DeNA reveals its Pokémon-like Monster Builder mobile game

We’re getting a pair of new Pokémon games for the 3DS later this year, but DeNA is hoping you’ll give its take on that genre a try on your smartphone instead.

The publisher is announcing today that its Monster Builder game is coming to Android devices this month, with an iOS version at a later date. This new series from DeNA and developer Nurijoy will have fans collecting and battling creatures in a role-playing-game setting. Collecting and battling with creatures is a mechanic that has helped Pokémon win an audience for decades and turned Puzzle & Dragons into a billion-dollar success. DeNA is attempting to capture some of that success to help it claim a piece of the $36.9 billion mobile-gaming industry for itself.

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In Monster Builder, alien creatures are invading Earth, and the only way to defeat them is to train monsters of your own. This will lead to players finding and training a squad of beasts that look like dragons, evil toads, and tigers. Like with Pokémon, Monster Builder has a rock-paper-scissor mechanic in which each creature falls into one of four elemental types. This introduces strategy and a reason to have a diverse roster of critters.

While the core of Monster Builder sounds similar to Pokémon and other popular mobile apps like Puzzle & Dragons, DeNA is attempting to set its game apart by focusing on a system where players can craft their own monsters from thousands of possible variations.

Games like Monster Builder can make a lot of money because players are always looking to collect the next creature they need to strengthen their team or a certain upgrade to improve their favorite monster. This enables developers to charge for random drops — often referred to as gacha — that may include highly prized items. Games like Puzzle & Dragons and Granblue Fantasy have successfully exploited this and ended up with massive revenues.