name implies, Titans are larger beasts you find in dungeons, and you and your monster teams must defeat them to get the essences and learn more about these “cornerstones” of the world.

“And this journey will lead you into a story of full plot twists that are full of interesting events and side quests to do,” TRAGsoft’s Marcel van der Made said. He’s the CEO and story writer for the studio, along with being the “Second Ridiculously Ambitious Guy.” (TRAGsoft stands for “Two Ridiculously Ambitious Guys.” Van der Made is the second, and fellow CEO and programmer Jochem Pouwels is the first).

TRAGsoft has been working on Coromon for over seven years, and the project is the result in part for their fondness for the Game Boy, Pokémon, and grand adventures with puzzles like Zelda.

“We love games and spent thousands of hours playing those games,” Marcel van der Made said. “Why not make a game with every the aspect we love and put that together for the ultimate RPG experience. That’s how Coromon came to life.”

And, of course, leads to the studio name “Two Ridiculously Ambitious Guys.”

Full of potential

Above: You can tweak your Coromon’s stats.

Image Credit: TARGsoft

Colors show how strong your Coromon can be. Two may be of the same species, but one may be brown, and the other is purple. This is part of TRAGsoft’s potential system. Coromon gain XP as they fight, and you can use those points to customize their stats. Van der Made says you can do that to make one a glass cannon (meaning with powerful attacks but weak health and defense), or make one that soaks up enemy damage.

It also has a shiny system (this reminds me of foils in Pokémon card packs), which plays into how you allocate a Coromon’s stats. They come in three versions as well: normal, potent, and perfect (think of these as the evolutions in Pokémon).

Nice work if you can get it

Above: You’d better not say, “I choose you, Pikachu” in Coromon.

Image Credit: TARGsoft

In games like Pokémon or Monster Rancher, you’re goal is to be the best trainer or collector you can be. And while that’s an important aspect of Coromon as well, you’re also working for a big company. You get paid for your endeavors, and along the way, you encounter other employees who are there to help you.

“They actually pay you to battle,” van der Made said. I dig this, as one of my few gripes with Pokémon is starting every adventure at home and getting a goodbye from your mom. “There’s even an outer space aspect to it, you’ll find out from the story itself.”

Puzzles and traps

As we explored a sandy dungeon, we encountered some dart traps. This is all about timing, avoiding the darts as you make your way through that part of the maze. Some of these dart traps have patterns you must watch for. Other traps include trapdoors, and some of these combine to make for some nasty tests. You also have buttons to move walls. None of them are difficult, but they do require you to pay attention to your surroundings and break the gameplay loop of finding and fighting monsters.

Above: As you explore dungeons, you’ll find some traps.

Image Credit: TARGsoft

“[The puzzles” should be accessible enough so that you can find out [the solution] yourself. And some have people who are there to explain the mechanics,” van der Made said. “Some of the puzzles are really rewarding. You get a special item to solve puzzles that aren’t really required to progress any further. We’re really trying to make it accessible, but also complex enough for those who like exploring.”

The name game

Coromon has more than 120 creatures. Coming up for names for that many monsters could be tough, especially when you want to avoid using any that sound like names from Pokémon.

Turns out the TRAGsoft team enjoyed it.

“That’s really fun process, actually. We have brainstorms with about three people working on it. Sometimes you just get a beer and have a long brainstorm session on it,” van der Made said.

They’d look at monster designs and come up with ideas (some funny) until they found those that worked for them. One aspect of the localizations of Coromon is that you don’t need names that translate well from one language to another; you just use a good name from that language for the monster. They do try to stay away from certain pronunciations, as that can make it harder for naming three varieties of the same creature.

The studio also did some naming contests with its community.

Correction, 1:30 p.m.: Fixed the studio name to TRAGsoft throughout. I apologize for the error.