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Familiars.io

93%Game Brain Score
graphics, atmosphere
gameplay, music
96% User Score Based on 84 reviews

Platforms

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Play in Arcadia
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About

Familiars.io is a massively multiplayer role-playing game where players catch and battle monsters in an online world, reminiscent of games like Pokemon. Playable in desktop and mobile browsers, players can explore the world, challenge other players, or simply socialize with fellow trainers in this vibrant and engaging game. For updates, follow the developer on Twitter at @ClayLoam and join the official Discord.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Familiars.io screenshot
Familiars.io screenshot
Familiars.io screenshot
Familiars.io screenshot

96%
Audience ScoreBased on 84 reviews
graphics6 positive mentions
grinding4 negative mentions
  • The game features a charming art style and creative design, making it visually appealing.
  • The gameplay is easy to pick up, with a surprisingly nuanced turn-based battle system that adds depth to PvP encounters.
  • It's a free game that offers a fun and nostalgic creature-collecting experience, perfect for casual play.
  • The game lacks substantial single-player content, leading to a feeling of boredom after a short playtime.
  • The user interface is cluttered and not optimized for larger screens, making navigation tedious.
  • There is a limited number of creatures to collect, which may leave players wanting more content.
  • gameplay
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of this indie turn-based battler is accessible and engaging, featuring a streamlined combat and progression system that allows players to easily pick up and enjoy the game. While the mechanics are well-designed for PvP and each familiar offers a unique playstyle, some users noted that the user interface can feel cluttered, requiring excessive clicks and actions. Overall, it provides a cozy, minimalist experience reminiscent of Pokémon, making it suitable for casual players looking to form a dedicated team quickly.

    • “The game is very easy to pick up and play with only 20 familiars (so far) that you can discover and catch, as well as a combat/progression system that streamlines and eases you into its surprisingly nuanced turn-based battles and mechanics.”
    • “The gameplay is very easy to understand, maybe uniquely so, and each monster has a unique playstyle that gets the gears in your head spinning as you train them.”
    • “Familiars is a very simple and self-contained MMO monster-catching RPG not unlike Pokémon, but its sheer minimalism in presentation and mechanics, combined with its focus on multiplayer, makes this a very cozy experience that anyone can easily pick up and play, and create a dedicated team within the span of about a half hour.”
    • “This artificial clutter makes gameplay more tedious: a lot of clicks and actions with the UI are needed to do anything.”
    • “Tldr: the mechanics of this indie turn-based battler are good but intended for PvP.”
    • “Familiars is a very, very simple and self-contained MMO monster-catching RPG not unlike Pokémon, but its sheer minimalism with its presentation and mechanics combined with its focus on multiplayer makes this a very cozy experience that anyone can easily pick up and play.”
  • graphics
    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's graphics are praised for their creative and endearing pixel art style, featuring a limited color palette that adds to its charm. While many find the visuals aesthetically pleasing and unique within the creature catcher genre, some reviewers note that there is room for improvement in terms of variety and smoother transitions. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the game's appeal, though enhancements could elevate the experience further.

    • “This game was amazing, super creative, love the art style.”
    • “Io is a Pokémon-like featuring a multiplayer open world with some of the best and most unique aesthetics/visuals I've ever seen for the creature catcher genre.”
    • “>endearing graphical style”
    • “Graphics are pixelated and use a very low number of colors (16?).”
    • “Grrrr, but yeah it was an easy click to see whether I like the game as on the surface it looks aesthetically pleasing.”
    • “Graphics are pixelated and use a very low number of colors (16?).”
  • music
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is characterized by an upbeat 8-bit style that contributes to a positive atmosphere and enhances the fun of the creature-collecting experience. However, some players find the music repetitive and suggest that a greater variety of ambient tracks could improve immersion and better reflect different zones and areas.

    • “The music is 8-bit and upbeat, giving the game positive vibes.”
    • “A really fun creature collector game with very addicting music.”
    • “The music is too repetitive and the variety of ambient music could be a really good thing for immersion and switching of zones and areas to give off a good atmosphere.”
  • grinding
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious due to excessive UI interactions and unnecessary clutter, which detracts from the overall experience. Many appreciate the absence of traditional RPG grinding, but the cumbersome mechanics still lead to frustration.

    • “This artificial clutter makes gameplay more tedious: a lot of clicks and actions with the UI are needed to do anything.”
    • “This artificial clutter makes gameplay more tedious: a lot of clicks and actions with the UI are needed to do anything.”
  • optimization
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization is criticized for its font design, which is tailored for very small screens, resulting in oversized letters even when the game is maximized. This issue detracts from the overall user experience.

    • “However, the font is optimized for absurdly tiny screen space, so even when the game is maximized, the letters just become huge.”
  • story
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players feel that the story lacks clear direction and progression, suggesting the inclusion of quests or in-game pointers to enhance motivation and engagement.

  • atmosphere
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere is hindered by repetitive music, with users expressing a desire for more varied ambient tracks to enhance immersion and better differentiate between zones and areas.

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