I really wanted to like this game. More than that, I wanted to love this game, which is perhaps why this review comes across as so scathing. I’ve been let down. I followed this game for years, awaiting the full release with a heart full of hope. I wanted to spend hours upon hours exploring Shiokawa and the game’s other environs. As it is, it’s a game begging for quality-of-life updates that would make it a joy to explore the undoubtedly impressive selection of mysteries that it has to offer. At present, World of Horror vacillates between being overly tedious, pulling you around by the nose, and sometimes being the game that I really wanted it to be. It’s a frustrating experience, with moments of brilliance that shine through like the color out of space.
Cassette Beasts succeeds as a monster fighter designed for those who grew up on Pokémon Red and Blue. While it could benefit from fewer of the mildly irritating puzzles and a story that’s slightly snappier, it’s well worth playing if you have any degree of nostalgia for Pokémon, Shin Megami Tensei, or those long childhood nights you spent playing your Game Boy into the wee hours.