Developed By: Beehive Studios
Published By: Team17
Category: RPG
Release Date: 05.26.26
Price: $24.99
I love all kinds of monster catching RPG’s. I love the big ones like Pokemon and Palworld, and I love the small ones like Doki Monsters: Quest and Temtem. Two months ago I found a new indie one called Lumentale: Memories of Trey. It’s like old-school Pokemon, but with a bunch of its own mechanics and flair. It’s also one of the most gorgeous looking games I’ve ever played within this genre.
You play as a man named Trey. He wakes up with no memories in a world inhabited with creatures known as Animon. Just like with other similar games, players can catch Animon to battle or to have as companions. Most people in the world of Tales can only have one Animon, but Trey isn’t like most people. He becomes a Lumen, one of the few people who can catch and train multiple Animon.
I’ll be honest, the story left a little to be desired. There are interesting moments and characters, but the story often felt shallow or confusing. But the story has very little to do with why the game is so good. The combat is one of the reasons why I love the game so much. Lumentale has multiple combat mechanics that feel fresh and set it apart from its bigger competitors.
The first is the SP distribution. In order to use a skill, you have to use SP, but your entire party shares from one SP pool every turn. Technically, one Animon can hog it all, but then the rest of your party will be left with nothing that turn. I like this mechanic because it forces you to be more strategic and makes you out more effort into balancing your party. It’s a great mechanic, but I like the next one even more.
Type advantages are a thing of the past. There are types just like with other similar games, but they don’t matter as much because there’s no set strengths and weaknesses between types. Each specific Animon has its own set of strengths and weaknesses. So three Animon of the same type could have wildly different strengths and weaknesses from one another. This adds a whole extra level of strategy, and can make your playthrough unpredictable.
This was the most fun I’ve had with the combat of a monster catching RPG in years. But I was just as blown away by how the game looked. The game utilizes the now popular HD-2D art style, but with a twist. Buildings and environments are reminiscent of the DS era of Pokemon games, but with a modern and very clean aesthetic. The entire experience is just stunning.
Should you play Lumentale: Memories of Trey? Absolutely. It’s a long RPG experience that can take north of 40 hours to beat and had more than 100 Animon to catch. That’s a lot of content for a game that only costs $24.99. But beyond that, the game has some fantastic gameplay mechanics and looks stunning.
9/10