New Open-World RPG on Steam Is Doing Something I Wish Pokemon Had Room For

Steam is a treasure trove for new games, and the creature collection title Amiibo is one of the newest ones to hit the platform. Part creature collector, part open-world RPG, Amiibo brings a fresh free-to-play Pokemon-style game that features a wide variety of the titular Aniimo creatures and a world filled with diverse landscapes and obstacles to overcome. This isn’t the first Pokemon-like title to grab gamers’ attention on Steam, as Palworld kickstarted a new wave of creature collection titles, but this particular take on the genre has some unique gameplay features that set it apart from the Pokemon franchise in a huge way.

The Pokemon franchise is undoubtedly the reigning champ when it comes to the creature collection genre, but the arrival of Palworld back in 2024 showcased that there is still room for plenty of solid competition to step in. Granted, the latter’s similarities to the former have made way for some legal controversies, as Nintendo and The Pokemon Company sued Palworld and its developer. The situation keeps looking like Pocketpair Inc. and its open-world monster-tamer will get through the situation relatively unscathed, though, thanks to the game having enough differences from the Pokemon games. Now that newcomer Aniimo is stepping into this genre, developer Pawprint Studio is demonstrating how much more potential creature collectors have when it comes to core gameplay.

Aniimo Actually Lets Players Step Into the Shoes of Its Various Creatures for Deeper Gameplay

If you have ever wanted to experience what it’s like to be a Pokemon, Aniimo might be a game worth checking out, because it turns that dream into a reality. Those who have been wanting a new game like Pokemon but are also growing impatient as the wait for Winds and Waves continues can scratch that monster-taming itch in a fresh way. Aniimo opens up a completely new perspective that the Pokemon games have largely been missing.

In Pokemon‘s defense, the franchise dabbled with this concept, but not in the deeper way that Aniimo does. Pokemon Pokopia‘s main character is a Ditto that has taken on a human form, so that kind of counts as allowing players to see the world through a Pokemon’s eyes. Aniimo pushes this to new levels, though, and it’s the key gameplay component that could make it the next creature collector hit.

Aniimo’s Special Gameplay Feature Is Called “Twining”

To Twine to an Aniimo means to become that creature and experience its abilities.
Aniimo’s can be used to complete certain challenges and win battles.
Twining is also useful for solving specific puzzles across the game’s world.

Not only is Twining the key to many of Aniimo‘s gameplay challenges, but it also completely transforms the game’s traversal. It adds an extra layer to the in-game adventure in a way that future Pokemon games could probably benefit from. Games like Pokemon Mystery Dungeon and Detective Pikachu also feature Pokemon protagonists, but the ability to jump back and forth between a human and a creature is something that makes Aniimo unique.

Since the mainline Pokemon games are all centered on a central Trainer who is on a journey to become a Pokemon Master, it makes sense why the core series has remained so human-focused. However, it would be pretty fascinating to see how the team at Game Freak approached an idea that was similar to Aniimo‘s main gameplay gimmick.

Aniimo Has More Interesting Gameplay Features to Offer Beyond Its Core Twining Mechanic

Because this is a creature collector game after all, Aniimo‘s other main gameplay mechanic is exploring the world of Idyll in order to find and tame the various Aniimos that are living across the map. Finding creatures in Aniimo tasks players with being aware of their surroundings, especially when it comes to finding specific monsters. Randomly coming across Aniimos is pretty easy, but as the game progresses and players want to expand their lineup with more specific catches, there are a few things to take into consideration:

Biome
Weather
Time of day

These criteria are going to immediately be familiar to Pokemon fans. The different Pokemon types can usually be found in biomes that match their specific type, like water types showing up around oceans and lakes. This only makes sense, and it’s a great way to make a creature collector’s world feel even more realistic in a way that also incentivizes exploration.

Aniimo also features multiplayer support. Players can build parties of up to four players, while certain game modes have different requirements. For example, Aniimo‘s Egg Heist mode is an extraction-style PvPvE game that supports only three players at a time. There are also MMO-like public hubs where random players can meet one another.

Aniimo Could Be a Solid Free-to-Play Appetizer Ahead of Pokemon Winds and Waves

Plenty of longtime fans have been eager to jump into Pokemon‘s Gen 10 era, but it may be a little while before gamers get to experience what Winds and Waves has to offer. As the first mainline Pokemon game that is a Switch 2 exclusive, there are some high expectations when it comes to Winds and Waves‘ gameplay. Only time will tell if the game is able to live up to the growing expectations fans are building up, but in the meantime, Aniimo could prove to be a solid placeholder for the Pokemon lovers who want a fresh creature collecting experience but don’t necessarily want to revisit old Pokemon games.

One of the best things about the game is that Aniimo is a free-to-play title. However, it’s important to note that many of Aniimo’s Steam reviews mention that there are a lot of common live-service microtransactions, like a battle pass. Granted, these in-game purchases are optional, but it still might not be the best fit for those who have been trying to avoid microtransactions in gaming. If in-game monetization isn’t a deal-breaker, though, Aniimo looks like a fun time. Pokemon Winds and Waves release date is being kept under wraps, and Palworld has cracked open a new era of creature collectors, which means Aniimo is arriving at a very interesting time.