Batomon Showdown Is The Hottest New Auto Battler On The Block

Where things get really interesting are all the little twists developer Berrymint has thrown into the format. Batomon Showdown features lovely modern pixel graphics with cute sprites for each monster along with a rotating roster of trainers. At the beginning of each run, you can choose from one of three characters, who will then lend a passive trait to your squad.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

However, just like in Pokémon, the real stars of the game are the monsters themselves. Each type has its own playstyle. Toxic creatures rely on poison to do damage, while water types often try to outheal the opposing team’s attacks. But many individual monsters can become win conditions in their own right when supported properly.

Take for example Pipskull. It’s a common low-cost creature that reminds me of a cross between a Rattata and a Cubone. At first it doesn’t do much. But after you knock it out a few times, which is the core mechanic for ghost type creatures, it evolves and gains multicast, which allows it to fire off a barrage of attacks whenever it casts. The best part is that after evolving, every subsequent knockout grants it additional multicast permanently. Even though it may only be doing 25 to 50 damage each hit, when its multicast gets up to 30x, 40x or even 50x, the little ghost rat becomes a veritable machine gun.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Alternatively, another one of my go-to strategies is if I can get an early upgrade for a Bonshell, which reminds me a lot of a Torterra, it gains both damage and shielding every time it casts for the rest of the battle. Then, I just try to survive long enough to pair it with other rock types including a Rhizuka. That monster has a really fun ability that triggers its attack when any of your other monsters applies a shield, and from there I think you can see where things might get a bit crazy, but in a super fun way. Your other rock types apply shields, slowing down or even completely walling out incoming damage, while the Rhizuka sits in the back and rains down mortars behind shields that just get larger and larger. If you can pull it off, it’s like having an immovable object and an unstoppable force on the same team.

Sam Rutherford

I also appreciate that Batomon’s monsters are divided into different regions. Not only does this give the developer the freedom to easily expand the roster later on (and updates will be free), there are also some traits that allow some creatures to visit from other regions, which opens up even more team building strategies when it happens.

So far, I only have a couple minor critiques. At first, monsters from the Jinto region were significantly stronger than the others. But Berrymint is well aware of this and has already instituted a balance patch to address it. My other gripe is that sometimes I feel like a run is over a bit too soon. Even if you survive long enough to earn a full 10 badges (you get one badge for winning each face off against another trainer), I find I run into situations where my team strategy is just beginning to pay off when a run finishes. I’d really love some sort of infinite mode like you get in Balatro or other roguelikes, where you can keep playing after “winning” while the difficulty keeps ramping up until even the most overpowered compositions struggle. But given the pace of Berrymint’s recent updates, I wouldn’t be surprised if that gets added in the not-too-distant future.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

All told, Batomon Showdown might not be completely unending the genre, but it’s a really solid auto battler in its own right. For a game type that’s still growing in popularity, I appreciate any well-made new entries into the format. And for as little as $6 for the mobile version, it delivers a ton of fun for not a lot of money.