If taming pocket monsters (and perhaps a few that won’t fit in your pocket) is your thing, then you’ve been well served over the years thanks to Pokémon and, more recently, Palworld.
However, there’s one genre crossover that I hadn’t seen before now, and that’s the fusion of creature collecting and survivors-like gameplay mechanics* that just landed in my inbox.
Enter Wildkeepers Rising: Echoes of the Guardians, a newly revealed bullet heaven turned monster tamer by Lioncode Games, the indie studio that previously gave us tactical roguelite Mech Armada.
Not only does the game boast monster taming and bullet heaven gameplay staples, it also features striking hand-drawn characters and enemies, with the game’s art “inspired by the great Akira Toriyama, Hayao Miyazaki, and Jim Henson.”
It looks good in motion so I’ve added the announcement trailer below for your viewing pleasure. The newly constructed Steam page for Wildkeepers Rising is also online, and while it doesn’t include release dates, it does confirm that the game will be an Early Access launch. Hit the link to see more screenshots and to wishlist as desired.
*I did have a look and of course, there are other games that do similar things to this one, it’s just this is the first to catch my eye. My digging into the matter also reminded me of Dicefolk, which has monster-taming and dice-rolling roguishness, if you’re interested.
