Happy November. Or at least it will be. Unlimited Wishes (A wandering song, Chicory) announced this turn-based volleyball monster game Beast will be available in early access on PC on November 12, 2024.
I almost missed it Beast entirely. When the developer sent me the email, I was thinking about other things. I didn’t look closely at the emails until they responded later. I was looking through it when I realized that the people behind it were developing it Chicory. If I’m not mistaken, of all the games I reviewed for Destructoid, Chicory received the highest score of 9.5. For me, the only game that crossed the threshold of 9. Chicory had a huge impact on me, so much so that I didn’t play it a second time because I’m not sure I could take another hit even if I saw it coming.
So I have hope Beast it doesn’t have the same impact, which may be a strange wish. I’ve played the demo as much as my currently overloaded schedule allows (which isn’t much), and while the writing is still pointed and detailed, I think Beast it aims to provide entertainment rather than a profound experience. Although, truth be told, there’s enough room here for an emotional journey full of the burdens of fame and the costs of turning a hobby into a job, but… ah… uh oh.
Beast it’s a bit like replacing RPG-style battles Pokémon with turn volleyball. The game is two-on-two beach style and you can win by scoring points or exhausting the other team’s beasts. One of the opening tutorial fights shows how you can defeat a team that is significantly above you by carefully placing the ball. Pretty good, but I’ve only scratched the surface.
And that’s not the case entirely I’m just replacing animated cockfights with volleyball. The actual course of the game and the way of recruiting fresh beasts to your team also change. I think part of the design approach is to approach the formula in a way that removes the questionable cockfighting subtext. The Pokémon Company tends to sidestep the fact that you’re enslaving creatures and forcing them to fight by making it seem as harmless as possible. And honestly, I think it’s just a case of the concept not being completely thought out from the start, and now that it’s become popular, all they can do is try to add friendship to it to soften the situation. I don’t think there was really any intentional malice involved.
What were we talking about? There I deviated from the route. Sure, v Beastis a selection of creatures that will join your volleyball team. You give them T-shirts instead of cages. They have to respect you, which means I’m screwed because I don’t even respect myself. There is also a multiplayer mode.
Anyway, Beast will be released in early access on PC on November 12, 2024.
