With a pixelated-look similar to the original Pokemon games for the Gameboy Color, Monster Crown brings a darker, more mature universe to the monster-taming genre. Developed by Studio Aurum, Monster Crown initially started as a Kickstarter project four years ago, gaining enough funding to bring the game to Early Access. Monster Crown has all of the main aspects of a typical monster-taming game like Pokemon, but the game’s emphasis on monster breeding is much more in-depth than others in the genre. Unlike in Pokemon, trainers will be able to cross-breed any of their monsters to create entirely new species of monsters to battle with. A description on the game website offers a look into how deep monster breeding can go, “Your creations are truly independent, new species. Appearance, color, moves, typing, stats, and even the moves the monster is capable of learning are all inherited. After a few generations, it will be impossible to tell what monsters you even started with.” Along with an in-depth breeding system, Monster Crown will also include a number of features including over 200 monsters to collect, a dark full-length story, decision-making that can impact the story, and online capabilities for battling or trading with other players.

The story for Monster Crown promises to be a darker journey compared to traditional games like Pokemon, as players begin their adventures to defeat the evil Beth who is trying to restore tyrannical “philosopher kings.” According to an official description from the Kickstarter, players will be able to choose their path during the game, “travel across Crown Island with your Monster companions to put an end to the dark, underground plot and prevent the return of tyranny. There comes a day in each hero’s journey when they must choose who to side with. Will your decision make you a Savior? Or a dark Messiah?”

Monster Crown is now available on Steam Early Access and will be receiving versions for the Nintendo Switch, Vita, Linux, Androids, and PC systems at a later date. Pre-order information, along with special content that is available can be found on the official Steam page and website. The official discord is also open for anyone to join, which will include future update information and monthly player tournaments.