Dokimon Quest

Felt like the childhood I always wanted <3

If this game is on sale, just buy it and go for it. Honestly, it’s an absolute steal. Even at full price it’s worth every cent, and for $5 or even $10 you can’t go wrong. Okay, maybe this is my longest review ever, but I have so many thoughts and feelings to express here. I’m not even finished with the main story yet, but I already want to write this review because Dokimon leaves such a strong impression on me. The art style is beautiful. It has that classic Generation 2 feeling, but with its own unique color palette and lots of quality-of-life improvements. I also absolutely love the inspiration from Neon Genesis Evangelion. I really like that all the characters have such unique colors. It makes everyone stand out and gives the game its own style. The story hooks me almost immediately. It’s darker and more mature while still not taking itself too seriously. The character portraits shown during the dialogue are gorgeous. The title screen is so nostalgic, and I love the intro. I could watch it all day. The soundtrack is absolutely awesome!!! I actually catch myself sitting there listening to one song for almost ten minutes instead of playing. I enjoy it so much that I immediately buy the soundtrack on itch.io. I really hope it also comes to Steam one day. The game feels like the Generation 2 game I always imagined as a kid, just in widescreen with modern improvements. Double battles, lots of little QoL improvements, and even some inspiration from Pokémon Colosseum. It’s nostalgic but still feels fresh. I also love that the game includes lots of Japanese food as items. It’s a small detail, but it gives the game even more personality. The catching animation is also really cool and satisfying to watch. The game is also full of funny, weird, and charming moments. I really enjoy the dialogue and the cutscenes. The monster designs are also really creative. Sure, not every single one is my favorite, but creating more than 140 monsters is an insane amount of work, and I have a lot of respect for that. I’m playing the whole game on my Steam Deck, and honestly, it feels like this is where the game belongs. It’s a bit of a shame that it isn’t Steam Deck Verified yet because it seems so close. As far as I can tell there are only two small issues: the control screen at the beginning and one button prompt that says TAB instead of LS. With just a little bit of work here and there, I think it could easily get the Verified badge. Fast-forward could be mapped to RB, switching between menu tabs could use LT/RT, and TAB could simply become LS. I also see great potential in keeping the game updated as the engine continues to improve. One thing I never expect is that Dokimon actually inspires me to finally start making my own game. When I find out that the developer also made an engine for creating games like this, something just clicks. I finally start learning pixel art, making sprites, and working on my own little project. I’ve wanted to do that for years, and somehow Dokimon is the game that finally gets me started. I honestly can’t thank the developer enough for that. Pokémon Crystal is the last Pokémon game I really fall in love with before life slowly pulls me away from the series. Dokimon somehow brings those feelings back. It reminds me why I love this genre so much in the first place, and that’s something I never expect. Of course, the game isn’t perfect. My biggest criticism is probably the controls and no Verified status. The shoulder buttons are basically unused, and I think they could make menu navigation much faster. The battle animations are a bit basic, and I also think the monster evolution animations could use some improvements. I would also love to see four direction overworld sprites or even battle back sprites someday. I think they would add even more charm and immersion. But at the same time, I completely understand why they aren’t there. That’s a crazy amount of work, especially with more than 140 creatures, and I would never expect the developer to add something that big. The game still has a few small flaws that I hope get polished over time. I know the developer originally didn’t plan to keep updating the game, so I’m really happy to see that he has since talked about continuing support. I really appreciate that. One of the biggest strengths of indie games is that indie developers have the freedom to keep improving their games over the years. Seeing a game receive updates long after release, and not just because there’s a new DLC, is something I always appreciate. It would be a real shame if Dokimon didn’t continue to grow, because I think it has so much potential. Maybe for some die-hard ROM hack fans this game doesn’t hit the same way, I don’t know. But for me, it’s already one of my games of the year. Overall, Dokimon reminds me why I fell in love with this genre in the first place. It already changed my life. Let’s hope it’s for the better haha