Upcoming Switch Game With ‘Very Positive’ Reviews is Like a New Twist on Pokemon

Highlights

• Dicefolk, a new Nintendo Switch game, offers a twist on the creature-capturing format with D&D-style dice rolling combat mechanics.
• Developed by LEAP Game Studio, Dicefolk follows Alea’s quest to stop sorcerer Salem by taming Chimeras using magic dice.
• Alongside Diceworld, fans of creature-collecting games can also try the Animal Crossing-inspired Amber Isle on Steam soon.

Dicefolk, a highly rated creature collector roguelike, is coming soon to the Nintendo Switch, where it’s looking to find a new audience after quickly racking up great reviews on Steam. Games that market themselves as new approaches to the Pokemon formula are starting to sprout up more and more as they seemingly try to replicate the success of Palworld from earlier this year.

Dicefolk is the latest entry from Netherlands-based publisher Good Shepherd Entertainment, which is known for interesting titles such as the cel-shaded Hellboy: Web of Wyrd, which also released for the Switch in 2022. The game was developed by small companies LEAP Game Studio, an award-winning indie outfit, and Tiny Ghoul.

Dicefolk‘s gameplay involves the familiar mechanic of catching and collecting various creatures, called Chimeras here. The player takes the role of Alea, a young Chimera Summoner navigating the game’s world, which is on the brink of ruin after the evil sorcerer Salem ordered Chimeras to turn against humans. Alea is able to tame and befriend Chimeras through the power of her magic dice, using this ability to try and stop Salem.

Pokemon With D&D-Style Dice Rolling

Diceworld innovates on the classic formula through its combat, in which teams of three Chimeras fight, and everything is determined by rolling dice a la Dungeons & Dragons. This type of gameplay can get tricky and frustrating, as everyone who has recently played Baldur’s Gate 3 and its dice mechanics already knows, but the hook is that great rolls feel really rewarding. This system is likely why many media outlets have already rated Dicefolk highly.

Meanwhile, Diceworld isn’t the only new take on a classic Nintendo genre on Steam. The Animal Crossing twist Amber Isle, which trades the Nintendo franchise’s cute forest critters for equally adorable dinosaurs and ancient animals, has been announced for release soon. The game retains much of the foundation of Animal Crossing, such as an island to rehabilitate and villagers to interact with.

While the official trailer lists Diceworld as “coming soon,” there’s no definite release date for the Switch port just yet. In the meantime, the game is cheap to get on Steam for PC players who want to try it out. Meanwhile, other creature collectors are still worth trying for those who need to scratch a Pokemon itch—Palworld had just released a new update that makes a lot of good quality-of-life changes. With the game regularly on sale, it’s never been a better time for the genre.