Grown-up Pokemon game Monster Crown enters Early Access

Way back in 2018 we told you about the Kickstarter for Monster Crown, a game of mad-science crossbreeding and turn-based battles somewhere between Pokemon and Dragon Quest Monsters that ended up being funded to the tune of $45,415, well over its humble $5,000 goal. Now, it's finally entered Early Access on Steam and is 10% off this week.

Monster Crown has you making pacts with monster, then breeding and fusing them to create new species as you adventure across Crown Island battling and trading (which you can also do online). Unlike Temtem, it's a bit mature in its storytelling, with a plot that could end with you becoming "a savior or a dark messiah" and the occasional swear word dropped into its blocks of JRPG text.

Developers Studio Aurum say this Early Access version of their game contains about a third of the full story and one-third of the monster list, with about roughly half the world map available to explore. They're planning to leave Early Access "anywhere from 6 to 12 months" from now.

Thanks, RPS.