Pokémon meets Castlevania in this charming, turn-based monster collector

polygon.com:

Monster Sanctuary opens with the classic choice any Pokémon lover will recognize: picking your elemental starter, or Spectral Familiar, as they’re called in Monster Sanctuary. I deliberated for some time, as it’s an important decision — I was choosing what would likely be the crown jewel of my team in the long haul. I went with the Spectral Toad, a water and earth specialist whose adorable hopping accompanied me throughout the rest of the game.

I first picked up Monster Sanctuary in 2020 while trying to fill the Metroidvania-shaped hole in my heart. But I accidentally found a perfect Pokémon game —one that takes the classic series’ base elements while modifying the formula enough to feel like a satisfying stand-alone game. Monster Sanctuary became an obsession that lasted a good 40 hours, driving me to genuinely want to collect each and every creature.

In Monster Sanctuary, these monsters are fun to deploy in turn-based combat; they’re also a means of traversal, helping you navigate Metroid-style map chock full of secrets. Best of all, it’s on Xbox Game Pass — along with its Forgotten World DLC — so if you’re a subscriber, and a fan of Pokémon or Metroidvanias, you have no excuse not to try it.

I start the game as a lowly Monster Keeper, from a family lineage of other talented Keepers. It’s my job to protect this world, bursting as it is with wonderful little monsters, from the evil plotting of The Alchemists. This vague premise was enough to spur me forward, intent on revealing the world’s secrets.

In Monster Sanctuary, monster collecting is woven into the fabric of the game. Creatures are incredibly cute, and range from real-life animals like lions and eagles to steampunk-like creations, as well as the classic blob (a