The Megami Tensei series, along with a lot of its spin-offs, is very far from Pokémon’s style and themes, came before it, and clearly a (very dark) monster collection RPG.
One game that I only tried recently and that I wasn’t even aware was in this genre is Ni no kuni. Its monster collecting aspect only really begins a few hours in, but when it comes into play it becomes a major element of the game. Very cute and charming RPG.
There’s a Dragon Quest Monsters series, Yo-Kai Watch, and a lot of other ones I am aware of but didn’t try. Pokémon doesn’t really exist in a vacuum, it’s just by far the most successful.
There are lots of other games in that genre.
The Megami Tensei series, along with a lot of its spin-offs, is very far from Pokémon’s style and themes, came before it, and clearly a (very dark) monster collection RPG.
One game that I only tried recently and that I wasn’t even aware was in this genre is Ni no kuni. Its monster collecting aspect only really begins a few hours in, but when it comes into play it becomes a major element of the game. Very cute and charming RPG.
There’s a Dragon Quest Monsters series, Yo-Kai Watch, and a lot of other ones I am aware of but didn’t try. Pokémon doesn’t really exist in a vacuum, it’s just by far the most successful.