Cassette Beasts plays the monster-collecting card with one bold twist: fusing two creatures into one on the fly. The eighties cassette aesthetic and a rich type system make it an unexpected, fresh rival in the genre. Thoroughly endearing.
Your verdict
Category
RPG2 players7+
Co-op
Description
Washed up on a strange island, you transform into monsters using cassettes to explore and fight. Published by Raw Fury, released worldwide in 2023. Capturing and fusing creatures, turn-based combat heavy on type matchups, an open world and two-player co-op.
Cassette Beasts review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
MAX
Story
★★★★★
"Masterful"
Beneath its homage to monster-catching hides a surprising fable about nostalgia for an old cassette and a world left in ruin. The creatures you fuse carry an unexpected melancholy, and the writing gives heart to what could have been a mere wink to the past.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"Pleasant"
Addictiveness
"Captivating"
Difficulty
"Easy"
Lifespan
"Massive"
Capturing creatures to watch them mutate by type opens a sprawling collection to complete, but the adventure doesn't stop there: an open world to explore, tag-team battles and scattered secrets flesh out the journey. The joy of building the perfect team drives you to comb every region. That generosity wedding capture and free exploration won it a warm reception.
Technical info
💾1 GB📅26/04/2023
Published by Raw Fury
Cassette Beasts (Nintendo Switch) price, value & rarity
Catching retro-cool monsters never excuses a lack of tactical depth: the Archangels punctuating the journey exploit the fusion and typing systems to shatter sloppily built teams. Every key fight becomes a chessboard where recording a beast onto tape and improvising a counter-squad mid-battle can tip the balance with sly elegance.
An underrated gem
Sold a bit too quickly as just an indie Pokémon-like, it suffered from that reductive label masking its originality. Its real coup is fusing two monsters into a brand-new creature and a type system built like a tactical puzzle. With its open world and two-player co-op, it should win over anyone who dreamed of a grown-up, inventive monster-catcher.
Better with friends
Exploring this world and catching its creatures in pairs turns the adventure into easygoing companionship: you split the fusions, swap notes on finds and back each other up in battle. The cooperation is warm, free of competitive pressure, carried by a retro charm and a catchy soundtrack. It's ideal for sharing a discovery at your own pace, multiplying little bursts of joy and bets on the next beast you'll stumble upon.
Is Cassette Beasts still worth playing in 2026?
Cassette Beasts twists the monster-tamer formula with refreshing wit. Rather than capturing creatures, you transform via cassettes, and the fusion system together with rich type matchups pushes you to experiment endlessly. The turn-based combat rewards thinking over grinding, and the open world exudes a peculiar melancholy. The pixel art is charming and the two-player co-op a genuine plus. For anyone who has worn out Pokémon and wants a bolder, more grown-up cousin, it is a find not to be missed.
