The success of Pokémon has inspired countless games where you train fantastic pets for combat, but America missed out on one of the best and most unique in 2000’s Monkey Puncher – an awesome game that was never released in North America.
Why Pokémon Fans Need to Try Monkey Puncher
Key Takeaways
- Unique Gameplay: Unlike Pokémon, players train only one monkey at a time, focusing on personal rapport.
- No Direct Control: Players do not control combat directly, adding an element of unpredictability.
- Distinct Art Style: The game features unique designs and animations for each monkey.
- Engaging Story: Players help Sumire rescue their family from the Saru gang through training and battles.
Like Pokémon, Monkey Puncher sees the player train an animal sidekick for combat, however it takes place on a smaller, more personal scale. Players train one ape at a time, with a focus on building a personal rapport and fine-tuning their attributes and tactics.
The mechanics and story are way more ‘Ash and Pikachu’ than managing a roster of dozens of monsters…
What makes the game so distinct from Pokémon is that players don't have direct control of combat. You choose and train your monkey, decide on their tactics and even schedule their matches, but the punches thrown are out of your control.
Your monkey might make mistakes, be unlucky or even disobey you – some of these factors lessen as your bond grows, but combat is never fully within your control, replicating some of the visceral enjoyment of watching sporting combat.
While many of the basics of Pokémon are there – breeding your monkey for desirable traits, taking on a criminal gang of animal-fighters and making type-vs-type decisions in combat – the mechanics and story are way more ‘Ash and Pikachu’ than managing dozens of pocket monsters.
What You Need to Know About Monkey Puncher
The narrative of
Monkey Puncher, young monkey trainer Sumire (or Kenta) is left to fend for themselves after the Saru gang kidnap their father and sibling. By training their monkeys to rise through the ranks, Sumire earns the attention of Saru and frees their family after a grueling Elite Four-style challenge.
The player cares for and trains one monkey at a time (though they can switch between and breed within a larger roster), attending to hunger and exhaustion while training them in various attributes.
The gameplay definitely gets repetitive if you raise enough monkeys, and the RNG will frustrate completionists in places (for example, there’s no guarantee you’ll find every special move in the game). The English translation is also incredibly janky—though ultimately, that helps keep some of the more milquetoast moments feeling fun.
Where to Play the Pokémon-Like Game Monkey Puncher
While
Monkey Puncher was only released in the EU and Japan (by Event Horizon Software and Taito respectively), the cartridge isn’t hard to find online and the game is widely available via emulation.
Monkey Puncher doesn’t let you tour a sprawling world like
<em>Pokémon</em>, but it’s a worthy take on the theme of training an adorable monster for battle, and there’s a particular satisfaction in watching your ape companion land that knockout punch just before the bell.
