Nintendo’s lawyers are flexing their legislative brains as I write this. I’ll take this opportunity to introduce Sakumon, an all-new monster-collecting title that has just launched on mobile platforms, but it comes with a twist. It’s a toys-to-life game, which means you collect little figurines and link them to your device, unlocking the pocket-sized creatures in-game.
The aesthetic smacks of Pokémon; there’s a chance to unbox rare shiny Sakumon with each purchase, and the three ‘starter’ Sakumon take the form of a water-, earth-, and fire-type spread. It even infringes on Animal Crossing somewhat, giving players an island to explore and customize, along with their character.
Given Nintendo’s pursuit of Palworld, it seems like a matter of time before they start sniffing around Sakumon, but is the toys-to-life angle different enough to keep it safe?
Sakumon Kickstarter Blows Up, and Now We’re Here
Sakumon started with a Kickstarter campaign, which proved to be a rampant success. The campaign raised $140,000 CAD in just one month, and in the first week of July, the first round of Sakumon figurines started shipping.
On the game side, things were delayed by Apple taking too long to review the application, but Google Play was ready to go as of July 2nd. It wasn’t confirmed on the Kickstarter page, but the Apple App Store listing is now available as well.
Sakumon might manage to avoid the gaze of Nintendo’s legal team simply because it’s not a monster-catching game. It’s a collecting game that leans on plastic, NFC-powered figurines, much like the Disney Infinity or Skylanders characters of days gone by. You buy mystery boxes containing Sakumon creatures, tap them to your device, and catalogue them in-game.
Unfortunately, despite the Sakumon base game being free to play, buying Sakumon will leave your wallet hurting. There are twelve Sakumon to collect, and if you buy one box at a time, you’ll be paying $28.99 CAD, which is about $20 USD a pop. If you bulk buy, you can get a box of six Sakumon, but that’ll set you back around $110 USD.
Here’s a video from the Sakumon team explaining how it all works:
Sakumon seems pretty full-fledged as an experience, but it’s only just emerging and has plenty of development left. You can participate in real-time battles with your Sakumon, explore your island, and take part in side activities like fishing, either alone or with friends.
There are twelve Sakumon to collect:
- Yoko & Luna
- Pufflet
- Trolly
- Weefle
- Salagon
- Lucki
- Bomguin
- Nori
- Batato
- Dusa
- Monke
- Axle
And the three starters:
- Bubbodile
- Moss
- Blazelet
It’ll be interesting to watch Sakumon from a distance and see how it develops. It’s the kind of game that will only succeed if people are around to pay and play. There’s a reason why toys-to-life titles died out, with the trend falling short many years ago. Perhaps the Pokémon-style edge can bring a little popularity back to the genre, though.
Let us know if you’d collect Sakumon over on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
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Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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