Anode Heart

glad we are in the era of "people who grew up playing Digimon World making their own." tons of visual detail references that make me smile. also the game is good and exp share is on for everyone so you can actually level your tama in a reasonable way.

Really fun and looks great. This game as a series has a lot of potential.

I have been searching for a more evolved (ha) version of Pokemon, and this comes pretty close to what I was envisioning! The story is quite immersive, the characters are charming, the monster designs are nicely done, there is an abundance of quests to do. However, this one isn't really for more casual gamers, like myself, as it doesn't really do an adequate job of explaining the breeding system or making it intuitive or interesting to figure out. I do want to finish this game some time, but without utilizing the breeding system, monsters you train cannot become strong enough to advance the story near the end. It's unfortunate as the game is quite fun otherwise. I would still recommend this game though, just with caveats.

best game ever

An interesting take on a Pokemon clone. More challenging, cute designs. Killer soundtrack.

While initially it may look like 'another Pokemon clone', Anode Heart has quite a lot of interesting features and mechanics that makes it stand out from the Pokemon formula. Rebooting Tamas is incorporated into the game well and experimenting with different breeding combos to get specific techs you wouldn't normally be able to learn is very interesting. I especially like the Tama designs and the character designs of the NPCs (i.e. most all NPCs aren't just a 'hiker' or 'trainer' using the same sprites). However, rebooting Tamas did eventually feel somewhat grindy, especially with one or two of the main bosses, and the relatively few trainer battles only accentuated this. I recommend using the wiki or the official guide (accessible via the main menu) for some useful tips and nudges in the right direction, as some sections I did get stuck with how to progress. Overall it's a fun experience with an engaging story and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it. I recommend it for folks who are looking for a mixup to the traditional Pokemon-style game and don't mind giving some new mechanics a try.